The Dog Bites of Summer
Robert Latkany, MDJune 01, 2009
Summertime is peak season for dog bites in children. I had a daily go-round with an energetic neighbor dog called “Pal” the summer that I was eight. I’m not sure if the hot sun stoked his ire, but I do know his main mission in life was to make sure that no one, especially not a kid about his size, entered his territory. Unfortunately for both of us, there was a nifty short cut to summer camp that went right through Pal’s domain. I was lucky enough not to suffer any injuries, but I did lose a shoe to him. My mother was not pleased.
An average of 914 dog bites are treated in U.S. emergency departments each day, with more bites occurring in the summer months, according to Weiss et al. It’s kids who are most at risk of dog bites. Weiss et al found that boys age 5-9 were the most likely victims, racking up 60.7 emergency department visits per year for dog bites per 10,000 persons, compared to 12.9 visits per year per 10,000 persons for all comers. In a review of dog bites treated at a single hospital in Indiana, Daniels et al found that children under 8 years of age represented more than half of those treated for dog bites. And an Austrian study by Schalamon et al found that toddlers were most at risk, with more 1-year-olds treated for dog bites than kids of an other age group.
While you might think that the vast majority of bites occur on out-of-the-way body parts like the arms and legs, a significant number involve the head and neck as well. Monroy et al reviewed the charts of 84 children who required head and neck surgery for dog bites over a nine year period, and found that the average wound was 2.7 inches long, and most commonly on the cheeks (34%) and the lips (21%), with a peak incidence in the summer months.
And now it’s time to rile dog owners everywhere. Schalamon et al found that German Shepards and Dobermans were 5 times more likely to bite than Labradors, retrievers or cross-breeds. Almost all of the dogs were familiar to the children who were attacked.
That’s the bad news. The better news is that if your child does suffer a dog bite, chances are very good that rabies exposure is not likely. Although the majority of reported potential rabies exposure cases were from dogs and cats, almost all actual rabies cases come from rabid wildlife according to Roseveare et al. In this same study only 40% of dogs had an up-to-date rabies vaccination status.
A Cochrane review by Duperrex et al did not find any evidence that proves childhood education prevents dog bites. But I bet if someone had told me to take the long way around the block to summer camp I could have saved a few shoes.
Dog Bites is Medpie.com's #2 Hidden Summer Health Hazard for Kids.
Editor's Note: Dog bites are generally treated with antibiotics such as Augmentin, to prevent infection.
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