It happens...Any dog can bite. What to do when it happens to your child.

When my husband got the call, I heard it in his voice. Keys already in my hand, I walked up to him and said, "Who got hurt? and How bad is it?"  Nate got bitten by a great dane he told me. In his next breathe he made sure to follow up with, "He's fine".
The thing about dog bites is they can happen at anytime with any dog.  Even the best dogs can bite.  It's their  protection of themselves.  In Nate's case, he was riding his skateboard down the street with a friend and the dog, who was leashed, got away from it's owner.  The dog was spooked by a skateboard.
Although it did break the skin, thankfully, Nate's dog bite wasn't much worse than some bruising and 4 small scrapes, but I scoured the internet for advice and asked around.  It appears that so many moms have frightfully had this happen to their children.
According to the internet, I did the right thing.
We made sure Nate's wound was immediately cleaned and cared for.
We introduced ourselves to the dog owner.
We asked for her name, address, phone number, vet information, name of the dog and name of her homeowners insurance.  This VERY responsible pet owner was completely upfront with all the information we needed and showed great concern.
After reading lots of information and taking in all the advice, I found that  the best article was given to me by my friend Tammy.  It can be found at Dr. Sear's web site.  I'll provide some excerpts here.

Bites - Human & Animal

It invariably happens to almost everyone. An overzealous toddler bites a friend. A scared dog bites an intrusive child. A curious boy catches a mouse and gets bitten. Many parents are naturally worried when this happens. Is my child going to catch rabies or some other strange disease? How do I keep the bite from getting infected? Should I go to the ER or page my doctor urgently?

Here is Dr. Sears guide to both animal and human bites. This will help you decide what to do immediately, when to call the doctor, and what treatment protocol, if any, is commonly prescribed.

INITIAL CLEANING OF ALL BITE WOUNDS

As soon as possible, preferably within 8 hours, do the following:

• Gently wipe away any dirt.
• Irrigate the wound. Go to a drug store and buy a large bottle of sterile saline and a large syringe. Flush the wound with at least 16 ounces of the saline using the syringe. Use as much force with the syringe as the child will allow. If it is too painful, apply an antibiotic ointment that also contains an anesthetic ointment. This may ease the pain.
• Apply an antibiotic ointment.
• Use the guidelines below to determine whether further medical attention is necessary.

GENERAL BITE SITUATIONS THAT ALWAYS REQUIRE A CALL TO YOUR DOCTOR

Here are some situations that require you seek medical attention the same day.

• Any large bite that results in a large tear that looks as if it requires stitches.
• Any bite on the hand, finger, foot or toe (unless it is just a little scrape).
• Any bite on the face (unless it is just a little scrape).
• Any deep puncture bite (those from long, thin teeth, such as a deep cat bite).

Animals that pose the highest risk:

• Bats
• Raccoons
• Skunks
• Foxes
• Bears
• Opossums
• Weasels
• Wolves
• Woodchucks

Animals that pose less risk:

• Immunized dogs
• Immunized cats
• Immunized ferrets