These bites can range in severity from minor scratches, to major trauma that involves broken bones, joint damage, skin and deep tissue injury, and even death.
Most bites cause only minor injuries, for which medical treatment is neither sought nor needed.
Nevertheless, infection is a potential concern with all bites. Bacteria from the attacker s mouth or the victim s skin can infect the wounds themselves. Further, bites can transmit systemic illnesses such as rabies . The majority of bites for which care is sought are treated in ambulatory settings, with only a small minority of patients requiring hospitalization. In the United States, dogs are responsible for approximately eighty percent of the bites treated in emergency departments.