Adopting a pet is not just all about it being cute and cuddly and fun. It is like having a baby that you will have to take care of for the rest of our fur baby's life. As part of becoming a fur parent, we have to also deal with the fact that our furry little baby also comes with claws and fangs. And whether they meant it or not, there will come a point where they might use those on us. Most of the time, they may scratch or bite us playfully but what if their bite accidentally gets too deep? Or if their scratch results in deep tears on our skin?
I got bit by one of my pets. To be fair, Hiraya was just roughly 4 months old that time. She just got rescued a couple of months ago. During that time, she has just adjusted to her new environment and she has just slowly gotten used to people loving her. I remember how I bottle bot Hiraya and Kalinga when we got them. When they started eating solids, Hiraya just wants to gobble up everything.
Hiraya accidentally bit my finger as I was putting the food into their food bowl. She was just too excited with the steamed fish, she was ready to bite everything on her way. That was a big lesson learned the hard way for me. Now, I put their food on the food bowl away from them and put it down on their tray.
I panicked a little. Well, a lot, actually. There was so much blood coming from the bite site. I washed the wound right away with soap and water. I remembered my parents rub garlic on my brother's wound when he got bit by our dog when we were young. I did not do that. Basically because I know it would hurt like heck and because I learned in one of my daughter's books that it really isn't necessary.
After the bleeding has subside, I immediately sent a text message to Hiraya's vet and reported the animal bite. It was midnight that time so I went to sleep, although I couldn't get to sleep well that night. I was worried. Rabies is deadly and my pets haven't been vaccinated yet at that time because they have been having flu on and off during their first few months. I was worried both for me and my Hiraya.
I went to the clinic first thing in the morning the following day. I had my anti-tetanus shot and my first shot of anti rabies. I did not know anti rabies required a lot of shots. I think I may have gone back and forth to the clinic around 4 or 5 times with I think 1 or 2 week intervals. The only needles I love poking on my skin are those that have ink on them but with this one, I had to endure all those needles. A year has passed since, I think it's safe to say that I did not get infected with rabies.
If you got bit by an animal, you need to make sure that you clean the bite area as soon as possible. Do not sip and spit the blood from the bite area, it will not help. It'll just cause infection. Just water and soap will do. If it is your pet that bit you, separate them from the other animals and put them in a cage for 10 days so you could observe if there will be any changes in their behavior. If it's a stray, try your best to catch it so you can keep it under observation. DO NOT HURT OR HARM THEM. No matter how angry you may feel. They are just acting upon their instincts. They are animals. You are not.
Immediately go to the clinic and have the doctors check you up. Do not shrug it off no matter how big or small the bite is. Rabies is a serious viral disease but it can be prevented if caught early. There are also anti-rabies shots that humans can take even before they get bit. If you have animals in the house, you should consider having a pre-bite anti rabies shot. If there are kids in the house, ensure that they inform you right away if they get bit by your pets.
As part of being a responsible pet owner, we should make sure that our pets' vaccines are up to date. So far, all of our cats have had their ARV's when they got spayed and neutered. It's a lot better if there are lesser things we need to worry about.
Also, always remember, even if our pets have been domesticated already, their animal instincts are still embedded in them. Their fight or flight instincts still kick in when they need it. So always treat your pets with care and love, and surely, the bites they'll give you are just love bites. That's how it is with our cats. They are treated like babies even though they act like little bosses who orders us around to give them food or clean their litter box. That's fine with me. I love them to bits. Especially Hiraya because now, we have that bond sealed with blood. LOL
