/PRNewswire/ -- Morris Animal Foundation (MAF), a nonprofit organization that promotes longer, healthier lives for animals through humane research, recently funded a study to determine how educated veterinarians and physicians are about dog bite prevention techniques. Only 21 percent of veterinarians and 5 percent of physicians reported that they had acquired most of their knowledge about dog bites from medical or veterinary school. Most interesting, the study found that the vast majority of those surveyed would like to have more information about dog bite prevention during their schooling.
"We hope the information from this study can be used to develop better curricula for medical and veterinary training programs," said Patricia N. Olson, DVM, PhD, president/CEO of MAF. "This curriculum could prove to be of benefit to both people and dogs alike, helping us to better live side by side."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has collected some eye-opening statistics on dog bites. Fifty percent of dog attacks involve children under 12 years old. The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages 5 to 9 years, and the rate decreases as children age. Almost two thirds of injuries among children ages four years and younger are to the head or neck region. Sixty-five percent of bites among children occur to the head and neck.
The CDC and other dog bite prevention experts offer these simple precautions to parents, veterinarians and physicians about the dangers of dog bites and how to avoid them. These precautions are particularly important during the summertime, when people and dogs are outside more and the bite rates rise.
Parents can take several precautionary steps:
-- Instruct your children never to approach and interact with dogs they
don't know.
-- Avoid contact with a chained dog unless the owner gives permission
that it is safe to approach the animal.
-- Never allow children to tease or pester any dog.
-- Adopt a zero-tolerance policy for any form of animal abuse, and
instruct children to treat all dogs in a humane and caring manner.
-- Teach your children how to interpret a dog's body language, such as
recognizing changes in posture or when a dog shows its teeth.
-- Never leave small children alone with a dog.
Dog owners can take steps to avoid potential dog bite situations:
-- Take your dog to obedience and socialization classes to decrease the
threat of biting.
-- Recognize the warning signs of aggression and act accordingly.
-- Choose a dog you are confident you can physically control.
-- Keep dogs that demonstrate strong predatory tendencies, such as
hunting and killing smaller animals, away from toddlers and young
children.
Following these steps can help ensure that you have a fun, safe summer with your children, and it can also significantly decrease the number of dog bite accidents. For more information, contact your veterinarian or family physician/pediatrician. You can also visit us at www.MorrisAnimalFoundation.org or on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter for up-to-date information.
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Showing posts with label bites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bites. Show all posts
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
D.E.L.T.A. Rescue Vet Advises on Keeping Dogs and Cats Safe in Rattlesnake Season
/PRNewswire/ -- Rattlesnake season is here, and the veterinarian of the 501(c)(3) non-profit D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, the world's largest no-kill, care-for-life sanctuary, is offering critical advice on rattlesnake bite prevention -- and what to do in the event a pet tangles with a rattlesnake.
"As the temperature warms and days get longer, accidental encounters with rattlesnakes increase in the Southwest," explained D.E.L.T.A. Rescue veterinarian Gaylord Brown, D.V.M., who in his former private practice saw countless rattlesnake bites. "Dogs, due to their inquisitive nature, are more at risk of being bitten. However, people may not know that cats are also at risk."
Typically, a dog will blunder into a rattlesnake, causing the snake to strike in self-defense. As a result, most rattlesnake bites in dogs occur on the nose. Cats, being naturally more cautious and prone to striking at a threat with their claws, are more likely to be bitten on the front paw or leg.
The prospect of a beloved pet getting in a dust-up with a rattler can be terrifying. The good news: People can protect cats and dogs from being bitten in the first place. According to Dr. Brown, who answers questions on the "Ask the Vet" section of DeltaRescue.org (http://www.deltarescue.org/ask-the-vet), avoidance is the best way to prevent a rattlesnake bite. Dr. Brown cautions people to keep their dogs close when hiking, stay on well-marked trails and to make their presence known. If the snakes are closer to home, Dr. Brown advises homeowners to consider installing snake wire on the bottom two or three feet of fence around their yards -- as D.E.L.T.A. Rescue does at its sanctuary -- and to be particularly watchful at dusk and dawn, when rattlesnakes are most active.
But what if an encounter between a pet and a rattlesnake is unavoidable? Signs of a rattlesnake bite, says Dr. Brown, include acute swelling, pain, and dark, bloody drainage from the fang sites. A bite to the pet's face will almost always cause excessive drooling; with any rattlesnake bite, the pet will likely be depressed and begin panting. Once bitten by a rattlesnake, a pet must be kept quiet and still. Dr. Brown discourages tourniquets and says lancing or suction at the fang marks should only be done with mechanical suction devices by those trained in the technique.
"A person whose pet shows signs of having been bitten by a rattlesnake should seek medical attention with a veterinarian immediately," said Dr. Brown. "With treatment, survival rates are high, and most veterinarians in endemic snake areas have antivenin."
Those with further questions about snake bites or any other questions about veterinary health can register for free and post their questions directly to Dr. Brown at http://www.deltarescue.org/ask-the-vet. To learn more about D.E.L.T.A. Rescue and its work, visit http://www.deltarescue.org/.
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"As the temperature warms and days get longer, accidental encounters with rattlesnakes increase in the Southwest," explained D.E.L.T.A. Rescue veterinarian Gaylord Brown, D.V.M., who in his former private practice saw countless rattlesnake bites. "Dogs, due to their inquisitive nature, are more at risk of being bitten. However, people may not know that cats are also at risk."
Typically, a dog will blunder into a rattlesnake, causing the snake to strike in self-defense. As a result, most rattlesnake bites in dogs occur on the nose. Cats, being naturally more cautious and prone to striking at a threat with their claws, are more likely to be bitten on the front paw or leg.
The prospect of a beloved pet getting in a dust-up with a rattler can be terrifying. The good news: People can protect cats and dogs from being bitten in the first place. According to Dr. Brown, who answers questions on the "Ask the Vet" section of DeltaRescue.org (http://www.deltarescue.org/ask-the-vet), avoidance is the best way to prevent a rattlesnake bite. Dr. Brown cautions people to keep their dogs close when hiking, stay on well-marked trails and to make their presence known. If the snakes are closer to home, Dr. Brown advises homeowners to consider installing snake wire on the bottom two or three feet of fence around their yards -- as D.E.L.T.A. Rescue does at its sanctuary -- and to be particularly watchful at dusk and dawn, when rattlesnakes are most active.
But what if an encounter between a pet and a rattlesnake is unavoidable? Signs of a rattlesnake bite, says Dr. Brown, include acute swelling, pain, and dark, bloody drainage from the fang sites. A bite to the pet's face will almost always cause excessive drooling; with any rattlesnake bite, the pet will likely be depressed and begin panting. Once bitten by a rattlesnake, a pet must be kept quiet and still. Dr. Brown discourages tourniquets and says lancing or suction at the fang marks should only be done with mechanical suction devices by those trained in the technique.
"A person whose pet shows signs of having been bitten by a rattlesnake should seek medical attention with a veterinarian immediately," said Dr. Brown. "With treatment, survival rates are high, and most veterinarians in endemic snake areas have antivenin."
Those with further questions about snake bites or any other questions about veterinary health can register for free and post their questions directly to Dr. Brown at http://www.deltarescue.org/ask-the-vet. To learn more about D.E.L.T.A. Rescue and its work, visit http://www.deltarescue.org/.
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Friday, February 20, 2009
Brown Recluse Spider isn’t Typically a Southerner
Many Georgia doctors have likely diagnosed a patient’s suspect wound as a brown recluse spider bite. There’s just one problem with this: The spider really doesn’t call the Deep South home, says a University of Georgia spider expert.
Over the past six years, only 19 brown recluse spiders have been identified in a study conducted in Georgia for the spider. And most were found in the northwest corner of the state, said Nancy Hinkle, an entomologist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Brown recluse spiders have only been collected 58 times in Georgia.
“Hundreds of entomologists, extension agents from across the state, thousands of pest control inspectors and millions of citizens have been able to find brown recluse spiders in only 31 Georgia counties,” she said.
From 2002 to May of 2008, Hinkle tracked verified brown recluse reports in Georgia. The findings were published in the January issue of the Journal of Medical Entomology.
The spider is brown but has a darker, violin-shaped design where its legs attach. With its legs extended, it's about the size of a quarter. If the brown recluse spiders in the state caused all the reported wounds, she said, they’d be very busy spiders.
Hinkle received thousands of samples from across the state. Rick Vetter from the University of California at Riverside identified the samples. He is the world's expert on the brown recluse spider.
Brown recluse spider bites are very rare in Georgia. Hinkle said there is only one confirmed account of anyone being bitten by one in Georgia. However, 963 reports of bites in 103 counties have been filed at Georgia poison centers in the last five years.
Over-diagnosis is a problem nationwide. Hinkle said South Carolina physicians diagnosed 738 bites in 2004, but only 44 brown recluse spiders have been found in the state’s recorded history. Similarly, Floridians claimed 95 brown recluse bites in 2000, but Florida has recorded brown recluse spiders at only 11 places in more than 100 years.
The study was prompted by Hinkle's arrival from California. "When I first came to Georgia, I heard several people say they knew someone who'd seen or been seriously wounded by a recluse," she said. "I found that odd since the recluse is a Midwesterner, not a Southerner."
The spider’s native range does include North Georgia, but its distribution is limited there.
Hinkle hopes the study will educate Georgia's medical community and reduce the number of erroneous recluse bite cases. A mark on the skin that looks like a spider bite could be something more serious.
She believes many assumed brown recluse bites could be methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
MRSA is a type of staph infection resistant to antibiotics like penicillin, amoxicillin and oxacillin. MRSA causes mild skin infections that result in pimples or boils, but it can also cause more serious skin lesions or infect surgical wounds.
Incorrectly diagnosing MRSA as a spider bite, and vice versa, can result in a patient getting the wrong therapy, Hinkle said.
“MRSA infections require a specific set of antibiotics,” she said. “Brown recluse spider bites, on the other hand, cause tissue damage by salivary secretions in their venom and antibiotics have no effect on salivary secretions.”
Other misdiagnosed wounds could be infections, insect bites, diabetes, bed sores, Lyme disease, anthrax or necrotizing bacteria, some of which can be fatal if not treated fast, she said.
Almost all brown recluse bites heal without medical intervention, Hinkle said. And in spite of all the horror stories, only 1 percent requires medical attention.
By April Sorrow
University of Georgia
April Sorrow is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
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Over the past six years, only 19 brown recluse spiders have been identified in a study conducted in Georgia for the spider. And most were found in the northwest corner of the state, said Nancy Hinkle, an entomologist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Brown recluse spiders have only been collected 58 times in Georgia.
“Hundreds of entomologists, extension agents from across the state, thousands of pest control inspectors and millions of citizens have been able to find brown recluse spiders in only 31 Georgia counties,” she said.
From 2002 to May of 2008, Hinkle tracked verified brown recluse reports in Georgia. The findings were published in the January issue of the Journal of Medical Entomology.
The spider is brown but has a darker, violin-shaped design where its legs attach. With its legs extended, it's about the size of a quarter. If the brown recluse spiders in the state caused all the reported wounds, she said, they’d be very busy spiders.
Hinkle received thousands of samples from across the state. Rick Vetter from the University of California at Riverside identified the samples. He is the world's expert on the brown recluse spider.
Brown recluse spider bites are very rare in Georgia. Hinkle said there is only one confirmed account of anyone being bitten by one in Georgia. However, 963 reports of bites in 103 counties have been filed at Georgia poison centers in the last five years.
Over-diagnosis is a problem nationwide. Hinkle said South Carolina physicians diagnosed 738 bites in 2004, but only 44 brown recluse spiders have been found in the state’s recorded history. Similarly, Floridians claimed 95 brown recluse bites in 2000, but Florida has recorded brown recluse spiders at only 11 places in more than 100 years.
The study was prompted by Hinkle's arrival from California. "When I first came to Georgia, I heard several people say they knew someone who'd seen or been seriously wounded by a recluse," she said. "I found that odd since the recluse is a Midwesterner, not a Southerner."
The spider’s native range does include North Georgia, but its distribution is limited there.
Hinkle hopes the study will educate Georgia's medical community and reduce the number of erroneous recluse bite cases. A mark on the skin that looks like a spider bite could be something more serious.
She believes many assumed brown recluse bites could be methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
MRSA is a type of staph infection resistant to antibiotics like penicillin, amoxicillin and oxacillin. MRSA causes mild skin infections that result in pimples or boils, but it can also cause more serious skin lesions or infect surgical wounds.
Incorrectly diagnosing MRSA as a spider bite, and vice versa, can result in a patient getting the wrong therapy, Hinkle said.
“MRSA infections require a specific set of antibiotics,” she said. “Brown recluse spider bites, on the other hand, cause tissue damage by salivary secretions in their venom and antibiotics have no effect on salivary secretions.”
Other misdiagnosed wounds could be infections, insect bites, diabetes, bed sores, Lyme disease, anthrax or necrotizing bacteria, some of which can be fatal if not treated fast, she said.
Almost all brown recluse bites heal without medical intervention, Hinkle said. And in spite of all the horror stories, only 1 percent requires medical attention.
By April Sorrow
University of Georgia
April Sorrow is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
-----
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