Dog Bite/Kid Treats

Something really bad happened to my daughter on Sunday night. Having said that I have to qualify that in the realm of really bad things that happen to people we know and things we all blog about from time to time, Kat is ok! But on Sunday Kate was bitten by a dog she absolutely LOVES. Kate and the dog get along just fine and they’ve played together several times however the dog in question does have a reactivity issue and while the dog’s owner had been more than hyper-vigilant over the course of the entire weekend that one moment we all let our guard down it happened. There was no warning, no snarling, no growling but only this quick as a flash open mouth pounce and my baby was bitten on the face right in front of my eyes!

There’s a lot I could say about my feelings about dogs who bite before and after this happened. Suffice it to say that I’ve watched my friend go out of her way to give a high maintenance former/retired service dog a good life and work really hard to keep him close and under control at all times and after this I’m indifferent to whether I ever see this dog again, and by that I mean I would not feel a tug at one heartstring if they decide he has to go.

Back to Kate, the bite wound was definitely a laceration vs. a scratch but it was contained at the skin vs. muscle or bone level. A pediatrician colleague was consulted by my doctor friend to ensure that his plan for immediate treatment was comprehensive and on point. A visit to Kate’s pediatrician yesterday confirmed that we’d done all we could and all the right stuff and from there off she went to watch the Redskins play the Steelers last night at FedEx field.

Washington Redskins game at FedExField, Landover, Maryland, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

She’ll be on an antibiotic for a while, as a prophylactic measure and there’s some Super antibacterial ointment for her (Neosporin on steroids anyone?) but she’s not in any pain and there’s no redness, swelling, etc. She wasn’t all that happy about going to camp today but primarily because she thought people would laugh at the bandage on the lower part of her cheek. Staying home was overruled but I think she’ll flip when she sees the yummy-looking edible fruit arrangement delivered for her today with “get well” sentiments from our friends who own the bad dog.

I’m really not making light of this but as a mother I know there are so many tragic things that can and do happen to our children and our hearts just go out to the parents who experience this. Sunday evening was a bad scene but Kate handled it with grace, her injury wasn’t severe, and she’s on the mend. I just don’t think it’s practical to wish nothing bad would ever happen to her. In the big scheme this was manageable, not too traumatic although she’s “disappointed” in the dog, who she considered her bud, and now she’s received a special delivery just for her.

Now to focus on healing this wound so the scar is minimized!