If you’re bitten by a dog, having that bite turn infected can make things far more dangerous. For instance, an infection can turn septic, which is a life-threatening complication. You must take something like this seriously and get medical attention as soon as you believe it may be infected.

But how do you know if it’s really infected or not? You have to watch for symptoms that may change or arise in the days to come after the initial bite. Even if the bite doesn’t seem that bad on its own, if it becomes infected, everything changes.

Potential Signs Of Infection

To help you know what to watch out for, here are a few of the potential signs of an infection. Please note that these are not all of the signs you may see, so you should trust your gut and err on the side of getting medical attention if you’re worried. In any case, some signs may include:

• Swelling around the bite, especially if it gets worse and not better
• Redness, tenderness and a feeling of extra warmth in the injured area
• Pain that, like the swelling, just tends to get worse with time
• Red streaks around the bite or fluid and pus oozing from it
• Chills, night sweats, or a fever that seems to have no other cause
• Trouble breathing and a sense of long-term fatigue as your body fights the infection
• Muscle weaknesses and difficulty moving, such as a stiffness in the area

Overall, remember that a bite should be most painful at first, and then it should begin healing. It should not make you feel sick. If you become ill and/or the bite wound just seems to be getting worse, then you may be dealing with an infection or the complications from that infection, such as sepsis.

What Can You Do About The Bills?

An infected bite that needs extra medical care is guaranteed to be more costly than it would be otherwise. To deal with these extra costs, make sure that you know if you have a right to seek financial compensation.