What to do if a rat has bitten

People treat animals like rats differently. Some even prefer to keep their cousins ​​at home in a cage. But the majority still can not stand them and is afraid, and there is a reason. Rat bite - the incident is very unpleasant and even dangerous to human life.

What infections do rats carry?

Rodents eat everything that comes across: garbage, stale and rotten waste, rat droppings. Therefore, in their mouth, the composition of the microflora has a very wide spectrum: harmful bacteria, viruses that can cause inflammation in the most optimistic case, and in the worst case rat can be a carrier of infectious diseases. Rat bites due to a characteristic deep wound in 90% of cases cause its inflammation and the appearance of a purulent process.

Rodents are carriers of so many infectious diseases, some of which are deadly. Therefore, it is so important when a rat bites to do an urgent disinfection of wounds and as soon as possible see a doctor for help.

On a note!

According to statistics, more than 15 thousand people feel the consequences of rat bites every year, of which 100 cases are fatal.

What are the dangerous diseases rodents spread and what is the danger of a rat bite:

• Leptospirosis is a serious disease caused by bacteria of the leptospira genus, resulting in infection of the internal organs (liver, kidneys) and the nervous system. The probable mortality rate is 16% of ill patients. Its symptoms: high temperature up to 40 ºС, chills and headaches, after 2 days there is an increase in the liver, accompanied by severe pain in the calves on the legs.
• Listeriosis - pathogens are Listeria pathogens, the disease is very dangerous for pregnant women, because can cause a miscarriage, most of all affects people with reduced immunity.
• Toxoplasmosis - an infection caused by toxoplasma, is dangerous for pregnant women because of the possible damage to the fetus with a probability of 40%.
• Yersiniosis is an infectious disease that causes gastrointestinal tract damage and severe intoxication, including affects the musculoskeletal system and liver. The disease often manifests itself within 3-7 days, sometimes after 18 days, with the following symptoms: fever up to 40 ºС, pain in muscles and joints, head and abdomen, nausea and diarrhea.
• Cryptosporidiosis - the disease is caused by coccidia, affects the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms: severe diarrhea for several days, sometimes up to 1 month, abdominal pain.
• Syphaciosis is a helminth disease in rodents.
• Q fever is an infection in which a person develops symptoms: general weakness, joint and muscle pain, dry cough, loss of appetite and sleep, headache.

Important!

In addition, in the saliva that rats secrete when they bite, there may be viruses of such dangerous diseases as tetanus and rabies. Salvation from infections can be a visit to doctors for several hours and the introduction of special serum. Rabies and tetanus are deadly diseases for humans.

How a rat bites

The rat looks how many of her relatives.The rodent's teeth are quite long and very sharp, which they are forced to constantly grind about everything they see, right down to concrete, and biting through human skin is not worth any effort for them. The rat has 2 types of teeth, the most dangerous of which are powerful lower incisors. Because of their length and shape, rat bites result in deep and bleeding profusely.

For no reason, animals usually do not attack, most often this happens in a moment of danger to themselves, in order to protect themselves, and they also have increased aggression when infected with rabies. Rats can attack and bite on the territory of landfills, landfills, garbage cans, in basements, i.e. their habitats. A man himself will provoke an attack of the animal if he will wave his arms, threaten with a stick, panic and show his fear.

Important!

The characteristic pose of an attacking rodent, when he, rising to his hind legs, sways to the sides, and then emits rat squeak, after which it goes on the attack.

The animal bites quite strongly and deeply, biting through the human skin through. The rat bite looks like several deep holes from which blood oozes. Most often they bite into hands or feet, rat wounds on the neck or in the upper body are especially dangerous, because there are many blood vessels, and the infection can quickly spread throughout the human body. Photos of a rat bite are presented below.

First aid for a bite

How can rat bites be protected and what should be done if the animal has already injured itself. First of all, you need to do the following:

1. If the rat has bitten to blood, then for some time it is not necessary to stop the blood, because along with it, bacteria that got there are washed out of the wound.
2. Then you should prepare a solution consisting of laundry soap (1/3 of a piece) and warm water (2 tbsp.), In the absence of laundry soap use, but it works less efficiently. The places of bites are washed with a soap mixture for 10-15 minutes, you can use an enema or syringe to put a stream of solution under pressure. The alkali contained in the soap has a neutralizing effect on rabies viruses.
3. The next step will be the disinfection of the wound with hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine, at the edges it is better to burn with iodine

Be sure to go to the doctor after a rat bite to get vaccination against rabies and tetanus. Also in the coming days you will need to monitor your health so as not to miss the symptoms of one of the above infectious diseases.

Bites of home decorative rodents

Domestic rodents, which some lovers contain in their cages, are cute and outwardly harmless animals. But in some situations, such pets can bite their owner, adult or child. Many parents will be interested in the question of what to do if a hand-made decorative rat bit a child.

On a note!

Despite the fact that wild rats are carriers of various infections, this does not apply to domestic animals, especially when the rat has been living in the house for a long time.

However, the wound itself in the place where the rat bite occurred, must be treated and disinfected. After all, the rodent has very thin teeth that pierce the skin deep enough, and the infection can still get into the wound.

The most common situation: a rat has bitten its owner’s finger, protecting its offspring or during gestation baby ratswhen the animal becomes more aggressive. After treating the wound, it is necessary to trace for several days the general condition of the person.

Most often, the problem has no consequences, however, in a rare situation, a temperature increase is possible. Then it is better for safety to call a doctor, conduct treatment and vaccinations.

In the situation of a bite of a rat having a different host, you should worry and find out the conditions of its keeping, whether there were troubles with the bite of its owners, whether the rodent was in contact with the ground.Based on the results of the survey, it will be possible to decide what actions to take in the future: whether to seek medical help or to be treated at home.

The consequences of rat bites

The body of each person has its own individual characteristics and the reaction to a rat bite is different. In some, the puncture will quickly heal, in others, with complications. After being injured by rat teeth, you should never stop the blood immediately, but rather, let it leak more to wash the bacteria.

Consequences and discomfort in a person can appear only after 2-3 days: fever, inflammation in the bite zone, pain in the muscles or head, in this situation, you should immediately seek the help of doctors.

If the owner has recently acquired an animal, and if the rat has bitten for no reason, then the likelihood of any infection entering the body is quite high, which this rodent can be a distributor. In this case, one cannot do without vaccinations and qualified medical assistance.