There were an estimated 57 million cats and 54 million dogs in the US in 1991, but substantially more dog bites than cat bites occurred. Dog bites typically cause a crushing-type wound because of their rounded teeth and strong jaws. Such extreme pressure may damage deeper structures such as bones, vessels, tendons, muscle, and nerves. Cats' very sharp, pointed teeth usually cause puncture wounds and lacerations that may inoculate bacteria into deep tissues. There is limited literature on other animal bites.
Monkey bites have a notorious reputation based largely on anecdotal reports.
Bites from large herbivores generally have a significant crush element because of the force involved. Bites of the hand generally have a high risk for infection because of the relatively poor blood supply of many structures in the hand and the anatomic considerations that make adequate cleansing of the wound difficult. Major concern in all bite wounds is subsequent infection. Nearly all infections are mixed infections. Additionally, ED physicians always should consider the need for tetanus and rabies prophylaxis.