A Dog Bite Adventure...
on Tara's Ethiopian Adventure (Ethiopia), 09/Nov/2010 13:45, 34 days ago
I had grand plans if getting loads done at work on Thursday but they were dashed when I was attacked by my landlord's dog. Not content with the bone it was chewing on it took a running leap at my arm! It was all quite scary andgoreyat the time but looking back on the events that followed it turned out to be quite an adventure and gave me a little insight into 'good' medical care in Ethiopia!My housemate gave me some excellent initial first aid. Although she couldn't quite stomach removing the lumps of flesh and fat that were resting on my arm (sorry...too much information?!) she did a really good job of cleaning up the wounds and then added a compression bandage to try and stop the bleeding. The University kindly provided me with a car to take me to a hospital in Addis (2 hours away). Feeling quite emotional after the attack I got rather carried away with happiness by this gesture. It was the first 'real' car I have travelled in since being in Ethiopia and it felt like such luxury! Almost worth getting bitten again for...well maybe not quite!Once in Addis I picked up the rabies jab from the Programme Office and headed for a hospital of good reputation that VSO use quite often. I was impressed by the cleanliness of the hospital and felt quite privileged that I could be treated here rather than just a simple clinic anywhere in the country. In retrospect, however, I'm not sure that the treatment would have been much different anywhere else. I was treated well, the staff where kind and friendly and I was seen within 30 minutes so in some ways it was a better service than some trips to A&E I have had in England. What wasn't so reassuring though were the faces the doctors and nurses pulled as they dealt with my wounds...as if they had never seen anything quite so gruesome before. Surely this wasn't true? It really wasn't so bad...perhaps it was just they hadn't seen 'white' skin quite so chewed up before?! Either way it didn't do much to calm me! Although my initial impressions were good I became less convinced by the knowledge and skills of the staff over the next few days. The rabies jab went smoothly enough- I had brought my own rabies vaccination (provided by VSO) so all they had to do was read the instructions and stick it in my arm (not belly as I had feared -thank goodness). Having said that, the nurse who administered my second jab seemed a little inexperienced and kept asking me for advice! Also, the initial cleaning of the wound was very thorough. Despite the disturbing faces they pulled they actually did an excellent job of not only cleaning the surface of the wound but deep into the wounds too. That bit wasn't so bad then...it was more the after care advice they gave that concerned me. Despite the fact it hadn't stopped bleeding properly they wanted me to leave the wound open and uncovered. They were afraid that if no oxygen got to it that bacteria would spread fast...I was more concern that i would be at much more risk of infection from the dirty streets of Addis without a cover and would also have further complications if the bleeding didn't stop. After quite a lot of discussion we finally came up with a compromise that involved a thin loose bandage strapped to my arm and a sling to minimise my movement in an attempt to reduce blood loss! Not such a great compromise as it meant I made my way to my friends house by foot with a blood soaked bandage - a prime target for infection! My second point of concern was not nearly as serious but it made me laugh. When I went back for my second rabies jab they wanted to clean the wound again. The nurse was again very through with his cleaning. So thorough in fact that he tried his best to rub my bruises away. The more I said it hurt...the more he laughed! It really did hurt but I couldn't' help laughing too...what a funny thing to try and do...wash away a bruise!So...I survived by first major dog bite and 6 days later I am not foaming at the mouth. Neither (unfortunately) is the dog! Instead it sits smugly in my front garden awaiting my return from work each day. In England I am sure it would be put down but here the landlord is simply showing some concern by building a stronger cage for the dog. That would be much more reassuring if the dog actually spent more time in the cage but at the moment it is still out at least as much as it is in!! Still...just another five weeks of dog dodging to go and then I'm back in England to see what dangers it can throw at me. Until then, I promise I'll be careful.