What to Do After a Dog Bite: Your First 72 Hours

This is not legal advice. We're not your lawyer and we don't know the specifics of your situation. What follows is practical information about how these cases typically unfold, written by people who've watched thousands of them come through law firm intake. If you need legal advice, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.

Right now, in the next hour

Stop the bleeding first. Wash the wound with soap and water for at least five minutes. Dog mouths carry Pasteurella, Capnocytophaga, and a handful of other bacteria that can cause serious infections within 24 to 48 hours, so this isn't optional. If the bleeding won't stop, or if the bite is on your face, hand, or near a joint, go to an emergency room. Don't wait to see if it gets better.

Call 911 or animal control if the dog is still loose. Even if it's not. Especially if you don't know the owner.

Take photos before you clean up too much. Graphic, close-up, well-lit photos of the wound. Photos of the location. If your clothes are torn, photograph those too. This sounds cold when you're in pain and scared, but these images are often the difference between a claim that settles and one that gets fought.

Get the owner's name, address, and phone number. Ask specifically: Is the dog current on its rabies vaccination? Ask to see proof. If they can't show you, that matters. Write down the dog's breed and any license or tag number you can see. If there are witnesses, get their contact information before they walk away.

Today

See a doctor, even if you already cleaned the wound yourself. You need a medical record that documents the bite on the day it happened. This serves two purposes: it protects your health, and it creates a timestamp. A gap between the bite and your first medical visit is one of the first things an insurance adjuster will use against you.

The doctor will assess whether you need a rabies post-exposure series. If the dog's vaccination status is unknown or unverified, most physicians will recommend starting it. The series is unpleasant and expensive, but rabies is fatal once symptoms appear. Don't skip this conversation.

File a report with animal control. In most counties this can be done online or by phone. This report creates an official record that the bite happened, and it triggers an investigation into the dog's vaccination history. It also puts the dog on record. If this animal has bitten before, that history becomes relevant to your claim.

Do not post about the bite on social media. Not even a vague "rough day." Insurance defense attorneys search social media. A photo of you at a barbecue two weeks after a bite that allegedly left you unable to use your hand is the kind of thing that ends claims.

This week

The dog owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance is almost certainly the right place to file a claim. Most standard homeowner's policies cover dog bite liability, typically between $100,000 and $300,000. If the owner rents, their renter's insurance policy may cover it too. Ask the owner directly which insurance company covers their home or apartment.

At some point in the next few days, you may get a call from an insurance adjuster. They'll introduce themselves pleasantly. They'll ask how you're doing. Don't answer that question with anything other than "I'm still being treated." Do not give a recorded statement without talking to a lawyer first. Adjusters are not on your side. They're friendly because friendly gets people to say things that reduce settlement values.

Keep every receipt. Emergency room visit, urgent care, follow-up appointments, prescription antibiotics, over-the-counter wound care supplies, parking at the medical facility. Keep a simple notes document on your phone where you log pain levels and how the injury is affecting your daily life. Missed work shifts. Things you couldn't do. This log, written contemporaneously, is far more credible than testimony you give months later trying to reconstruct how you felt.

How dog bite law actually works

Most states have moved to what's called strict liability for dog bites. Under strict liability, the owner is responsible for your injuries even if the dog had never bitten anyone before and even if the owner had no reason to think it was dangerous. The old "one free bite" rule that you may have heard about has been abolished or significantly limited in most of the country.

A few states still use a negligence standard, which means you'd need to show the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous. And some states use a mix of both, depending on where the bite happened and whether you were lawfully present. This is one of the reasons talking to a local attorney matters. The law in your specific state shapes everything.

If you were bitten in a state with a contributory or comparative negligence rule, the owner's insurer may argue that you provoked the dog or assumed the risk by approaching it. These arguments come up a lot. They don't always succeed, but they're worth knowing about.

State-specific things you need to know

Statutes of limitations for dog bite claims vary by state, but most fall between two and three years from the date of the bite. Miss that deadline and your claim is gone, regardless of how serious your injuries are. Two years sounds like a long time. It goes fast, especially if you're dealing with ongoing medical treatment and assuming the owner's insurer will eventually do the right thing.

A few states worth calling out specifically:

• California has strict liability under Civil Code 3342, a two-year statute of limitations, and no "one free bite" defense. If you were in a public place or lawfully on private property, the owner is liable, full stop.
• Texas uses a negligence standard, not strict liability. You'll need to show the owner knew the dog had bitten before or had aggressive tendencies. This makes Texas cases harder to win without a documented history on the dog.
• Florida has strict liability with a four-year statute of limitations, but comparative negligence applies, meaning if you're found partially at fault your damages are reduced by that percentage.
• New York is a mixed system. You can recover medical costs under strict liability, but for pain and suffering damages you generally need to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous.
• Illinois has strict liability under the Animal Control Act, a two-year statute of limitations, and the owner is liable even if the dog didn't bite but knocked you down and injured you.

If your state isn't listed here, look up your state's dog bite statute directly or ask an attorney. Don't rely on a general summary when the specific law in your state is what governs your case.

When to call a lawyer

If the bite required any medical treatment beyond basic first aid, talk to a personal injury attorney. Most dog bite attorneys work on contingency, meaning they don't charge you anything unless they recover money for you. A free consultation costs you nothing except an hour of your time.

Call sooner rather than later if: the injuries are serious or required surgery, the dog has a prior bite history, the owner is uncooperative or claiming the dog is not theirs, or the insurer is already pushing back. The earlier an attorney gets involved, the better they can preserve evidence and manage communications with the insurance company.

One more thing. If a child was bitten, especially on the face or hands, get a lawyer involved regardless of how minor the injury looks right now. Scarring in children can require revision surgeries years later as they grow. The long-term costs are genuinely hard to predict in the first weeks, and settling too quickly is one of the most common mistakes families make.