Son got a ferret bite, should I worry?

[Anonymous]

My son was at the pet store and got a ferret bite. It broke the skin.
I will watch for infection. Should I worry about diseases? Does he need to be seen by a dcotor?

[Anonymous]

Doesn't he need a rabies shot? I would call the pediatrician and ask them.

[Anonymous]

That is what I was wondering but it is from a pet store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son was at the pet store and got a ferret bite. It broke the skin.
I will watch for infection. Should I worry about diseases? Does he need to be seen by a dcotor?

Yes. Animal bites of any kind that break the skin need to be seen by a doctor.

[Anonymous]

Yes, he should be seen. He might be placed on antibiotics for a few days to prevent infection. They will check to be sure his tetanus is up to date. You might want to file an incident report with the store manager.

[Anonymous]

He should be fine. Just watch for infection-

http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/ferrets/ferret-behavior/when-ferrets-bite.aspx

[Anonymous]

Ferrets from a petstore do not have rabies. It would be like having a guinea pig bite. They have rabies shots before they can be sold. It may hurt but it does not warrant a dr visit.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely see a doc. He may need a tetanus booster.

--bitten by many lab rats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely see a doc. He may need a tetanus booster.

--bitten by many lab rats.

He just had his tetanus shot one year ago. He is 16.

[Anonymous]

I called and spoke with an RN and she said he does not need medical attention. She said there is not a rabies risk and the animal is in a protected environment, not the wild.

[Anonymous]

I was just at the doctor today for a puncture wound, which the doctor decided not to prescribe antibiotics for. He happened to mention that he always gives antibiotics for cat bites as cats often transmit bacteria from their mouths and cat scratch fever is a real possibility. Can ferrets be that different?

I'd call the insurance nurse help line for their view. In my experience they tend to be very conservative in their recommendations.

[Anonymous]

I got bit very hard by a gerbil. It bit and held on for good. I was concerned and almost went to the drs, but everything I read said that it didn't need medical attention. I put hydrogen pyroxide, then antibiotic lotion and a band aid on it, and it was fine in a few days.