Perhaps you love dogs, or maybe you don’t like them so much. Some people appreciate animals, while others feel ambivalence toward them. Either approach is acceptable, though if you own a dog, you owe it to the animal to take care of it.
However, if your dog bites you, or if a strange dog does, it can change your life, and not for the better. Let’s look at some possible aftereffects if this happens.
You Might Have to Put the Animal Down
One of the ways in which a dog bite can permanently change your life is that, if it’s your dog, and it bites you, you might have to consider putting the animal to sleep. That’s because:
- You can no longer trust it
- You might feel that it could bite one of your kids next
It’s one thing if your dog accidentally nips you while you’re playing a game. It’s something else if the animal loses its temper and bites you purposefully.
You have to feel that the animal trusts you, and vice versa. If you’re not sure of its temperament any longer, you might need to consider destroying the dog for your family’s safety.
You Might Have PTSD
Whether your dog bites you or it’s a stranger’s dog that does it, you might have PTSD after the attack. People often get PTSD after:
- A traumatic experience
- A life-changing event
You might relive the dog attack in your mind again and again. Perhaps you can’t be around other dogs because you can’t shake these memories.
It might be so bad that you can’t bring yourself to leave the house for a while afterward. If so, you may need therapy for what took place. In time, you should start feeling better.
You Kids Might Be Sad
If it was your dog that attacked you, and you have to destroy the animal, that’s going to be tough on you. Perhaps you lived with the dog for years before its personality changed for some reason.
As an adult, you’ll likely deal with some sadness from this event, but your kids might feel even worse. Kids often love dogs. Maybe it was your kids who pushed for the family to get a pet in the first place.
You might have to get some therapy for them as well. They might resent you for putting the dog down, even if you did so for their safety. It’s hard having to explain to a young child why you had to get rid of an animal.
You Might Be in Some Pain
You also might have to deal with some severe pain following a dog attack. If the dog bit you a single time, that’s bad enough, but perhaps the animal mauled you.
If so, you might experience pain for many weeks or even months after the attack. You could also have many unsightly wounds. The dog might have chewed up your arms or legs.
You’ll also probably need to have some booster shots after the attack, just in case the animal had rabies. Those injections don’t feel good either.
You Might Feel Self-Conscious
After the attack, you may feel self-conscious once you start going out in public again. After taking off all the bandages, you may have some serious wounds that turn into highly-visible scars.
People can probably see these scars on your arms or legs, or even on your face if the dog bit you there. You might feel like people are staring at you.
It’s not a pleasant sensation. In time, maybe the scars will fade. There are also certain skincare products that you can use to treat your scars so they will not be as visible.
You’ll Probably Have to Spend Some Money
The dog attack will likely cost you some money as well, so get ready to deplete your savings. If it was your dog, you’ll have to pay to put the animal down. You’ll have to pay for your medical bills and therapy if you need it.
If you decide you want a dog to replace the one that bit you, that will cost you some money too. Of course, you might decide you don’t want to replace the animal, but if you have kids, that might make them sad.
Dog bites are never a positive experience for you or your family. Just remember that when a dog bites, it’s never because the animal is inherently bad. It’s because of inadequate training or stress.
