Dog Bite - Why Is It Increasing And What Parents Need To Know

A dog can be your angel or your devil

Dogs are the most humble creature on earth. There’s no doubt about it that they are human’s best friends, and rely on their owner, as their life depends on them.

When you adopted a dog, it’s just like getting yourself a partner who can lift your mood and be there for you until the last breath. 

But at times, a friend can also be turned into an enemy, and even a best friend can hurt you. And when we talk about dogs as your little B.F.F, this goes as physical pain. When they don’t like a certain thing they end up digging their carnivorous teeth in your skin.

You have to be careful because this attack can be fatal too. Especially if you have a child and a dog under the same roof, then the precaution becomes double.

Some Statistics About Dog Bites 

According To Statics

China is leading with 110 million dogs in the country. The United States is in second place and has around 89 million dogs.

You will be amazed to know that nearly 4.7 million people become victims of dog aggression biting every year in the United States. Among them mostly are men, females are less likely to being bitten.

According to the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), around 60,000 people died every year from rabies resulting from the dog bite. While America has proper vaccination for rabies, so the fatalities are low. In 2019 only 48 deaths happened in the U.S due to rabies.

In the United States, some notable trends advocate that children are most likely to get bitten by dogs rather than adults. The study happened in 2013 suggested that each child from United State has 50% of being bitten by the dog. 

The statics shows the fatalities cause by different dog breeds

Dangerous Dog Breeds Which Can Bite Fiercely

Dogs are fluffy and playful but dangerous too. Here is a list of some dangerous dog breeds that are horrible when angry. 

Why The Dog Bites Are Increasing In Children?

The increase in dog bites can be caused by different reasons. There are many reasons that can cause this destructive action to increase. 

1- Parents Negligence Behavior 

The first and the most important reason for the increase in dog bites is the neglect behavior of parents towards children. They are too busy with their work and other stuff that sometimes they forget about their child. And end up leaving their kids with not so well trained dog and go office or to do other house chores. And this results in a dog attack. 

2- Forcing Child To Pet Dog

Some kids are not so happy and daring to be with dogs. As some dogs are bulky and fearful, kids do not prefer to play with them. But the constant force by parents towards children to pet dog or play with them is why kids made mistakes because of the panic. The panic can result in many errors like kids can fall on the dog in terror, and that can cause a sudden mood change of dog, and he can bite.

3- Make Your Kid The Dog’s Guardian Or Vice Versa

We go through many adorable videos on our social media of cute pets and kids sharing happy moments. Even some of the kids let the dogs out for a walk, and in some videos, we see the dogs taking care of babies, but this is what we see on the internet. Sometimes the happy moment can turn into the sad one. The dog sometimes bites out of fear and anxiety, and if something might happen that causes the fear in the dog, they can harm the baby.

4- Not Training The Kids

Parents don’t focus on training the kids about the dog’s body language. That is another reason for the increase in dog bites. Dogs can understand us, but it is important for the kid to understand him too. When the dog is angry and when he is anxious, he can eventually cause harm to your kid in terms of biting. Therefore its becomes necessary when your kid is around 5 years or above, teach him about the basics of dog sign language and body language to tackle any unpleasant situation.

What Parents Need To Know?

There is no doubt that dogs are so cheery and love to play with kids but still, it is wholly the duty of the parents to take extra care in this matter. As we see above, some dog breeds can cause extreme injury and also cause deaths.

Parents should take several precautionary measures to ensure their child’s safety to not engage in any type of injury or other damage.

Don’t trust your dog too early with your kids. Train the dogs and your kids on how to react to different situations.

Make sure if you own a dog. And still in the stage of making it comfortable with the family and training him. Then use the dog mouth cover when the kid is around him.

Because after all, in the end, he’s just an animal.

What Are The Dog Bite Warning Signs?

Though well-trained dogs can also bite unexpectedly. It can leave the owner in complete shock and panic for a long time. Dogs can show many signs before biting, therefore you need to understand these signs, to save yourself from unwanted danger.

As a dog owner, you should understand the following signs the dog shows before he aims to attack you or any other person.

1. If your dog is continuously yawning or licking lips or by any chance, he is avoiding eye contact with you. It is the first sign that the dog is uncomfortable. By doing these actions, he represents that he is anxious and doesn’t feel good in the specific environment. This tension can lead to biting if the dog can’t find a way to free himself from the space and relax.
2. Now be attentive and focus if your dog growls lowly or snapping or showing teeth than usual. It is a sign of unhappiness with something. And these actions should be considered as a potential warning of bite. If your dog shows these signs, try to take him to another place.
3. Wagging tails can be a confusing sign for owners because dogs wag the tail when they are happy. But focus more on little detail. When the dog is about to bite, he will raise the tail high while slowly wagging the tail, and the body will stay still.
4. If you feel your dog’s body rigid, then there is a chance that the bite is coming. A rigid body is considered as one of the signs because when the dog is uncomfortable and about to make an attack their body feels like it is frozen. They will look like a standing square with perked ear and raised tail.
5. Another sign to tell the dog is on the verge of biting is his raised fur. This happens when the dog feels threatened. The hair of the neck and back stand up. And the raised hairs indicate that the dog is not happy.
6. See the whites of your dog's eyes. Sometimes the dog feels threatened, and the whites of eyes hide entirely. The dog will never leave his eyes from the threat. So that is how it will become easy for you to understand whom he is going to bite?

Dog Bite Infection Symptoms

When the dog bites, the symptoms are generally instant. You can easily identify what damage the dog bite has caused you. The dog bite can cause rabies, Tetanus, and sepsis if the dog is not vaccinated. Although other symptoms of an infected dog bite may include;

• There will be swelling and redness around the wound
• The pain will last longer than a day
• The blood will drain continuously from the wound
• It will be challenging to move the infected part
• There will be a warm feeling around the wound

Some symptoms of dog bite side effects on other parts of your body;

• Fever
• Shaking
• Night sweat

Some of the possible complications your child can get from the dog bite are;

• Broken bones
• Rabies
• Tetanus
• Scarring

Some infections that can cause fatal damage are;

So if you find this symptom of Tetanus in your kid. Don’t ask does my child need a tetanus shot after dog bite? Just go for it as soon as possible.

Dog Bite Child Treatments

What happens when a dog bites a child? Well, the first thing you have to do is don’t create a panic. Mostly when something happens with the child, parents start panicking and make the situation worst.

Take some second and think calmly. Please don’t try any kind of home remedy for dog bites for deep wounds. It might make an injury more painful for the child.

Give your child instant medical care and give the kid medicine for dog bites only prescribed by the doctors. The doctor will prescribe some of the antibiotics and other medicines for your kid. And the dog bite treatment injections can fasten the process of treatment.

Sometimes X-rays are necessary in case of broken bones, and other medical types of equipment are required, so don’t wait for the wounds to treat themselves.

Wrap Up

As a responsible parent, you must take care of your kids when they are around dogs in your house. Keep an eye on your dog and your child when they are playing or cuddling. Train your dog and kids to tackle even the worst situations.

Don’t neglect the requirement of giving professional training to your dog. Make them learn commands and gestures.

Lastly a quick recall “What to do if family dog bites child even after all the precautions and training? Take the emergency steps, treat the wounds of your kids, and look for symptoms of further infection. And if found any don’t resist to visit the doctor immediately.

Do you like it? Pin it