Byline: Jill Burcum; Staff Writer
Allergies, sunburn and insect stings aren't the only seasonal health hazards that spring brings for kids.
As youngsters head outside to enjoy the warmer weather, veterinarians and emergency room physicians say parents should add dog bites to the list of dangers to protect against.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate there are 3 million to 4.5 million dog bites in the United States each year, and 17 deaths from dog attacks. More than 2,500 Minnesotans sought emergency care for dog bites in 1999, the last year for which figures are available.
Studies suggest that 50 to 65 percent of those bitten are children. A girl from Mauston, Wis., who died Feb. 14 after being mauled by six Rottweilers illustrates another fact: Children are more likely than adults to be seriously injured or die after being bitten. Seventy percent of dog-bite fatalities occur in kids under 10, according to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Dog bites occur year-round, but in Minnesota they are especially common in the spring and summer, said Dr. Petra Mertens, a dog behavior expert and professor at the University of Minnesota Veterinary School.
Emergency room physicians agree. 'That's really when we see dog bites, and usually it's kids,' said Dr. Lee Arostegui, an emergency medicine specialist at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
The reason is simple, Mertens said. After a cold winter, kids and dogs want out of the house. Yards, parks and streets create a natural collision course for both.
The image of a youngster petting a dog on a sunny day may warm the heart. But Mertens and other experts note that any interaction between a child and a dog can be risky if the child and the dog's owner aren't prepared for it.
'This is something to think about ahead of time,' said Dr. Gail Golab, an Illinois veterinarian who helped develop a community dog-bite prevention program for the American Veterinary Medical Association. 'A dog bite can be very serious.'
A parent's natural inclination may be to have a child avoid breeds such as Rottweilers, pit bulls or Presa Canario mastiffs, which have been involved in nationally publicized dog maulings. Two Presa Canario dogs attacked and killed a San Francisco woman on Jan. 26, 2001. And it's true that pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds and Siberian huskies are much likelier than other breeds to inflict serious or fatal dog bites, according to the veterinary journal article.
Still, dogs of all breeds can bite.
'Singling out types implies that you don't need to worry about the others,' Golab said. 'That's a mistake.'
Golab also noted that many people think stray dogs cause most of the dog bites. But, she said, studies show most bites are from family dogs and those belonging to friends and neighbors.
'It's usually the dogs you know,' she said.
The key to preventing dogs from biting kids is understanding why these animals may feel threatened by children, said Mertens, who has done extensive research on dog behavior.
Dogs are pack animals. Without other dogs around, they consider humans their pack. To dogs, the pack has a definite hierarchy. Dogs might think that children occupy lower rungs on the pack hierarchy. Thus, the dogs may think it's their responsibility to keep kids in line or to remind kids that the dog outranks them - something a dog might do through growling or nipping. Or, dogs may view kids as competition for such resources as food or toys. A dog may bite if a child disturbs it while it's eating.
At the same time, everyday things kids do can be very threatening to a dog, Mertens said. That's true even for the family dog.
Kids are more active than adults and move quickly and act erratically, which might make dogs nervous, she said. Common things kids do to dogs also could alarm the animals.
For example, younger kids like to hug dogs. Humans see this as an affectionate gesture. Dogs interpret it differently.
'Anytime you reach across and over the animal and squeeze it, it can be very threatening to them,' Mertens said, adding that dogs may think the child may be expressing dominance over them.
Kids and adults can also misinterpret dog behavior, he said. This can lead to bites.
When a dog rolls over on its back, many people believe it wants its belly rubbed. Instead, this sometimes is a way dogs wave the white flag of surrender, he said. The animal is putting itself in a submissive position because it feels threatened and wants to avoid a fight.
Reaching out to rub the belly may be seen as an act of aggression, he said.
In a perfect world, dog bites wouldn't be a problem because all dog owners would train their dogs and supervise them properly. Because it's not, parents and other caregivers need to take steps to minimize the chance of a dog bite, Mertens and other experts said.
Measures they recommend:
- Never leave young children unsupervised with any dog, no matter how trusted the animal is.
- Teach kids to avoid unfamiliar dogs, especially those that are sick or injured. That's especially important if no adults are around.
- If kids want to pet a dog, tell them to ask the owner first. Kids should then approach the dog slowly on the dog's side and pet it gently on the chest, neck or behind the ears. Make sure the child doesn't put his or her face up next to the dog's.
- Tell kids to stay away from fighting dogs, even if one is the family pet.
- Help children recognize when a dog is threatened by them. Signs include barking, growling, showing the teeth, lunging and laying the ears back. Tail-wagging is no guarantee of friendliness because dogs may do this if they're scared.
- If kids think a dog might attack, they should stay still and avoid eye contact. If the dog settles down, kids should back away slowly.
- If a dog attacks, a child should curl up in a ball on the ground, cover the head with his or her arms and stay still.
If a child is bitten, an adult should evaluate and clean the wound, and report the bite to authorities, said Dr. Louis Ling, an emergency medicine specialist at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. If the bite is deep or won't stop bleeding, see a physician.
Information is also needed about the dog, Ling said, particularly its vaccination record, because dogs can carry rabies. This isn't usually a concern if the dog is a pet, he said, because most are up to date on their shots.
However, if the dog is a stray, rabies vaccinations may be needed, he said. The vaccine is given in the arm and is far less painful than the old rabies vaccine, which developed a fearsome reputation because it was given in the abdomen.
More information on dog bite prevention is available on the University of Minnesota veterinary school's Web site at http://www.cvm.umn.edu.
- Jill Burcum is at jburcum@startribune.com.
