There are many victims of dog bites every year in the United States, about 4.7 million. According to a recent study, around 1,000 people are treated in emergency rooms because of dog bites everyday and a record of 32 fatal dog attacks last 2007.



Statistics on Dog Bites

Currently, there are around 74.8 million dogs in the U.S. according to the 2007-2008 National Pet Survey of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) and dogs bite about 2% of the population. That means more than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs every year and around 800,000 of them are severe enough to require medical attention

Some of the deadliest dogs are Rottweilers, pit bulls, Presa Canarios and their mixes. They are accountable for 74% of the attacks. 82% of these attacks are upon adults and 68% are upon children. They are also responsible for the 68% of the maiming and 65% of the deaths.

Dog Bite Injury

Dog bites may result in injuries. Some of them are the following:

?Lacerations

?Scars

?Abrasions

?Infections (such as cellulitis, C canimorsus infections, rabies)

?Punctures

?Strain/Sprain injuries

?Tissue loss and avulsion

?Fractured bones

?Crush injuries

?Nerve damage

?Deformity

?Disability

These dog bites often result in painful injuries but it may also result in death. There are 109 deaths related to dog bites reported between 1989 and 1994, and 57% of these deaths were children younger than ten years old. Some of these deaths resulted from infections caused by a dog bite.

How to Take Care of a Dog Bite?

Below are some of the first things you need to do to tend a wound resulted from a dog bite:

?Contact your doctor if necessary

?Wash the wound directly with water and soap

?Using a clean towel, apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding, if there are any

?Put a sterile bandage to the wound

?To prevent infection and slow down the swelling, keep the injury elevated above the heart level

?Immediately report the incident to the proper authority in your area

?Apply ointment or medicine or whatever the doctor ordered.

Effects of a Dog Bite Injury

?Scars

Wounds that bleed that resulted from dog bites will certainly result in scars. These scars may be disabling, disfiguring, or painful, depending on the type of skin.

Some of the treatments for scars are the following:

?Surgical excision of scar

?Dermabrasion

?Make-up

?Pressure scar modification

?Post traumatic stress disorder

One of the possible effects of a dog bite injury is post traumatic disorder.

This is where a person, after an accident, may not behave or feel normally for a considerable period of time. Some of the many possible symptoms of a post traumatic disorder are the following:

?Depressed

?Fearful or nervous

?Take dangerous risks

?Does not get along with family and friends

?Crying

?Fear of dogs

Dog bites do not only affect a person physically, it can also affect someone emotionally or psychologically.

Often, victims of dog bites are dog lovers, but after being attacked by one, he/she may develop a morbid fear of dogs and may no longer relax or feel relaxed around the presence of dogs and cannot anymore enjoy the companionship of what many consider as man's best friend.

These incidents may also affect the way of living of a person. One may experience that he/she can no longer take walks because of being afraid that he/she might be attacked anytime.

A dog bite injury may be either mild or serious or even deadly. But anyhow, it should be treated with care and should be given proper medical attention.