Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bite

Oral surgeon in NYC area

KHinds10 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:18:57 -0800

Can you recommend a good Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon/specialist in the greater NYC area? This is for jaw discomfort and a really screwed up bite. I am looking for someone great and I don't care where they are located, Thanks

Badass small dog meets one bigger and badder

Atom12 — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:52:11 -0800

Our dog got in a fight and was bitten. It's just a flesh wound, but how should we care for it? I was at my folks' for dinner and let our two small dogs out on their deck. Normally the gate's closed. Tonight it wasn't and Alan, a toy fox terrier, tore off and ran around the corner. There was barking. I ran as fast as I could and called for him. He came running back with a stripe of blood along his side.

Yes, I know I should've checked the gate. Believe me, I've given myself enough of a guilt trip over this as it is. I'd like doggie first aid advice.

I plan to take him to the vet Monday. He was bit once, by what looks like a large dog. It's a pencil-sized hole. I cleaned it the best I could with soap and water, then spritzed some hydrogen peroxide on it. He seems to be his normal old self. I'm going to get some Neosporin to put on the bite mark.

He's current on all his shots (just had 'em in August).

Any help/insight would be appreciated.

Are spiders crawling on my sleeping face?

Morrigan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:31:58 -0800

Periodically (maybe a couple or few times a year), I wake up with something on my face that seems like a bug bite. Nothing dramatic; it itches a bit, raises a small welt and then heals. My family called these "spider bites." Is that what they are? My home (mid-Atlantic US) has no obvious evidence of spiders living inside. Do mosquito bites present differently on the face? These are not as itchy as mosquito bites usually are and I haven't noticed it happening more in summer. It doesn't resemble a blemish, either; its center seems to have bite-like qualities and it is often in non-blemish-prone areas like my cheeks. Googling "spider bites" is an unhelpful horror show.

My dog just attacked a large rodent-like creature, should I be worried?

AZNsupermarket — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:23:01 -0800

My dog just attacked a large rodent-like creature, should I be worried? I was walking my dog (A soft-coated wheaten terrier) at night in Closter NJ, when he ran off to chase a large rodent-like creature. He bit it and attacked it, and the creature fought back, but no skin was broken that I could see, and there was no blood. Eventually the creature got away. My dog seems to be okay, and is all up to date on all his shots - he got a whole bunch about a month ago (including kennel cough and distemper). This event has left me a little shaken. Is there any possibility that my dog may be hurt without me realizing it or contracted a disease from the creature? Should I take him to see a vet?

Any advice will be appreciated.

What is causing this and how do we stop it? (kill it. kill it with fire?)

exlotuseater — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:07:52 -0800

Help identify possible source or cause of these bites! My SO has been getting some raised / swollen areas on her heel / foot, and one on her pinky finger, beginning four days ago. We believe they are bites, but the source eludes us. She's extremely sensitive to tactile stimuli, so ordinarily she would notice say, a mosquito or similar. At first we suspected the dreaded--shhhh!--bedbug but these bites are occurring during the day, and an exhaustive search (including stripping the bed and laundering everything) turned up nothing.

The bites are extremely itchy at first, swell quickly like a mosquito bite, then recede, except in one case, in which the bite receded somewhat, then blistered, filling with clear liquid (lymph? plasma?).

The size of the bites vary, but they generally range from 5-15 mm in diameter, and the high point of the swelling is perhaps 3 or 4 mm.

Pictures here and here here.

We have an indoor cat, who hasn't been particularly itchy or scratchy--we combed her today, also turned up nothing. If it were fleas, we would see them. Likewise with bedbugs or spiders (but which, under different circumstances, would fit certain diagnostic criteria for bites of this nature).

I vacuumed the other day, and we have regular high-traffic wall-to-wall carpet, which I just crawled over with a high-powered flashlight, literally prying apart the nap to examine. Nothing.

Interestingly, she has gotten several "bites" like this recently, I have been in all the same places, and I have not received a single one. She does not use any skin lotion or any attractant we can identify (no perfume, etc).

She just brushed against the shower curtain five minutes ago, and the one on her pinky "reactivated" and is now itchy again.

We live in a rented condo, have been here for four years, and nothing like this has happened in the past.

We are in upstate New York.

concerned about dangerous dog charge

TheAfterlgow — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:50:50 -0800

Help. Our dog bit another dog and is now a 'dangerous dog.' Now what? Basics: We have a three-year-old German Shepherd rescue dog. About three weeks ago she bit another dog on the leg--the damage to the leg was enough for the other dog to be euthanized. Three weeks later, we have been to court and our GSD is now designated a 'dangerous dog.'

My question is what should we do now? If she bites a dog again, we might be facing a misdemeanor charge--our security clearances, and subsequently, our jobs could be lost. We love her dearly, and would love to keep her, but are currently deciding whether that is too much to have hanging over our heads for the next 8-10 years. If we give her back to the rescue, she still has that dangerous dog charge and finding a home for her would be that much more difficult. Does a dangerous dog charge carry over to other states? Would we be able to adopt her out to a state that has less strict dog bite laws (Alabama for instance) and have the charge go away?

We are contacting the rescue for options, but any advice or knowledge from people who have been in this situation would be helpful. Thanks!

What kind of insect stung me?

m_lazarus — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:36:38 -0800

InsectBiteFilter. Help! Last Sunday in Phoenix, Arizona I was chilling outside and then some insect stung/bit/injected my neck. It was not a bee/wasp/spider/ant. It was a tannish brown color and I think it had transparent green wings but I can't recall for sure. It was about half an inch long. I tried to just forget about it but each day the sting gets more painful. I just hope there's no brood in my neck. Anyone know what kind of critter this could be? And, yes, I know I should go to the doctor but I wanted some hive-mind reassurance that I'll be fine. Thank you so much! Dang bugs.

Seeking medical attention for a human bite.

Anonymous — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:10:12 -0800

I was bitten by a person. It broke the skin. What sort of medical attention (if any) should I seek? Last night I was involved in a brief fight with a drunk individual at a party. I realized when I got home that he had bitten me on the back pretty severely (probably about as severe as a single human bite to the middle of your back could be). I cleaned it with alcohol and bandaged it with some antibiotic ointment (Neosporin).

When I told a friend about this they sounded surprised that I hadn't sought medical attention for this. Since the skin was broken, I no doubt came in contact with his saliva. However, he was drunk, not rabid.

I am planning on going to the doctor on Monday, but should I be more concerned and seek medical attention sooner? I'm not one who often goes to the doctor, so is there something in particular I should ask for (like a tetanus shot)?

Thanks in advance.

zit or is it?

Wroksie — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:25:22 -0800

I'm getting a strange new kind of zit (or is it?) My skin is fairly clear, but when I do get spots, they're the normal kind, small whiteheads and blackheads on my face and occasionally on my upper back. These new spots are like nothing I've ever had, and I'm worried that they might be some kind of bug bites or rash.

They're always on 'soft' parts of my skin - the side of my breast, inside of my thigh, under my arm- but never close to any kind of hair follicles so I don't think they're ingrown hairs or infected hair follicles. They're medium-to-large, sore, itchy, bright red conical bumps with a whitehead in the centre. Gross, huh?

Before you ask - I have been to the doctor. He said they're just normal pimples. They keep coming and coming, though - they're really unsightly, sore as hell, and zit cream just irritates them and makes them more red. I use a gentle exfoliant every day in the shower, and that hasn't seemed to make a difference. Aside from being on soft, relatively hairless skin, there's really no rhyme or reason to where they appear - i.e., sometimes it's a place that's always covered in clothes, sometimes not, sometimes on skin that touches other skin (inside of thighs), sometimes not. I am going back to the doctor soon to insist on a referral to a dermatologist (this is in the UK, so doing this kind of thing through the NHS can take a while) but in the meantime I'd thought I'd see if anyone else has any ideas or has experienced something similar. Spider bites (there are tons of spiders in my house)? Allergic reaction? Evil curse?

What should I do about someone else's badly behaved dog?

uri — Sun, 31 May 2009 03:16:25 -0800

My friend's dog keeps biting me and I don't know what to do. My friend's wife owns a border collie that will not stop growling at, stalking and biting me. Thus far, she hasn't broken the skin, but she has nipped my feet, ankles, butt and legs on various occasions.

When I first started going over to his house, his wife explained the dog's behavior as "needing to get used to me." While this didn't make checking my pants legs for holes any more enjoyable, i wanted to be an understanding guest and let it slide. It's now been well over a two months and I've been to their house many times. I still can't let my guard down around the dog and whenever I'm in close proximity I do everything I can to remain completely still. Whenever the dog goes after me in her presence she will reprimand the dog and if it bites she'll put it outside. However, the dog is always let back in before I've left. From what I understand, the dog is in some kind of obedience training with the wife, but it hasn't really had any effect on the aggression towards me.

I feel about as comfortable telling someone how to handle their dog as I would telling them how to raise their kids, but it's getting to the point that I can't accept having to constantly having to look out for my physical well being when I go to visit. I'll admit that part of my frustration comes from the fact that if the roles were reversed for even one occasion, I would come down on my dog like the sword of Damocles as opposed to the 10 or so seconds of verbal reprimand she's giving.

I realize the simple answer is to not go over to the house anymore, but I'm hoping mefi might have some productive way of talking to her about it.

Should I worry about this bite?

trillian — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:08:27 -0800

Cat bite that broke the skin: Should I worry yet? I was bitten by a cat about 5 hours ago. It was a hard bite and broke the skin. There was some bleeding, and it didn't stop right away after I washed it and put a band-aid on it. (The cat was vaccinated for rabies last year, so I don't have to worry about rabies. I have a recent tetanus shot as well.) I'm starting to get worried, though, especially because I've been Googling "cat bite infection"... The bitten finger is painful/sore, looks a tiny bit swollen, and most worrying of all, feels noticeably warmer than my other fingers on that hand (which are freezing because it's cold here today). Should I just keep an eye on it? Call the doctor? (I have health insurance and I filled out an accident report at work, where it happened.) For those of you who have been bitten by cats and developed infections, what happened leading up to that?

What happens after you go to the ER with a dog bite?

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:19:24 -0800

What happens after you go to the emergency room with a dog bite and what are we doing wrong that this could happen? My husband was nipped in the face by our 4 year old boston terrier this morning. He's on the way to the ER with a laceration under his eye. He put his head down near her bed to wake her for the normal morning walk and she just snarled and bit apparently before she was fully awake. She seemed just as shocked as we were.

She normally would just roll over for a belly rub and lick his face. She's been stressed for about 6 months by a move and the addition of a second rescued boston to our new home. She went from ringing a bell to go outside to completely starting over with house training.

We thought we had made a lot of progress because the two dogs recently started sleeping close to each other and playing without hackles and snarls. They're both crate trained and have not shown food or toy aggression. Rescue #2 has not been challenging for dominance.

Should we expect a visit from animal control? Will they want to see registration and vaccination papers? shots are all up to date but registration is not. Will they take her away if I can't find the paperwork? Do we need to work with a professional trainer? We live in Los Angeles county.

Its snark is worth than its bite

wastelands — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:12:42 -0800

What's the PSI force of the bite of an average adult house cat? Some googling revealed that dogs can produce bites as powerful as 200 to 450 PSI; however, none of the pages talk about how powerful a domestic cat bite is. Does anyone know how powerful a cat's jaws are?

Test their medal.

furtive — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:07:14 -0800

Who's the first person to bite their medal (photos or it never happened) during the Olympics? The earliest one I know of is 1988 but the practice must go back way earlier than that?

Could this dog be Cujo?

soonertbone — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:50:34 -0800

I was sort of bitten by a dog tonight. I'm morbidly afraid of shots. How necessary is it that I see a doctor? As I went into a grocery store tonight in the Financial District of New York, I noticed two dogs tethered outside. Being the foolish animal-lover I am, I bent over and offered my hand for a sniff. One of the dogs snapped at me and got my hand.

I have four teeth marks. One of them is barely noticeable. The other three are not deep. It's not like they're flowing blood or anything. There was no blood at all at first, and then after a few minutes there were little dots of blood at each of the other three points on the hand. But like I said, it's not like it was a lot of blood or anything. Really, I'm not even sure if it was blood, given the fact it didn't go anywhere. It was definitely an extremely shallow bite and it's not like it requires stitches or anything.

In a move that was stupider than reaching for the dog, I didn't try to find the owner in the store. I think I felt guilty or something. Anyway, the dog was gone by the time I left the store.

Last thing to consider is that I'm a 24-year old, extraordinarily healthy male, but I have a considerable fear of shots. I really really really want to avoid dealing with this if I can get away with it.

I know there are few of you who can give medical advice. But can anyone give advice on how likely it is, given those circumstances, that I might have been infected? Does anybody have experience getting the vaccine? I've heard it's extremely painful. Is that true? If I see a doctor, are they going to force me to get the shots?

Getting rid of mosquito bit scars

mooza — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:10:07 -0800

Is there any remedy out there that will make welts/scars from mosquito bites heal faster? I get bitten A LOT. I know scratching means the bites take longer to heal, and I'm usually pretty good about not doing it, but when I get heaps of them at once, often I scratch without realising it. As a result I have several purplish welts, some have been around for months. Is there anything out there that will help these things fade?

When biting is outlawed, only outlaws will bite me.

autojack — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:00:49 -0800

What's biting me in San Francisco? Over the last few months, I've noticed the occasional itchy bug bite, but never once seen or felt myself get bitten by anything. If I ignore the itchy spot, it'll diminish within a few hours or a day. I'm not even convinced these _are_ bug bites, but I can't see any pattern to foods eaten or things of that nature that might suggest an allergy. I don't think it's bed bugs, because again I've never seen any in my house, and the bites don't appear in clusters. Sorry this is so vague, I'm just hoping someone will reply and say, "Oh yeah that's the infamous San Francisco fog gnat, everyone gets bitten by those."

Tongue Biting: Why, and How to Stop?

spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:55:38 -0800

How can I stop biting my tongue? I mean literally biting my tongue until it bleeds. Why do I do this? I've done this all my life, but I remember biting my inner cheeks when I was much younger; I think I switched to biting my tongue when I was around 10-15 years old.

I'll do it absentmindedly: while driving, watching a movie, and then five minutes later I'll notice that my tongue really hurts and I know that I've been doing it again.

Sometimes I'll focus on it, trying to find that perfect spot on my tongue for my teeth to grab. I'm not really conscious of the fact that I'm biting my tongue again but it's more like I'm just intensely focused on the precision of the practice.

Sometimes I'm able to catch myself doing it, and I stop. Sometimes I catch myself doing it and I just try harder to find that spot to bite. I'll do this until my tongue bleeds, until hot coffee and spicy salsa causes great pain in my mouth.

Is it a form of OCD? Is it a form of cutting/self mutilation? What's the best way to finally stop doing this to myself?

welt meltdown

dances_with_sneetches — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:09:20 -0800

My insect bites are producing progressively larger welts. Should I be worried? I was bitten about two weeks ago by an unknown entity, presumably insect. I got a raisin-sized welt. I'm 48 and hadn't had that happen before. Tonight I saw what bit me. An ant. The welt is about the size of two large grapes (on my face).

So is the most likely explanation that I am becoming sensitized to an allergy to ant bites? Should I worry whether the next one will send me into anaphylaxis or make me spend a week looking like the Elephant Man?

I've never been allergic to anything so this is a bit disconcerting.

What bit me?

ohio — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 19:16:16 -0800

Something just bit me! I just got a very painful insect bite or sting. I can' t find the culprit and I've bever been stung or bit by anything other than a mosquito, so I'm not sure if I should be worried. I brushed my hand against some clothes stacked on a chair and got a very painful sting. The light was on, but low, and I didn't see anything on the clothes or chair. I've looked around the area and don't see anything that looks alive.

There is a growing red, swollen area around a white center where the puncture is. The bite is on the back of my hand, near the base of my thumb, and the pain goes through to the palm and up to about the first thumb knuckle, so far. The red swollen area is about 1.5 by 1 inches, and the bite happened about 10 minutes ago, so not too fast growing. But it hurts like the dickens! It is throbbing and getting sort of numb.

I am currently in southeastern Michigan, in an apartment in a city. What could this be? When should I get worried, or alternately, when can I decide I shouldn't be worried?

She may weigh 190lbs less than he does, but she could take him out with one bite.

damnjezebel — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:28:11 -0800

[lunchfilter] Looking for ideas on how to a) keep my dog from barking at every little thing that moves and b) keep my dog from eating my boyfriend. My dog Olivia hates people. Almost all people, especially men. She does good with my boyfriend maybe 99% of the time - in that 1%, she has attacked him spontaneously and bitten him repeatedly. We're not sure what the trigger is, because it's something different every time (either a sound or a look or a gesture or the wind blowing, etc).

I've tried taking her to obedience school and when we're there, she is spastic and acts like she wants to eat everyone. When we leave, she is shaking in fear and absolutely nothing has stuck. I can't even take her to the vet or the groomer's without her freaking the hell out. When we get home, she is visibly shaking and then hides in the closet for a few days.

My other problem is that she barks at EVERYTHING in the yard. Outside of the yard. Random noises. And I'm really tired of having to sit in the yard with her at 6am while she pees - and barks at the same time.

SO, I'm looking for

a) some sort of ........ SOMETHING that will stop her from attacking my boyfriend and other friends - either a collar or a drug or something.

and

b) a anti-barking device/spray/what have you that actually works.

I somehow feel the need to point out that she is a chihuahua/pekingnese mix and weighs less than 12lbs.

Mysterious bug bite with a gigantic welt

liet — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:30:13 -0800

AustinBugFilter: Mysterious bite caused a strikingly large welt. What could it be? I think I got bitten by something in my backyard last night. I didn't notice the bite itself, but about five minutes after I got inside, I noticed the back of my calf hurt, and I saw an gigantic red welt around a single puncture. I put ice on it before I went to bed.

It's about 20 hours later and it still aches. The welt is about three inches in diameter and hard and hot to the touch. Last night it was red, but now, it's just a nickel-sized red circle around the puncture, and it quickly fades to my pasty flesh tone over the rest of the welt. I'd take a picture, but it's hard to see -- it's really just striking how hard and hot it is. It's also itchy all over.

I'm in Austin. We have tons of mosquitos in the backyard, and I have plenty of mosquito bites on other body parts, but this is way too big to be a mosquito bite. We also have tons of spiders, but the bite is clearly a single puncture.

What do you think bit me? I'm curious as to what kind of insect I need to watch out for when I go outside.

While I dislike the AskMeFi "something awful happened to me, do you think I should go to the doctor?" questions that answer themselves, I'm also curious if it's ... something so awful that I should go to the doctor, or if ice and aspirin are enough.

Thanks much.

What bit me?

otherwordlyglow — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:32:31 -0800

What is this insect that bit me? I was driving near Mono Lake, just east of Yosemite last Friday and this insect (bee? fly? bee fly?) flew in the window of our truck and bit/stung me on the knee. After it stung me (through a pair of tights), it rolled down into the cab of the truck and didn't seem to be able to fly. After my freak-out, we pulled over and dumped it out on the road, still hobbling around in the folds of my jacket. It still couldn't fly and seemed dazed.

The sting/bite hurt a lot for a brief period of time and resulted in a small (maybe a half inch total) raised inflamed area that persisted for about 45 minutes. There didn't seem to be any sort of stinger left in my skin and after the 45 minutes or so, it disappeared. We got bored watching it and left it on the side of the road. Any ideas what it is? I've never been stung by a bee or a wasp so I don't know what that feels like though this doesn't really look like a typical bee.

Could I have bedbugs even though I don't itch?

fermion — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 10:40:42 -0800

Could these small, non-itching red welts be caused by bedbugs? I returned from a trip to New York City about a month ago. Having heard about bedbug problems there, I took precautions--chose a hostel with no reports of bedbugs (and no signs visible when I checked my bed), kept my suitcase in a plastic bag when I wasn't using it. After about two weeks at home with no sign of bugs, I figured I was safe.

A few days ago I noticed a few small red bumps on my skin. I didn't think anything of them for a while, as they don't itch at all. It occurred to me yesterday, however, that I should rule out the possibility of infestation. After doing some research, I've concluded that the bites show some characteristics of bedbug bites, in that they're located mostly on my torso, neck and upper legs, and some of them are in clusters of two or three. Contrariwise, they're small--half a cm in diameter or less--and as mentioned, they're not itchy, painful or irritated in any way. There are perhaps eight or nine bites total.

I don't relish the prospect of going into full scorched-earth bedbug-eviction proceedings without being certain that it's necessary, so I'm hoping AskMe can provide me with more data points on this issue. I've had trouble finding resources on bites that don't itch, since presumably no one is much troubled by them.

As a side question, since any infestation would necessarily be less than three or four weeks old, can I try more moderate tactics before throwing out my mattress and shrinking all my clothes in a hot dryer?

Things that bite in the night

t0astie — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:29:07 -0800

What the hell can I ask the doctor for to treat the 75+ insect bites I've just woken up and found myself covered with? Background: I woke up at 3am and found my legs and back literally covered with insect bites. I counted up to 75 before giving up to concentrate on scouring my bedding to find the culprit(s).

I found three very small pale brown bugs with wings. I killed them. Victory! No fresh bites for the last two hours.

But. The bites that were at first small, itchy raised white lumps, like mosquito bites have... developed. Into five cent piece size hives. One spectacularly awful hive near my knee is about 7cm across. They don't itch so much as throb. They're hot to the touch and there's a red rash around them.

I look like something out of a medical journal.

The second it's light, I'm trekking to the hospital.

I'd like to know what the hell I can ask for to make it better - if anything? This is way, way beyond calamine lotion. A previous thread mentions topical sulfadiazine, and I've also heard antihistamines can reduce insect bite swelling.