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A dog scratch or bite that breaks a baby’s skin needs a same-day call to the pediatrician, even when it looks tiny. First move the baby away from the dog, control bleeding with firm continuous pressure, then wash the wound thoroughly with soap and running water. Call 911 for uncontrolled bleeding, breathing trouble, an unresponsive or limp baby, or a severe crushing injury; go to an emergency department for a deep, gaping, facial, eye, neck, hand, foot, genital or joint wound, or bleeding that continues after about 10 minutes of pressure.
Most injuries from a familiar, healthy pet are infection and wound-care problems rather than rabies. The clinician still needs to assess depth, possible tendon or bone injury, tetanus protection and the dog’s rabies risk. Do not glue or tape the wound closed, give leftover antibiotics, or try to decide on rabies shots without public-health advice.
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What should I do in the first minutes after a dog scratches or bites my baby?
Safety comes first. Put the baby in a safe place and separate the dog without putting yourself at risk. Do not spend those first minutes trying to catch, restrain or examine a stray, sick-acting or aggressive animal. Wash your hands before and after first aid.
- Stop the bleeding. Place clean gauze or a clean cloth over the wound and press firmly and continuously. Keep the cloth in place rather than lifting it repeatedly to look. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises five minutes or until blood flow stops; St. Louis Children’s Hospital advises up to 10 minutes. Treat bleeding that is still going after about 10 uninterrupted minutes as an emergency.
- Wash immediately. Once bleeding is controlled enough to wash safely, gently clean with soap and running water. St. Louis Children’s Hospital advises washing for five minutes and flushing under running water for several minutes. This parent step is different from the extensive sterile-saline irrigation clinicians may perform. Do not delay washing while you search for saline or iodine. The CDC rabies guidance says every possible exposure starts with immediate, thorough cleansing; a povidone-iodine solution can be used to irrigate if available.
- Cover loosely. Pat around the wound and place a clean, non-tight dressing over it. Never glue, butterfly-tape or tightly close an animal bite at home, and do not probe for a tooth fragment.
- Relieve a bruise. For a bruise or swelling, use an ice pack wrapped in a wet cloth for one 20-minute period. Ask the pediatrician or follow the product label for an age-appropriate pain medicine and dose; the available data does not establish an infant ibuprofen age cutoff or a dose.
Do not pour alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, harsh chemicals or home remedies into the wound. A small superficial cut may be treated with an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment such as Polysporin three times daily for three days according to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, but ointment never replaces medical advice when a dog’s tooth or nail has broken a baby’s skin.
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The AAP’s parent guidance summarizes the first aid: “If your child is bleeding from an animal bite, apply firm continuous pressure to the area for five minutes or until the blood flow stops. Then wash the wound gently with soap and water, and consult your pediatrician.” (HealthyChildren.org, updated December 23, 2025.)
When is a dog scratch or bite on a baby an emergency?
Use the most urgent level that fits. A baby who cannot describe pain or loss of function deserves a lower threshold for examination.
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Call 911 now
- Bleeding cannot be controlled with direct pressure, or the baby is faint, limp, confused, unresponsive or too weak to stand.
- The baby has severe trouble breathing, signs of a serious allergic reaction, a crushed limb or another obviously life-threatening injury.
- The attack is still happening and you cannot separate the baby safely.
Go to an emergency department now
- Bleeding continues after about 10 minutes of uninterrupted pressure.
- The wound is large, deep, gaping or heavily contaminated; muscle, tendon or bone is visible; or the baby cannot move the area normally.
- The bite is on the face, eye, neck, hand, foot, genitals or over a joint. Face and neck injuries are particularly important because young children are commonly bitten there and a seemingly small puncture can hide deeper damage.
- Redness is rapidly spreading, red streaks are moving away from the wound, pain is severe or worsening, pus or a bad odor appears, fever develops, or the baby looks ill.
- The dog was acting unusually, the bite was unprovoked, the dog is stray or unknown, cannot be found for observation, or the exposure occurred during international travel.
Call the pediatrician or seek same-day care
The AAP says, “Contact your pediatrician whenever your child receives an animal bite that breaks the skin, no matter how minor the injury appears.” That rule applies to a baby’s dog bite and to a nail or tooth scratch that penetrates the skin. Call the same day for a puncture, a cat-tooth or claw wound, a human bite, hand or finger swelling, a wound that already looks infected, a bat encounter even without a visible mark, or any wound in a child who has not had tetanus shots.
Age under five, a weakened immune system, or a wound on the hand, face, foot, genitals or near a joint are additional reasons for prompt assessment. Ask whether the wound needs rechecking within 48 hours even if it initially looks better. Return sooner if it worsens.
When home care is reasonable
Home care is limited to an intact-skin bruise or a minor scratch that truly does not go through the skin. A tiny surface scrape from a known pet has a lower infection risk and usually does not need antibiotic medicine, but wash it and monitor it. A puppy or dog puncture that breaks the skin is not in this home-care category.
How can I tell a bruise, scratch, cut and puncture apart?
The visible size of a wound does not reliably show its depth. A clinician may need to check for injury to a tendon, joint, bone or buried tooth fragment.
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| Wound type | What it means | Typical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Bruise | Skin is intact; tissue is bruised or swollen. | Cold pack for 20 minutes, observe. There is no bite-related infection risk through intact skin. |
| Surface scrape or scratch | The nail or tooth rubs the surface but does not pass through the skin. | Wash with soap and water and monitor. Minor pet scratches generally do not need antibiotics, but call if redness, pain or fever develops. |
| Cut (laceration) | Skin is split, sometimes down to fat or muscle. | Same-day pediatric advice for a baby. Large or gaping cuts may need emergency repair. |
| Puncture | A tooth or claw makes a hole that may be narrow at the surface but deep underneath. | Same-day examination; infection and hidden-structure injury are more likely. Cat punctures are especially prone to infection. |
Dog teeth can crush, tear or avulse tissue. Cat bites are more often deep punctures, and cat scratches can carry saliva because cats lick their claws. A dog-nail scratch that only scrapes the surface is different from one that breaks through the skin; the latter belongs in the same-day call group.
What infection signs should I watch for after a dog bite?
Infection is the main danger from an ordinary pet bite. It often appears eight hours to three days after the injury, although timing varies. Mild redness immediately around a wound can be normal for two or three days; the AAP says, “It normally will be red for two or three days, but this in itself is not cause for alarm.”
Call the pediatrician immediately for pus or drainage, increasing swelling or tenderness, warmth, a bad smell, red streaks spreading away from the wound, swollen glands, fever or a baby who seems increasingly unwell. Rapidly expanding redness, severe pain, inability to move the area, or a sick-looking baby warrants emergency assessment. Minor scratches and bites that are appropriate for home care often heal in about five to seven days, but that estimate does not apply to a deep, facial or unevaluated bite.
Clinicians may consider organisms including Staphylococcus, Pasteurella, Streptococcus, Capnocytophaga, Moraxella, Corynebacterium, Neisseria and anaerobes, as summarized in the American Family Physician 2023 review. No infant-specific infection percentage was established in the sources used here, so a precise risk percentage should not be assumed.
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Only a clinician who has examined the wound can decide. Antibiotic prophylaxis is not warranted when an injury has not broken the skin or drawn blood, but risk rises with punctures, crush injuries, heavy contamination, delayed care, immune suppression, edema, a foreign body, or penetration of a joint, tendon, vessel or bone. Higher-risk locations include the face, hand, foot and genitals. AAP parent guidance also lists moderate or severe wounds and facial, hand, foot and genital bites as situations in which a pediatrician may prescribe.
Amoxicillin-clavulanate is the usual first-line choice when a child needs prophylaxis or treatment. The American Family Physician table lists a short course measured in days; other clinical summaries describe three to five days for prophylaxis, while the AFP table lists three to seven days. The prescriber chooses the drug, duration and liquid concentration. Penicillin-allergy alternatives may include clindamycin combined with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, but the combination and dose depend on the child.
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Do not use leftover medicine, share a sibling’s prescription or measure a dose from an online table. Antibiotics do not replace cleaning, tetanus assessment or rabies evaluation. Topical ointment for a tiny surface cut is a separate issue from systemic antibiotics for a penetrating bite.
Could the wound need stitches, imaging or a procedure?
Parents should not stitch, glue or tape an animal bite. In a clinic, some low-risk dog-bite wounds—especially selected facial wounds where appearance matters—may be closed primarily after extensive irrigation. Punctures, infected wounds, hand lacerations and other high-risk injuries are often left open to heal from the inside out. Because closure can increase infection risk, a clinician may prescribe preventive antibiotics when closing a bite.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteX-rays are not routine. The AAFP review describes imaging when a deep bite from a medium or large dog may have fractured bone or left a tooth, or when infection or a foreign body is suspected. CT may be considered for facial deformity. Blood or wound cultures are generally reserved for delayed presentations or suspected infection, not every scratch.
Does a baby need a tetanus shot after a dog bite?
A dog bite that breaks skin is a saliva-contaminated wound, which the CDC classifies as dirty or major. Bring the baby’s immunization record or say whether the primary series has started. For any wound, a vaccine is recommended when the history is unknown, the child is unvaccinated or the primary series is incomplete. If a complete series is documented, a clean minor wound generally needs a booster only when the last dose was at least 10 years ago; a dirty or major wound uses a five-year interval.
Tetanus immune globulin (TIG) is never used for a clean minor wound. For a dirty or major wound, it may be needed when the vaccination history is unknown, there were no prior tetanus vaccines, the primary series is incomplete, or the child has HIV or severe immunodeficiency. The CDC dose, when indicated, is 250 international units intramuscularly, administered by a clinician. Topical or systemic antibiotics are not tetanus prevention; CDC states, “Antibiotics (topical or systemic) aren’t recommended during wound care to protect against tetanus.”
Does my baby need rabies shots if the dog is vaccinated?
Rabies is uncommon in U.S. humans and is usually not the main concern after a bite from a healthy, vaccinated, housed city dog. A broken-skin bite still needs same-day medical advice. The rabies decision depends on the animal’s behavior, vaccination status, availability and local public-health assessment—not on the wound’s appearance alone.
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A healthy dog, cat or ferret that can be safely confined is generally observed for 10 days. If it stays healthy or tests negative, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is usually not indicated; if it becomes ill or dies, public health arranges testing and reassesses the child. A stray, unknown, sick-acting, unprovoked or unavailable animal requires urgent contact with animal control, the pediatrician and the local health department. Never try to capture a possibly rabid animal yourself.
For context, St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s symptom checker reports two to three human rabies deaths per year in the United States, says bats cause about 90% of U.S. human cases, and notes that rabies occurs more often in cats than dogs. These figures are attributed to that hospital page, not to CDC. Highest-risk wildlife includes bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes. A bat in a room with a sleeping baby is an emergency discussion even when no mark is visible.
If public health recommends PEP for a previously unvaccinated infant, CDC guidance uses wound cleansing, human rabies immune globulin once at the start and rabies vaccine on days 0, 3, 7 and 14; immune-disordered patients also receive day 28 vaccine. HRIG is infiltrated around the wound when possible, with any remainder at a distant intramuscular site. Vaccine is given in the anterolateral thigh for children—not the buttock. Previously vaccinated people receive vaccine on days 0 and 3 without HRIG. CDC states that PEP is suitable for infants and children, has no known contraindications, and is not contraindicated in pregnancy.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why are babies at higher concern after an apparently small bite?
Most bites involving infants and preschoolers happen at home, often from a dog the child knows. Children commonly present with bites to the head and neck, where bleeding can look dramatic and cosmetic or deeper injury matters. Babies cannot report numbness, vision changes, headache or reduced movement, and many have not completed their primary tetanus series.
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The AAFP review reports an average of 337,000 U.S. emergency visits for dog bites each year, about 800,000 bites requiring some medical attention and medical costs of up to $2 billion annually. It also notes that only about 20% of people with an animal bite seek care. Those population figures do not predict an individual infant’s outcome, but they explain why a broken-skin wound should not be dismissed because the dog is familiar.
What information should I have ready when I call?
Write down or photograph, if safe:
- Animal type, breed or description, owner and location.
- Whether the dog is vaccinated, healthy and available for safe 10-day observation.
- Time of injury, whether the skin broke, wound location and apparent depth, and how long it bled.
- First aid already done, including washing and pressure.
- The baby’s tetanus record, allergies, medicines, immune conditions and other health problems.
- Photos that show the wound without delaying care.
Ask whether the bite must be reported locally; reporting rules vary by state and county. The clinician and public-health officials decide on observation, testing and rabies treatment.
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How can I prevent another dog bite?
- Never leave an infant or young child alone with any dog, including the family pet. Supervise every interaction closely.
- Teach children to ask before touching a pet and never to approach an unfamiliar, loose, injured, sleeping, eating or puppy-rearing animal.
- Keep a child’s face away from an animal’s face. Give a dog space when it growls, stiffens, hides, guards food or guards a toy.
- Keep pets vaccinated and under veterinary care. Contact animal control if an animal behaves strangely, and do not handle dead wildlife with bare hands.
These precautions matter because familiarity does not eliminate risk: the AAP notes that most bites are inflicted by animals children know, including family pets.
Frequently Asked Questions
The dog is ours and vaccinated. Does my baby still need to be seen?
Yes, if a tooth or nail broke the skin, call the pediatrician the same day. The dog’s vaccination lowers rabies concern but does not remove the need to inspect depth, clean the wound and review tetanus protection.
Can I wait until morning if the bite looks tiny?
A broken-skin bite on a baby should be discussed the same day, even without swelling or redness. Waiting is especially unsafe for a puncture, a face or hand wound, uncontrolled bleeding, or a dog that cannot be observed.
What if I cannot find a mark after a dog or bat encounter?
Wash exposed skin and contact a clinician promptly if saliva may have reached broken skin, the eyes or mouth. A bat found in a room with a sleeping child warrants urgent public-health advice because tiny bites can be difficult to see.
Should I wake my baby overnight to check the wound?
Follow the clinician’s instructions, but check periodically for increasing swelling, warmth, drainage, spreading redness or fever. Seek urgent care for a baby who is difficult to wake, unusually limp, breathing abnormally or suddenly less able to move an area.
Can a dog bite cause lasting emotional effects even after the skin heals?
Yes. Fear of dogs, sleep disruption or distress around pets can persist after a physically minor injury. Mention these changes at follow-up; a pediatrician can suggest age-appropriate support.
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