Dog bites to the male genitalia: characteristics, management and comparison with human bites

Abstract

Dog bites to the external male genitalia occur infrequently. We present 4 new cases and review 4 others described previously. Victims tend to seek medical care quickly. Thus, morbidity is directly related to the severity of the initial wound and delayed infectious complications appear to be minimal. Guidelines for management include irrigation, debridement as necessary, empiric antibiotics, consideration of tetanus and rabies immunization, and primary wound closure or surgical reconstruction. The differences between dog bites and human bites to the genitalia--primarily interval to presentation and subsequent likelihood of infection--are summarized. Measures to prevent dog bites are discussed.