Home > Medical Articles > Articles beginning with A > Animal Bites > Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Medical References
Diseases & Conditions
Women's Health
Mental Health
Men's Health
Medical Web Links
MOL Site Map
Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
Read more health news
Animal Bites
- Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
- Symptoms & Signs
- Diagnosis & Tests
- Prevention & Expectations
- Treatment & Monitoring
- Attribution
- View All
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
An animal bite is an injury that is the result of the flesh of a person being caught between the teeth of the upper and lower jaws of an animal. Animal bites do not include insect bites.
What are the causes and risks of the injury?
The most common animal bite is a dog bite. Cat bites are the second most common. Cat bites can be more serious because they produce puncture-type wounds. Stray animals and wild animals, including bats, cause a number of bites each year. Any animal that bites a human should be confined and the proper authorities notified. The animal should be tested for rabies.