What to do if a rat bit

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

What infections carry rats

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

Rodents are carriers of many infectious diseases, some of which are deadly. That is why it is so important to urgently disinfect wounds when a rat bites and quickly consult a doctor for help.

On a note!

According to statistics in the world every year the effects of rat bites are felt by more than 15 thousand people, of which 100 cases end in death.

Rat diseases

What are the dangerous diseases spread rodents and the dangerous rat bite:

• Leptospirosis is a serious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira, which results in infection of the internal organs (liver, kidneys) and nervous system. The likely mortality rate is 16% of 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 of Listeria are the causative agents, the disease is very dangerous for pregnant women, because can cause miscarriage, most affects people with reduced immunity.
• Toxoplasmosis - an infection caused by Toxoplasma, is dangerous for pregnant women because of possible damage to the fetus with a probability of 40%.
• Yersiniosis - an infectious disease that causes damage to the gastrointestinal tract and severe intoxication, including affects the musculoskeletal system and the 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 organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms: severe diarrhea for several days, sometimes up to 1 month., Abdominal pain.
• Syphaciosis - helminth disease in rodents.
• Q fever is an infection, with a lesion in which a person has 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 treated within a few hours to doctors and the introduction of a special serum. Rabies and tetanus are deadly diseases for humans.

How a rat bites

Bite disinfection

Rat looks like as many of her relatives. The teeth of a rodent are rather long and very sharp, which they have to constantly grind about everything that they see, right down to concrete, and it’s not worth the effort to bite through human skin. The rat has 2 types of teeth, the most dangerous of which are powerful lower incisors. Because of their length and shape, the bites of rats are deep and very bleeding.

Without a reason, animals usually do not attack, most often this happens at the moment of danger to themselves, in order to protect, and also they have increased aggression during infection with rabies. Rats can attack and bite on the territory of landfills, landfills, garbage cans, in basements, i.e. their habitats. The man himself will provoke an attack of the animal, if he waving his arms, threaten with a stick, panic and show his fear.

Important!

The characteristic posture of an attacking rodent, when he, climbing on his hind legs, sways to the side, and then publishes rat squeak, then goes on the attack.

Bites an animal quite strongly and deeply, biting through a skin of the person through. The rat bite looks like a few deep holes that are bleeding from the blood. Most often they bite in the arms or legs, especially dangerous rat wounds on the neck or in the upper torso, because there are many blood vessels, and the infection can quickly disperse throughout the human body. Photos of a rat bite are presented below.

First aid for bite

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

1. If a rat has bitten to the blood, then for some time it is not necessary to stop the blood, because along with it, the bacteria that got there are washed out of the wound.
2. Then you should prepare a solution consisting of laundry soap (1/3 of the piece) and warm water (2 tbsp.), In the absence of laundry soap, they use toilet soap, but it acts less efficiently. The soap mixture is washed with bites for 10-15 minutes, you can use an enema or a 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 it with iodine.

After a rat bite, it is imperative to go to a doctor to get a rabies and tetanus vaccination. Also in the coming days, you will need to monitor your health in order not to miss the symptoms of one of the above infectious diseases.

Homemade decorative rodent bites

Rat bite behavior

Domestic rodents, which are kept in cages, some lovers are cute and seemingly harmless animals. But in some situations such pets may bite their master, adult or child. Many parents will be interested in the question of what to do if a hand decorative rat has bitten a child.

On a note!

Despite the fact that wild rats they are carriers of various infections, this does not apply to domestic animals, especially when the rat lives 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 bit the finger of its owner, protecting its offspring or during gestation rat pupswhen the animal becomes more aggressive. After the treatment of the wound, it is necessary to follow a few days to the general condition of the person.

Most often, the problem has no consequences, however, in a rare situation, a rise in temperature is possible. Then it is better for safety to call a doctor, to carry out medical measures and to make vaccinations.

In a situation of a bite of a rat that has a different host, one should take care and find out the conditions of its maintenance, whether there were any troubles with the bite of its owners, whether the rodent was in contact with the ground. According to the results of the survey, it will be possible to decide what actions to take in the future: whether to seek medical help or be treated at home.

Rat bite effects

The body of each person has its own individual characteristics and the reaction to the bite of a rat may be different. In some, the puncture will heal quickly, in others - with complications. After getting an injury from rat teeth, you should never stop the blood immediately, but on the contrary, allow it to drain more to wash out the bacteria.

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

If the owner has recently acquired an animal, and if a rat has bitten for no reason, then the likelihood of ingestion of any infection is high enough, the spread of which may be a rodent. In this case, it is impossible to do without vaccines and qualified medical care.