A recent study looked into breeds of dogs that are most likely to bite people also discovered when it usually happens, and offered tips to protect kids.

Kids are the ones who usually suffer from dogs’ bites and need to be taught how to behave around pets

A novel investigation at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center looked at common situation of dogs’ biting people and how it happens, as well as the breeds that cause the most trouble. If you have small kids, these types of dogs may not be the right pet for the family.

Dogs with wide skulls are the most aggressive

Scientists determined that most pit-bulls and their mixes carry the uppermost risk of attacking and causing the harshest injury per bite.

It is also true about animals with wide skulls and shorter heads that weigh amid 66 to 100 pounds.

Principal author and doctor at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center Dr. Garth Essig stated that the goal of this investigation was to analyze dog attacks, in particular how breed is connected with bite frequency and severity.

Hybrid breed pets are accountable for a major part of aggressive bites.

People aren’t aware of what species was guilty in these cases most of the times. Scholars analyzed supplementary factors like the head shape and weight, which may possibly help foretell bite patterns when the type is unfamiliar.

Scientists determined that most pit-bulls and their mixes carry the uppermost risk of attacking and causing the harshest injury per bite.

A past decade under analysis

To evaluate the bite strength, scientists examined dog-related incidents of facial trauma that occurred during the last 15 years.

To conduct the research, the data from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the University of Virginia Health System was used.

Doctors measured the injury size, tissue cuts, broken bones, and other wounds. All the injuries were serious enough to demand a checkup by the professional and reconstructive plastic operation. Scientists eventually elaborated a wound severity scale.

In addition, scholars carried out a broad literature analysis from 1970 to nowadays for bite research that reported dog type to define a potential danger of attack from a particular kind. The statistics were unified with hospital figures to find out the respective danger of biting and standard tissue damage.

Friend or Foe?

Dr. Essig noted that there are 83 million dogs privately owned in the US and that amount is rising. He added that their aim was to provide parents with information to help them foresee the danger to their babies and enlighten families on which kinds of animals do well with children.
Based on the date given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.7 million citizens of the US are attacked by pets every year, and 20 percent of the sufferers need medical treatment for their wounds. People who call for the following bites are mainly small kids aged 5 to 9.

Research co-author, associate professor at Ohio State’s College of Medicine and principal at Nationwide Children’s Hospital Dr. Charles Elmaraghy, stressed that toddlers are particularly exposed to dog bites. The reason is that they cannot discern slight signs that a furious creature may attack. The study focused on simple cuts to wounds with considerable tissue loss that requires vaccination or reconstructive operation.

The professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine Dr. K. Craig Kent, said, that the statistics highlight a noteworthy health care matter and grants a new system for decision-making for adults wishing to own a pet.

The situations that provoke an animal to bite vary and can be impacted by patterns of breed manners and the actions of the child, his family, and the dog owner.
According to Meghan Herron, associate professor of clinical veterinary services at Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, kids copy their parents’ actions. By being a role model for his kid and avoiding any provoking or dangerous contact a parent teaches his child to behave properly in this situation. The goal is to evade actions that may generate panic or fear-aggression reaction if the baby were to imitate it. Unwanted reactions include cruel reprimands, spanking, and taking away an object by force.

People who call for dog bites are mostly small children between the ages of 5 and 9.

5 tips to protect kids from bites
Herron recommends the following tips for pet owners.

1. Most of the bites occurred when the dog was resting and the child tried to play or bothered the pet. Thus, strive to keep the resting area of the pet where children can’t get into.
2. Many bites happened when parents or grownups where nearby. Thus, it you cannot dedicate your full attention to the contact between the pet and the child, put them apart separated by a fence. This is particularly vital for preschoolers whose actions may be more impulsive, or irritating to an animal.
3. Instruct kids to allow sleeping animals to lie down and keep out of dog crates or resting spaces. If the dog’s preferred spot is on the sofa, put a cover down to visibly define the dog’s territory versus the space a child may take.
4. Kids should not come close or touch pets when they are eating. Give treat to the pets only when the children are away.
5. Teach kids to never attempt to get back their things if a dog grabbed them, but rather ask a grownup for assistance. This is how the kids get on the wrong side with the dog and it may end in tears or worse.

Teaching these simple techniques to the children will keep them safe from harm if you have a pet at home.

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