When Push Comes to Bite

Talk about a traumatic relationship. One minute, our 6-month-old beagle and my 5-year-old daughter are happily cavorting. The next minute, the 5-year-old is sobbing and the puppy is crouched behind the sofa trying to disappear into the carpet.

Despite attempts by my husband and me to teach our children how to play safely with Coco, nips and scratches have been far too frequent.

That’s why it’s a relief to see both veterinary and human health experts making concerted efforts to help pet owners avoid injuries, primarily dog bites, recently described in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. as “a largely unrecognized yet preventable public health problem.”

Add “common” to that description.

About 2% of the population is bitten by a dog each year. As many as 675,000 cat bites occur annually--and up to half of them become infected.

Because of their size and their curious nature, children suffer the most from animal bites. About 26% of dog bites in kids require medical attention, compared with 12% in adults. And of the 18 or so fatalities from dog attacks each year, 60% are children younger than 10. According to a 1994 JAMA article, breeds such as German shepherds and chow chows are most likely to bite. Male dogs are generally more aggressive than females. In addition, dogs of either sex that haven’t been neutered or spayed are more likely to bite.

“Dog bites cause an incredible amount of carnage. This is one of the top 10 causes of nonfatal injury,” said Dr. Jeffrey Sacks of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the recent JAMA report.

Both medical doctors and veterinarians are quick to point out, however, that the animal is not solely to blame. In many instances, the injury occurs because the pet owner doesn’t fully understand the responsibility that comes with ownership.

“One of the problems we see is unrealistic expectations among pet owners,” said Randall Lockwood, vice president for training initiatives at the national office of Humane Society. “Companion animals are not little people in furry suits. They have their own sets of needs, and we need to be sensitive to that and cannot expect them to conform to what we want out of them. It’s like learning to live with other people.”

People, especially children, misread animal behavior and inadvertently provoke responses in animals that can lead to bites or scratches, Lockwood said. But children can learn how to interact with pets and even strays, Lockwood said, which is why he is endorsing a new video on animal bite prevention called “Dogs, Cats & Kids” (Pet Love Partnership, 1996).

Targeted to kids 5 to 12, the video teaches the right ways to approach, handle and play with pets; how to read pets’ body language; danger signs children should know; and safe ways to interact with others’ pets or strays.

“One of the reasons we like this tape is, it clearly sends the message that animal-bite and -scratch prevention goes hand in hand with being a responsible pet owner,” Lockwood said. “We need to appreciate the fact that animals have emotions and feelings, and they communicate those to us. But often we are not very good listeners.

“This is also the first video we’ve seen that talks about playing it safe with dogs and cats, recognizing that cats are more abundant these days. And cats, if improperly handled, can cause injuries too.”

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Other attempts are being made to reach out to pet owners. The Humane Society and the U.S. Postal Service have designated June 9-13 as Dog Bite Prevention Week for the third consecutive year. Post offices will be working with animal shelters to hold educational events.

The Postal Service is also encouraging its employees to enter pictures of their dogs in an in-house photo contest this year. The winning photos will be displayed during Dog Bite Prevention Week, said spokesman Mark Saunders, “to get away from the idea that letter carriers hate dogs.”

And the American Veterinary Medical Assn. has joined State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. to provide brochures on reducing animal bites.

Insurers are concerned, according to a State Farm spokeswoman, because claims from dog bites have increased. Last year State Farm paid out $70 million for bodily injury liability claims for dog bites compared to $3 million for all types of other animal injuries, including horses. Medical claims for dog bites totaled $4.28 million compared to $382,779 in medical claims for all other animal injuries.

“Dog bites are some of our most expensive claims, and particularly, injuries to children,” said State Farm’s Mary Boone. “A German shepherd is head high to a 2-year-old. So any injury to a child that size is going to be to the head or face and will be much more severe. That’s why we’re looking to pediatricians as a major resource to educate people.”

State Farm’s brochures will be available through agents and will also be distributed at vets’ offices, animal clinics and, possibly, pediatricians’ offices.

Finally, the CDC is encouraging pediatricians to routinely ask families if they have pets and if they do, to provide resources on avoiding injuries. Several pages of the physician textbook Primary Pediatric Care (Mosby-Year Book Inc., 1996) are written to help pediatricians advise their patients.

“Everyone loses when the dog bites: The victim, the owners and, all too often, the dog itself pays. It has to be confined or, in some cases, even euthanized,” Lockwood said.

While experts acknowledge that injuries cannot be eliminated, the number of bites is simply unacceptable, said Wayne Hunthausen, past president of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. Hunthausen is featured on the video “Dogs, Cats & Kids.”

“We’ve got a serious problem that we can definitely do something about,” he said.

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An Ounce of Prevention

Experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there are many tactics to reduce the risk of dog bites. The following tips were published last year in the journal Pediatrics.

Parents

* Consider the selection of any dog carefully. Speak with a professional and ask questions about a dog’s background and breed. Spend time with the dog before bringing it home. If your child is afraid or apprehensive, delay getting the dog.

* Dogs should be spayed or neutered to reduce aggressive tendencies.

* Don’t play aggressive games with your dog such as wrestling or “siccing.”

* Never leave infants or young children alone with any dog.

* Make certain that any dog entering the household receives proper training and socialization. Try to teach submissive behaviors, such as rolling over to show stomach, taking food away without growling.

* Dogs with histories of aggression are not appropriate for families with children.

* If your dog develops aggressive or undesirable behaviors, seek professional help immediately.

* Teach children basic safety around dogs and review these ideas regularly, which brings us to . . .

Children

* Never approach an unfamiliar dog.

* Never play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.

* Immediately report stray dogs or dogs displaying unusual behavior to an adult.

* Never run from a dog and scream.

* Avoid direct eye contact with a dog.

* Don’t disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.

* Don’t pet a dog without letting it see and sniff you first.

* Remain motionless when approached by an unfamiliar dog.

* If knocked over by a dog, lie still and remain in a ball.

* If bitten, report the bite to an adult immediately.

Reprinted with permission from Pediatrics.

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Resources

* To order the video “Dogs, Cats & Kids,” call (800) 784-0979 or write to Pet Love Partnership, L.P., P.O. Box 11331, Chicago, IL 60611-0331. The cost is $19.95 plus $3.95 shipping and handling. Running time: 30 minutes.

* Information on avoiding dog bites (especially for letter carriers and other service people who make calls at residences) can be obtained from the U.S. Postal Service’s Web site: https://www.usps.gov.