Dog attacks
| Dog bite | |
|---|---|
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| Military working dog training to attack by biting | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| ICD-10 | W54 |
| ICD-9-CM | E906.0 |
Dog bites or dog attacks are attacks on humans by feral or domestic dogs. With the close association of dogs and humans in daily life (largely as pets), dog bites – with injuries from very minor to significant – are extremely common. Dogs also pose danger from their claws and can be powerful enough to knock people down.
There is considerable debate on whether or not certain breeds of dogs are inherently more prone to commit attacks causing serious injury (i.e., so driven by instinct and breeding that, under certain circumstances, they are exceedingly likely to attempt or commit dangerous attacks). Regardless of the breed of the dog, it is recognized that the risk of dangerous dog attacks can be greatly increased by human actions (such as neglect or fight training) or inactions (as carelessness in confinement and control).
Significant dog bites affect tens of millions of people globally each year. It is estimated that two percent of the US population, from 4.5–4.7 million people, are bitten by dogs each year. Most bites occur in children. In the 1980s and 1990s the US averaged 17 fatalities per year, while in the 2000s this has increased to 26. 77% of dog bites are from the pet of family or friends, and 50% of attacks occur on the dog owner's property. Animal bites, most of which are from dogs, are the reason for 1% of visits to an emergency department in the United States.
Attacks on the serious end of the spectrum have become the focus of increasing media and public attention in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
A person bitten by an animal potentially carrying parvovirus or rabies virus should seek medical care. An animal bite may also cause serious bacterial infections of soft tissues or bone (osteomyelitis) which can become life-threatening if untreated.
Rabies results in the death of approximately 55,000 people a year, with most of the causes due to dog bites.
Capnocytophaga canimorsus transmission (a gram-negative bacterium) following a dog bite can cause overwhelming sepsis in asplenic patients, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. Empiric treatment for this bacteria following a dog bite, consisting of a third-generation cephalosporins early in the infection, should be instituted in these patient populations, or following deep bites or dog bites to the hand.
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