title: Emergency management of dog and cat bite wounds.
abstract: Most dog and cat bite injuries are minor wounds that require only local wound care as well a patient evaluation for tetanus and rabies postexposure immunoprophylaxis. For larger wounds, primary or delayed primary closure can be performed safely where indicated. When antimicrobial agents are necessary, inexpensive penicillins or cephalosporins are adequate for initial therapy. Large-scale, prospective, controlled clinical studies are needed to define further the role of prophylactic antimicrobial therapy for uninfected wounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Dire
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002415:Cats / Q000382:microbiology; D004285:Dogs / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D011818:Rabies / Q000517:prevention & control; D013742:Tetanus / Q000517:prevention & control; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents