When man's best friend attacks: how to progress on dog bites

• Autores: Tiny De Keuster
• Localización: Veterinary Record, ISSN-e 2042-7670, Vol. 178, Nº. 15, 2016, págs. 365-366
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • THE UK dog population is estimated to be 8.5 million, making dogs the most popular pet, sharing the lives of 24 per cent of families in the UK (PFMA 2015). However, decades of dog bite research indicate an important downside to this friendship; dogs are responsible for the majority of animal bites to people, leading to physical and psychological trauma or even fatalities.

    The incidence of dog bites is estimated to be around 1.5 per cent of the population with children being twice as much at risk compared to other age groups (Gilchrist and others 2008). According to hospital data, most dog bites happen in familiar surroundings involving a familiar dog and a child victim. The known number of dog bites probably reflects only the tip of the iceberg since accurate reporting is lacking (Bernardo and others 2002).