Preventing Dog Bites

 

This week (May 15th to May 21st )  is National Dog Bite Prevention week.  This is a good time to look at the numbers of dog bites, their causes, as well as learning how to prevent them.  First, how big a problem is this?  The number of bites is low compared to the 74 million pet dogs in the US. The vast majority of these bites (about 83%) don’t result in injury, and no medical treatment is sought. To compare accidental injuries treated in emergency rooms, a person is roughly 23 times more likely to be injured from a fall than from a dog bite, 12 times more likely to be injured by a car, 7 times more likely to be injured by a sharp object and 1.5 times more likely to be injured by a bicycle. However, according to the CDC, 800, 000 people annually seek medical attention for dog bite injuries.  Within these numbers is some very important information.  More than half of the bites occur in children under 12 years of age.  A startling statistic is that almost half of all children are bitten by dogs by the time they reach 18 years of age. 

One study done in 2007 at the University of Pennsylvania  looked at the information on bites to children from 101 dogs over 3 years (http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/13/5/348.abstract). The findings were:

  • 44% of bites to children less than six years old were associated with resource guarding.
  • 23% of children older than six years old were bitten in association with territory guarding.
  • Food guarding was the cause in 42% of the bites to familiar children.
  • In 53% of bites to unfamiliar children, territory guarding was the cause.
  • Resource guarding and discipline measures were the most common triggers for aggression.
  • Medical conditions may have contributed in 50 % of cases.
  • 77% of involved dogs were shown to have anxiety.   

Vikram Durairaj, MD, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, recently published a study looking at 537 children treated for facial dog bites at The Children's Hospital on the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus between 2003 and 2008. Durairaj found that 68 percent of bites occurred in children 5-years-old or younger with the highest incidence in 3-year-olds. In the majority of cases, the child knew the dog through the family, a friend or a neighbor. And more than half the time, the dog was provoked when the child petted it too aggressively, startled or stepped on it. 

The dogs involved in the bites were often dogs considered to be good family dogs. Durairaj found that mixed breeds were responsible for 23 percent of bites followed by Labrador retrievers at 13.7 percent. Rottweilers launched attacks in 4.9 percent of cases, German shepherds 4.4 percent of the time and Golden retrievers 3 percent. (The study was done in the Denver area where pit bulls are banned.) 

Given this information in these two studies, what can we do to keep kids safe?  First, it is very clear that young children can never be left unsupervised with any pet.  Remember- resource guarding can involve toys, space, food, or bones- anything that the dog thinks is valuable.  A toddler can quickly crawl to an area where a dog is resting or eating.  Dogs should be given a safe area behind a baby gate or crate when a baby is present.  This will keep both the child and the dog safe. 

Madeline Gabriel writes a series of interesting blogs about preventing young children from being “magnetized” to dogs. She is referring to the infants and children that are encouraged to approach and handle both the family dog and other dogs they may encounter.  Read her blogs and see what you think. 

http://dogsandbabies.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/mamas-dont-let-your-babies-get-magnetized-to-dogs/

In my experience, many people think that a dog bite comes out of the blue, but this is very rarely the case.  Dogs have usually been signaling their discomfort by turning away, trying to escape, or growling.  Unfortunately, children are unable to read the body language that says “Please leave me alone!” If these warnings are not heeded, the dog will escalate its message, sometimes with a bite.  This can happen extremely quickly, even if an adult is present and can have terrible consequences for the child and the dog.

Dogs are often uncomfortable with the behaviors of children.  Remember the statistic about anxiety in dogs that bite!  Many of the things that kids do are the very things that dogs do not like, including:

Sudden direct approaches

Direct eye contact

Reaching towards them (especially over their heads)

Being patted on the head

Being hugged

Children (and parents) should learn what the facial expressions and body language of dogs is telling us.   Sophia Yin has made a chart to help children understand how to approach a dog (and when not to approach).  You can find this at:

http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/dog-bite-prevention-dogs-bite-when-humans-greet-inappropriately

The website Doggone Safe (http://doggonesafe.com/dog_bite_prevention ) contains a vast amount of information for parents and dog owners to help keep kids and dogs safe. 

So let’s celebrate our dogs, let’s celebrate our children, and let’s make sure that both are kept safe and happy!

Dr. Emily Kinnaird