Everybody loves a day at the dog park. However, sometimes bites happen, and it’s crucial to know what to do in these situations. Knowing what to do if your child is bit at the dog park is beneficial to your child, the dog, and everybody else involved. The essential things are to stay calm, collected, and take the appropriate steps.
Medical Attention
When a child is bit, the first thing they will commonly do is seek out their parent. Help your child calm down and take deep breaths. Depending on the severity of the bite, it might be difficult to stay composed, but this is important for their sake.
Wrap the bite up with a bandage or extra fabric you may have on hand and calmly get your child out of the area. If the bite is especially bad or won’t stop bleeding, take a trip to the emergency room since they may require stitches.
Finding the Owner
If possible, finding the owner of the dog is a good idea. Your aim isn’t to accuse or pick a fight with the owner but to inform them of the situation. After all, the owner may be as surprised as you are that this happened.
Informing the dog owner of what happened encourages them to keep an eye on their pet and work to prevent future incidents.
Getting a Professional Opinion
Something that many parents neglect to do if their child is bit at the dog park is seek professional aid. A dog bite is a traumatic event for some children and may lead to a lifelong fear of dogs or other forms of stress.
If it seems like your child is exhibiting any symptoms of PTSD from the event, you may want to consider sending them to a counselor. In a particularly rough scenario, seeking legal aid from a dog bite injury attorney may help you pay for any medical expenses related to the event.
