My beardie bit my 2 year old

[emailamy]

Ok, so this afternoon my 3 year old beardie(Dexter) bit my 2 year old daughter(Olivia). Olivia has never been able to play with Dexter so natraully when given a chance it will be the first thing she runs for. Dexter is a lover not a fighter however Olivia grabbed him and he bit her. It was a bite comparable to a papercut but was bleeding and thought it was just best to get an antibiotic shot so we took her to ER. (Better to be safe than sorry) After an Xray, and an antibotic shot we were sent home with some more antiboitic. She is on antibotics that normally kids would NEVER be on, which is super scary to me. The side effects are almost NOT worth it. My question of help is...... has this happened to anyone before... and also..... I understand that Salmonella(sp) comes from Dexters poo and NOT his mouth. Dexter is super spoiled, very clean, and like my 2 born child so even thou the ER docs dont understand that, it has alot to do with the germs in his mouth. He is bathed damn near everyday, plays in the waterhose, and even jumps in our pool from time to time. He never poos in his tank, which he only sleeps in, and Olivia never cam in contact with his poo. Before I give my daughter meds that will stunt her growth I wanted to get a 2nd opinion. So I am looking for ANYONE who has been thru this and might help!!!! Thanks in advance for your help! AMY Of coarse I will contact a Vet on Monday but this is the closest thing for now!!!

 

[lillylizard]

I have been bitten many times by multible different reptiles, bearded dragons included and i have never thought if going to the doctor. My 3 year old couson got bit my a leopard gecko and nothing happened. Almost every time i am bit i bleed and i am alive and healthy. I wouldn't worry. I have had many children handle my guys and we are all good. And out of all the reptiles i have had never ever had problems with Salmonella so like a said i would not worry too much. Most docs don't understand or don't do there research

 

[jloucks]

I would recommend you pass on the antibiotics UNLESS you have started on them. Never stop antibiotics in the middle of treatment.

 

[justinlm24]

I'm so sorry this happened. My little guy seems to love when my kids are around. He chases after them and I never worry about them getting bit. I realize its possible though. I would just wait it out and see. From what I hear the odds of getting sick are fairly minimal even though young kids are at greater risk. As a parent of course you will worry but just keep an eye on her. I would bet she will be ok.

 

[drakedragon]

i was bitten on the end of my thumb once by my first bearded dragon, it bled quite a bit but i never went to the hospital.

 

[bunnyrut]

i think that is common practice for being bit by any animal. i have been bitten by a dog and never went to the hospital, i am still alive.

unless your daughter has some pre-existing health problems that make her sick over anything i wouldn't bother with the medicine. IF she starts to get sick then i would start the treatment.

 

[jiveturkey40]

I wouldnt put her on the antibiotics. I've been bitten many times by captive beardies (mostly because I love handling the mean ones ) and have never had anything close to an infection occur. Wash your hands thoroughly and use an Ispropyl Alcohol wipe to clean the wound and you'll be fine.

Aside from that, sorry to hear about your daughter, I bet the bite scared the poo out of her. You know the saying though - once bitten, twice shy. Maybe she's learned her lesson on handling reptiles at an early age! :|

 

[Ophiophilist]

Poor kid, I bet the shot was worse than the bite! But it's a good learning experience for her about handling animals properly. I am sure she'd be fine without the drugs unless she has some immune issue. My leopard gecko got annoyed with me once and I stupidly kept trying to pick her up, so I got a nice bloody bite on my knuckle. It healed fine with just a wash and some neosporin. Hope the little one heals quickly.

 

[snazzyglasses]

Scary stuff!
I think most docs automatically think that "reptiles always = salmonella for sure!!!" which is why his/her first thought was antibiotics. I would pass on the oral antibiotics too, unless you've already started them or the bite starts looking infected.
I've only ever been bitten by a dog (no doc needed), but I've seen cat, dog, raccoon, parrot, and iguana bites in friends & family members. The only ones that required medical attention were the cat bites because they were punctures and got infected right away (cats have dirty mouths), and the raccoon bite since it was a wild raccoon-- needed rabies and tetanus and antiobiotic shots and all that. The others all healed up with a good washing and some neosporin
Happy Mother's Day, by the way!!! How are Olivia and Dexter today?

 

[Cherie]

I too have been bitten by my beardie, Spike. It drew blood (not a lot), so I washed it and put peroxide on it. If you are really worried about the antibiotics, I would wait and talk to the vet. I'm no doctor, but I would think taking antibiotics without needing them could be harmful.

 

[AmberC]

I've been bit and didn't even think to wash it it drew blood and healed completely fine. I've actually been bit three times by my guy (note to self STOP TRYING TO HAND FEED) but only once that actually drew blood, the other two broke the skin and all of it healed completely fine, and I'm a health care worker, I actually work in the emergency of a major trauma hospital, I wouldn't think you need the antibiotic's seems like over kill or a doctor trying to protect himself :mrgreen:

 

[kankri]

I don't think you'd need to go to the hospital unless it was a wild animal or a cat (their bites are crazy full of bacteria). I've been bit by several different reptiles and once by my beardie (she accidentally bit my hand instead of a roach), it didn't even draw blood. And yeah, I'd echo what the above person said - don't start the antibiotics unless you already did. If you did, go through the course.

 

[herpgirl2510]

I would ot worry to much. My son got bit on the toe by 3 1/2 foot 8 pound tegu he was mistaken for food and he was fine. When she held the beardie maybe she was to excited and the beardie felt it. I always have my son Sit on the couch and I will put the lizard on his lap.

 

[emailamy]

Thank you for all your post and shared stories of your own bites!!! There is nothing like comfort from people who have been there done that!! :} UP-DATE..... Olivia is doing well! This morning we made a Doc appt first thing! Go Figure that there is a stomach bug going around so natrally she woke up with it. She got sick (threw up) so my husband (a germ-a-phobe) is freaking out that she has salmanella. The doc confirmed that since she only got sick once and has no fever, it's the bug. Talk about crazy timing... Feww!!
Her doc requested that she take the meds as well, along with the herp vet! One is Bactrim(lesser of the evil)and the other is Cipro which is given to adults not children. In rare cases it is given to children however has shown the slowing of bone growth. Being that 3 different professionals have urged us to proceed with the meds, there is simply no fighting my husband. She is in a good mood and her finger looks just fine(even the doc said so) but this is not enough convincing for him...

Dexter is doing well too, kinda funny to say but I think he knows that he did something wrong. He bit me once about two years ago while I was hand feeding him. Natrally I snapped my hand back and freaked out somewhat. It was like my little man knew that he hurt me and has been so gentle ever since then. He is a lover not a fighter.... especially if you have Boobs!! LOL

 

[Fizzylady]

I'm sorry you're going through this. As a mom you want to do whats best for your child, but as a beardie enthusiast I'm sure you know how little most professional know about the species and how doctors could be overly cautious. I'm a mom too and I'm sure I would have made the same decision as you, but I also know it wasn't an easy decision to make. I hope everything works out and this is the last time you ever have to worry about anything like this!