bitten by dog - do i need tetnus?

hey guys, i got bitten by a dog today, long story. he nipped me twice, one time leaving me with bite marks in a form of a bruise and then another where he drew blood. do i need a tetnus shot? i cant remember when i had last one, prob at school but dont know what age, and im 21 now. wot happens if i dont have it?

Aren't they meant to last 10 years or something and you probably had one when you was about 13 at school did you? - I think Laura had one last year so you should be okay.

yeh i remember havin it at school, but couldnt remember the age.
ive cleaned the wound with tcp, but it was already healed over when i got home, so dont know how effective it'll be. i do feel sick, but am hungry so thats probably why.

Yep, the tetanus jab lasts 10 years. They haven't always done them as standard in schools though. If you're not sure then give your GP a call to see whether they have records of you being vaccinated. Or for general advice call NHS Direct (0845 4647)

I was told (in US) that you need one every 10 years....unless you get bitten then they will give you another one if its been more than 5 years (go figure !!!) You should go to your doctors though anyway, you might need it updating and you might need antibiotics also....better to check with your doc to be on the safe side.

jenny you really need to get in touch with your doctor yes they normally last 10yrs but if it has drew blood they tend to give you a booster after 6 yrs to be on the safe side let us know whats happening

yes Jen you will need one ..I had one last year when i got bitten as mine was out of date

my tetanus was up a few years back and i went to the gp to ask for another and i was told as i had already had a booster i would be covered for life and i got bitten 2 years ago and went to hospital and they didn't give me a tetanus,just cleaned it,bandaged me up(which fell off as soon as i walked out of the door) and sent me home
think i will ask a different doctor next time

i rang doc and they said since i would of had tetnus when i was 14 i am covered but cud see doc if i wanted it checked out, which i dont need it to be really.

is this wrong then? confused

No that is correct - your original jab will cover you for approx 10 years but then after you have a booster that then should cover you for life. (Hope you can make sense of that).