Dog bite prevention is the effort to educate the public on the prevention of being attacked, bitten and killed by a dog or dogs. Approximately 16,000-39,000 persons come in contact with potentially rabid dogs and other animals and receive rabies pre- and postexposure prophylaxis against the rabies virus each year. Up to 800,000 Americans are treated for dog bites each year. About half are children. Young children are typically bitten by familiar or family dogs during normal activities. Some people, like the very young or the very old are more susceptible to being bitten and therefore may need additional methods of prevention.
Approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur each year in the United States. In addition to causing pain, injury, or nerve damage, almost 1 out of 5 bites becomes infected, placing the bite victim at risk for illness or death. Those who work and live around dogs should be aware of the risk and take precautions.
Video Dog bite prevention
Identifying risk
Identifying the risk of being bitten by a dog can prevent an attack and subsequent injury or death. Infants and children are more likely to be bitten. Small children can be attacked if they approach or play with a dog when they are not supervised. Among children, the rate of dog-bite-related injuries is highest for those 5 to 9 years old. Children are more likely than adults to need medical attention for dog bites. Men are more likely than women to be bitten by a dog. Over half of dog-bite injuries occur at home with dogs that are familiar to us. Among children and adults, having a dog in the household is associated with a higher likelihood of being bitten than not having a dog. As the number of dogs in the home increases, so does the likelihood of being bitten. Adults with two or more dogs in the household are five times more likely to be bitten than those living without dogs at home.
The behavior of a dog can not always indicate its friendliness or unlikelihood of biting. This is because when a dog wags its tail, most people interpret this as the dog expressing happiness and friendliness. Though indeed tail wagging can express these positive emotions, tail wagging is also an indication of fear, insecurity, challenging of dominance, establishing social relationships or a warning that the dog may bite.
Maps Dog bite prevention
Recommendations
Many organizations, non profit, companies, educational entities and governmental agencies publish recommendations for the public in the prevention of dog bites. Some of these are:
- Do not attempt to break up a dog fight.
- Remain motionless (e.g., "be still like a tree") when approached by an unfamiliar dog.
- Curl into a ball with your head tucked and your hands over your ears and neck if a dog knocks you over.
- Immediately let an adult know about stray dogs or dogs that are behaving strangely.
- Do not approach an unfamiliar dog.
- Do not run from a dog.
- Do not panic or make loud noises.
- Do not disturb a dog that is caring for puppies.
- Do not Pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first.
- Do not encourage your dog to play aggressively.
- Do not let small children play with a dog unsupervised.
- Monitor the family pet for illness such as an ear infection when the animal is more prone to bite.
- Avoid waking the dog, call the dog by name.
- Avoid retrieving objects from the dog's mouth.
- Avoid face-to-face interaction with the dog.
- Do not disturb the dog while the animal is eating.
- Reduce the dog's interaction with children.
If the dog has a history of snapping, growling, or biting, this may indicate that it will behave aggressively.
- Be sensitive to and learn to interpret the body language of dogs The dog can alter its body position so that the front of the body is in a crouched position with the front legs lower than the back legs. This can indicate a higher level of aggression that can be the precursor to an attack. If this position is accompanied by snarling, a wrinkled nose, dilated pupils, the tail tucked under the body and between the back legs, and the raised hair on the dog's back, the dog is highly aggressive and fearful.
Though a dog approaching another dog or a person is not necessarily going to bite, there are some methods to reduce the likelihood that the encounter will not result in a bite. Many organizations have published materials to educate children and adults on what reactions will reduce the risk of being bitten. Some of these recommendations are to:
- Stop walking or moving.
- Stay still and be calm.
- Do not panic or make loud noises.
- Avoid direct eye contact with the dog.
- Say "No" or "Go Home" in a firm, deep voice.
- Stand with the side of your body facing the dog.
- Avoid facing a dog directly since it can appear aggressive to the dog.
- keep your body turned partially or completely to the side.
- Slowly raise your hands to your neck, with your elbows in.
- Wait for the dog to pass or slowly back away.
Injury prevention
It is possible to reduce not only the risk of being attacked, but also to minimize injury from the attack.
- Put your purse, bag, or jacket between you and the dog to protect yourself.
- If you are knocked down, curl into a ball with your head tucked in and your hands over your ears and neck.
- When you get to a safe place, immediately wash wounds with soap and water. Seek medical attention, especially:
- Call the doctor if the wound is serious (uncontrolled bleeding, loss of function, extreme pain, muscle or bone exposure, etc.), if the wound becomes red, painful, warm, or swollen, or if you develop a fever, or if it has been more than 5 years since your last tetanus shot and the bite is deep.
- Train the dog.
- Educate children on dog bite prevention.
Infection prevention
Acquiring an infection from a dog that has bitten a person can also occur. Preventing such an infection is possible with treatment.
- Apply pressure with a clean, dry cloth to stop the bleeding.
- If you cannot stop the bleeding or you feel faint or weak, call 911 or your local emergency medical services immediately.
- Seek treatment from a healthcare provider immediately
Because anyone who is bitten by an unvaccinated dog is at risk of getting rabies, local animal control agencies or police are sometimes able to capture the animal and determine whether or not it is infected with rabies, report the incident. This is important if the dog appears sick or is acting strangely.
External links
- Dog bite prevention, American Veterinary Medical Association Podcast, 2017
- UK site for dog bite prevention
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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