Analysis of Dog Bites in Children Who Are Younger Than 17 Years

Abstract

OBJECTIVES. This study focuses on the pattern of incidence, mechanisms, and circumstances of accident and injury in a series of pediatric patients who sustained dog bites.METHODS. In our retrospective survey, the medical charts of all children who were younger than 17 years and sought medical attention after a dog bite between 1994 and 2003 were reviewed. To obtain the total number of each dog breed in the administrative district, we analyzed 5873 files from the community dog registers. For establishment of a risk index, the representation of a dog breed among the total canine population was divided by the frequency of dog bites from this breed.RESULTS. A total of 341 children (mean age: 5.9 years) were identified. The annual incidence of dog bites was 0.5 per 1000 children between 0 and 16 years of age. Incidence was highest in 1-year-old patients and decreased with increasing age. The relative risk for a dog attack by a German shepherd or a Doberman was ϳ5 times higher than that of a Labrador/retriever or cross-breed. The vast majority (82%) of the dogs were familiar to the children. Most (322; 94%) of the children had injuries to 1 body region; in the remaining 19 (6%) children, up to 3 body regions were injured. Of 357 injuries, the face, head, and neck region was the leading site affected (50%). Inpatient treatment was required in 93 (27%) patients.CONCLUSIONS. Dog bites in children are frequent and influenced by the breed-related behavior of dogs, dog owners, children, and parents. Therefore, prevention strategies should focus on public education and training of dogs and their owners. Children who are younger than 10 years represent the high-risk group for dog attacks.www.pediatrics.org/cgi

Unintentional pediatric injuries in São Paulo. How often is it severe?

“…So, head and neck injuries are common in young children and its frequency decreases with increasing age. These accidents frequently withdrawal children from school 11 .…”

Epidemiology and Reconstruction Options of Dog Bite Injuries

“…Çalışmamızdaki ısırılma olgularının büyük çoğunluğu (%85) ilkbahar ve yaz aylarında gerçekleşmiş olup, bu bulgu literatür ile uyumludur (8). Genellikle hayvan sahipleri bu dönemlerde hayvanlarını gezdirip, oyun oynadıklarından böyle bir sonuç elde edildiği düşünülmektedir.…”

Analysis of Pediatric Facial Dog Bites

“…The number of unreported cases of emotional distress likely is much higher than reported and the need for early psychological support in victims is underestimated. 5,19 Like many authors before us, we fully support prevention strategies to minimize the incidence of pediatric dog bites. 5,10,12,15,[20][21][22][23][24] Tantamount to this is providing education to parents, children, and the community.…”

“…Like previous reports, most victims in our study were bitten by a familiar dog. 5,7,10,12,13,15 Familiar dogs may be allowed more time with children and with less supervision, key circumstances that may precipitate attacks. Other reasons include modern media personification of dogs and the fact that increased comfort level with a dog may cause a child to get closer in its attempts to interact with the dog more like a person.…”

“…Other reasons include modern media personification of dogs and the fact that increased comfort level with a dog may cause a child to get closer in its attempts to interact with the dog more like a person. 5,7 Of those bites where the circumstances were documented, more than half were provoked. This number may well be higher, 5 but unfortunately such details are often poorly documented in the medical record.…”