vetmed.lsu.edu



Which is worse, dog bites or cat bites?

Dogs have strong jaws—large dogs can exert more than 450 pounds of pressure per square inch—and their teeth are relatively dull. So the wounds caused by dogs are usually crushing of the tissue bitten and lacerations or tearing of the skin rather than puncture wounds. Most dog bites do not penetrate deeply enough to get bacteria into bones, tendons, or joints, but they often do a lot of damage just from the trauma of the bite. Tissue that has been crushed, however, such as may occur with a bite to the hand, is particularly susceptible to infection.

Cats’ teeth are thin and sharp, so the wounds they cause are more likely to be puncture wounds. These wounds can reach into joints and bones and introduce bacteria deeply into the tissue. Puncture wounds are very difficult to clean, so a lot of bacteria may be left in the wound. Also, most cat bites are to the hand, which makes infection more likely.

Dog bites often do more outright damage, but only 3 to 18 percent become infected. In contrast, cat bites may appear more trivial, but up to 80 percent of cat bites may become infected if proper care is not taken.