Dog Bites
The myth: Aggressive dogs bite. The truth: Dogs bite - Julie Hecht
image by: Ryegate Small Animal Hospital
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Can Dog Bite Prevention Actually Prevent Dog Bites?
Wear your seat belt. Glop on sunscreen. Maybe you do these things even though you remember the “good ol’ days” when seat belts were optional, even though you dislike the feel of sunscreen (like yours truly), and even though there aren't any immediate, tangible benefits.
But you're trying to be responsible. When you wear a seatbelt or apply sunscreen, you could, ostensibly, add a check to the columns, ‘Working to Decrease Chance of Auto-Related Death or Injury,’ and ‘Working to Decrease Chance of Skin Cancer.’ While there are no guarantees, these and other risks are identifiable, and over time we've developed strategies to ward against them.
‘Avoiding Being Bitten By a Dog’…
Resources
Children often misread fear in dogs – making a bite more likely
Children may be at greater risk of being bitten by a dog because they struggle to recognise emotions in dogs and can’t interpret their warning behaviour. Many children may know little about how to behave safely around dogs and risk bites more often than adults.
This Virtual Reality Dog Could Prevent Dog Bites
As players get closer, the dog shows anxiety and aggression through body language.
America's Most Dangerous Dog Breeds [Infographic]
These days, dog attacks still regularly make news headlines and according to more recent research conducted by a national victims' group dedicated to increasing awareness of the problem, the breeds responsible have not changed too much.
Dog Bite Risk and Prevention: The Role of Breed
Most serious dog bite injuries (defined as requiring hospital treatment) in the United States involve victims who are young children,50 un-neutered dogs, and dogs familiar to the victim (belonging to the family, a family friend or neighbor).
Here's More Proof That We Shouldn't Stereotype Dogs By Breed
If you're hoping that restricting dogs by breed will lead to fewer dog bites, well, you're barking up the wrong tree, according to the author of a study published last month in The Veterinary Journal.
How Scared Should I Be of Pit Bulls?
Tabloids love lurid pit bull attack stories, but are they blowing the threat out of proportion?
How to Avoid Future Dog Bite Tragedies
The AVMA advises that dog management factors are key players in avoiding an unnecessary bite injury or fatality. Spaying and neutering, not tethering for long periods, and child supervision are critical.
How To Prevent Dog Bites
The bottom line is that any animal can bite, and animal bites shouldn't be ignored. If bitten, wash the wound immediately with soap and warm water, followed by an antiseptic solution. Then apply an antibiotic ointment and cover the wound. To be safe, when the skin is broken and bleeds, see a health care professional; and, if possible, have the pet evaluated by a vet.
Man’s Best Friend or the World’s Number-One Pest?
With perhaps 600 million strays skirmishing for food on the fringe of the human world, street dogs are a common element of travel just about everywhere.
Medical Myths in the Management of Dog Bites
The classic teaching is that dog bites should not be closed primarily and they should all be prophylactically treated with antibiotics. When dog bites become infected, Pasteurella species, specifically P. canis, are the most common pathogens. Amoxicillin-clavulanate (AKA “dog-mentin”) is the antibiotic of choice.
Preventing Dog Bites
A majority of bites could be prevented if animal care professionals recognized the warning signs and took a more sensitive and deliberate approach to handling.
Preventing Dog Bites by Learning to Greet Dogs Properly
While many humans routinely greet dogs inappropriately and many dogs put up with this socially inappropriate behavior, if you stop and think about it, correct greetings are common sense. We should be respectful of dogs instead of assuming they should be friendly and polite even when we humans are not.
Rabies – a global killer that dog jabs can eliminate
About 20% of bite victims develop rabies, but the probability gets higher the worse the bite, for example from deeper and/or multiple wounds, and the closer it is to the brain and central nervous system. A bite leads to distressing and unnerving symptoms: initial pain and stiffness starts at the site of the wound, followed by fever, delirium, aggression, strange and uncontrollable vocalisations and inevitable and rapid progression to death. It is no coincidence that your classic scary movie (think zombies, werewolves, vampires) shares more than a passing resemblance to rabies.
Shark attacks are rising — but you're still 33 times more likely to be killed by a dog
It's a way to underscore the fact that shark attacks are very rare, despite all the headlines they get. Yes, it's driven by the fact that we hang out with dogs far more often than we hang out with sharks. Yes, the average shark encounter is likely more dangerous than the average dog encounter.
Tips on Surviving a Dog Attack
With all the stories of dog bites in the news plus any personal experience you may have had of being lunged at or chased when walking or jogging by a house, have you ever wondered what you should do in case you ARE ever attacked by a dog?
When to start worrying that a dog bite (or lick) might kill you
You might think your dog's mouth is gross, and in some ways it is—but it's not much worse than you own. A moist, warm climate means human and pup maws are both attractive homes for many species of bacteria, and the constant flow of nutritious substances keeps those microbes thriving. But any kind of bite—including one from another human—can prove dangerous, so it's no surprise that canine-inflicted wounds sometimes turn nasty. Even a simple lick from your precious pup can cause trouble.
Which Dogs Bite?
A collection of worldwide statistics and facts.
Can Dog Bite Prevention Actually Prevent Dog Bites?
Like with car crashes and skin cancer, it’s possible to take preventative measures to keep human bodies safe from dog bites, and it starts with building up a dog-bite-prevention mindset.
10 Ways to Avoid a Dog Bite...
Dogs are constantly blamed, but that isn't always fair. There are some situations where it's the person who has pushed the dog beyond its limit.
Doggone Safe
Dog bite prevention through education and dog bite victim support.
DogsBite.org
DogsBite.org is a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. We conduct research on the growing, but underreported, public safety issue of severe and fatal dog attacks inflicted by dangerous dog breeds. We champion the rights of victims through our research, education and advocacy.
Prevent the Bite
Our mission is to prevent dog bites to children through education. We aim to accomplish this by: • Teaching children the basics of canine body language • Teaching children safety strategies when interacting with dogs • Teaching children the principles of responsible dog ownership
Dog Bite Law
Kenneth M. Phillips is the only attorney in the USA who represents dog bite victims full time. Widely recognized as the nation's leading authority on dog bite law, he has earned tens of millions of dollars for children and adults bitten by dogs. He works for clients throughout the country on a "no recovery, no fee" basis.
Dog Bite Prevention
If your own dog bit you, confine it immediately and call your veterinarian to check your dog’s vaccination records... If someone else’s dog bit you, first seek medical treatment for your wound. Next, contact authorities and tell them everything you can about the dog...
Dog Bite Prevention Week
National Dog Bite Prevention Week takes place during the third full week of May each year, and focuses on educating people about preventing dog bites.
MedicineNet
As a rule, cat and dog bite wounds should be treated and left open initially. This is true if they are punctures, if the bites are not potentially disfiguring, if they only involve the arms or legs (including the hands or feet) or if the bites to such areas occurred more than 6-12 hours earlier (because the bacteria would be closed into the wound). An exception to the open-wound treatment involves cuts to the face from cat or dog bites. Facial wounds are almost always closed to avoid disfigurement.
Patient
In the UK about 250,000 people each year go to an emergency department because they have been bitten by a dog. Probably many more bites occur, but people do not see a doctor about them, so it is hard to be sure. Cat bites are less common. Bites are caused most often by the owner's own pet or an animal known to them. Boys get bitten more than girls. Children under the age of 5 are most commonly affected. Some dogs are more dangerous than others. Some that can cause the worst injury, such as pit bull terriers, are illegal to own in the UK.
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