When Your Child is bitten by a Dog

Questions race through your mind. How? Why? How bad? Will they be ok? And later, Was the dog current on shots? Will they now be scared of dogs? Will they be scarred? Who pays for any medical bills now and in the future? How will your child see themselves now?

My Story

I'll never forget. My 17 year old daughter had been at a friends house and was getting ready to come home. For no apparent reason the dog there attacks her. The dog only bites her once but once was more then enough. The call comes in just before 11 pm. Hoping that the parents are just being overly cautious I head to ER. They tell me over and over how sorry they are and that my daughter did nothing to provoke the dog. All I want to do is get to my child.

Needing to know just what I'll be dealing with, I have her move the towel away from her face. Literally half of her bottom lip is not where it should be. That image is burned into my mind. It took over 2 hours and 100+ stitches to reattach. There was also major damage to the muscle in her cheek. And so the nightmare begins.

Friend or Foe

Get a Lawyer that handles dog bite cases. The pet owner is responsible for all medical bills. Most Home Owners insurance covers dog bites. Let the Lawyer deal with the Insurance Company. In our case, the people are friends and we want to avoid any hard feelings. Getting a Lawyer enables us to stay friends and make sure that my daughter gets all the care she needs. Hey, that is exactly what insurance is for.

As odd as it sounds make sure you take photos, dated if possible. I took them right after surgery, right before and after the stitches came out and then weekly after that. Keep all Dr appts. and follow exactly what they tell you to do. These things are key to your case. Insurance companies will use anything to get out of paying out on claims. It's not just the current bills that they should cover but all follow up care (physical and/or mental) in the future.

Even if your child appears to be handling things, talk with them about it. If there are visible scars talk about how they will handle it when people 'stare'. We were referred to someone who is helping my daughter do just that. They are also giving her ideas on how to handle 'new' situations when meeting people for the first time. How to put people at ease with her scars and get beyond them. They are also helping her get beyond the scars. I cry inside every time I look at her. Instead of the outgoing, confident girl who was always taking pictures of herself and on the go, there is now a girl who refuses to have any photos taken (with the exception of those I take to document the case), thinks that now she's not 'beautiful' anymore and spends most of her free time at home.

One day we'll be able to get through a whole day without even thinking about this span of time. Until then, we take just one day at a time. You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll fight tooth and nail to get back the daughter I had before this nightmare began. You know the one, on the phone for hours, out with friends having fun and living life to it's fullest.