Abstracts of 16 breed-specific medical studies of dog attack injury

(Beth Clifton collage)

Compiled by Gaye Fisher for ANIMALS 24-7.

Editors’ note:  While pit bull advocates and organizations mass-produce a blizzard of papers published in “soft science” journals purporting that pit bulls and other “bully breeds” are “safe,”  hard data published in leading medical journals is unequivocal:  pit bulls and other “bully breeds” do more severe damage,  more often,  than any other dogs.

British reader Gaye Fisher has assembled for us the abstracts of sixteen of the most relevant studies published by medical journals since 2011.

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Dog-Bite Injuries to the Craniofacial Region

(2019)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31816277/

“The data showed that compared with other dog breeds, pit bull terriers inflicted more complex wounds, were often unprovoked, and went off property to attack. Other top-biting breeds resulting in more unprovoked and complex wounds included German shepherds, Rottweilers, and huskies. Management of facial wounds took place more often in the operating room, especially in younger children, with increased hospital stays. Of the patients, 19 (10.4%) had fractures and 22 (12%) underwent a rabies vaccination protocol.”

Epidemiology, Socioeconomic Analysis, and Specialist Involvement in Dog Bite Wounds in Adults

(2019)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30845083/

“A total of 189 adults presented to the emergency department with dog-bite- related injuries. The most common injury location was the hand (n = 62, 32.8%), followed by the head and neck (n = 36, 19.1%). Of the 189 patients, 33 adults (17.5%) were forwarded to a surgical specialist for repair. A head and neck injury was significantly more likely to be repaired by a surgical specialist (P = 0.011). The most common breed of dog identified was pit bull (n = 29, 47.5%). The majority of pit bull attacks involved the extremities (65.5%) compared to other breeds of dogs.”

Dog bite injuries to the face: Is there an issue with breed ownership?

(2018)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30579079/

“Bite risk by breed from the literature review and bite severity by breed from our case series were combined to create a total bite risk plot. Injuries from pit bulls and mixed breed dogs were both more frequent and more severe.”

“Breeds vary in both rates of biting and severity. The highest risk breeds had both a high rate of biting and caused significant tissue injury. Physical characteristics can also help determine risk for unknown or mixed dog breeds. Potential dog owners can utilize this data when assessing which breed to own.”

Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries in Central Texas

(2018)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30473254/

“One-hundred and two patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 5.84 years, and 43.1% were preschool-aged (2-5 years). Parental presence was reported in 43.6% of cases, and most attacks occurred in the evening (46.8%). Injuries often involved the head-neck region (92.1%), and 72.5% were of major severity. Pet dogs were responsible for 42% of injuries, and pit bull was the most-identified breed (36.2%).”

Dogs & Orthopaedic Injuries: Is There a Correlation With Breed?

(2018)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29912736/

“Thirty-nine percent of all dog bite-related emergency department visits resulted in an orthopaedic injury requiring specialist treatment. Of the 95 patients, 50% were the result of a pit bull terrier bite and 22% by a law enforcement dog.”

Characteristics of Dog Bites in Arkansas

(2018)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30075476/

“The results of this retrospective review are aligned mostly with the general trends found in previous national and global studies, supporting the notion that family dogs represent a more significant threat than often is realized and that, among the breeds identified, pit bulls are proportionally linked with more severe bite injuries.”

An Algorithmic Approach to Operative Management of Complex Pediatric Dog Bites

(2017)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29184724/

“One hundred and eight patients aged 5 months to 18 years old were treated in the emergency department after suffering dog bite injuries during the study period.”

“Of the 56 cases that had an identified dog breed, pit bulls accounted for 48.2% of the dog bites, and 47.8% of pit bull bites required intervention in the operating room.”

Characteristics of 1616 Consecutive Dog Bite Injuries at a Single Institution

(2017)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27400935/

“This single-institution study of 1616 consecutive dog bite injuries over 4 years” “Pit bull bites were implicated in half of all surgeries performed and over 2.5 times as likely to bite in multiple anatomic locations as compared to other breeds.”

Neurosurgical sequelae of domestic dog attacks in children

(2016)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27767903/

“A total of 124 children with dog bites to the head, face, and neck were evaluated in the emergency department.  Breeds involved in the attacks included German Shepherd, Pit Bull, American Bulldog, large mixed breed, Labrador Retriever, and Akita, with German Shepherds and Akitas being the most frequently involved.”

Ocular Trauma From Dog Bites: Characterization, Associations, and Treatment Patterns at a Regional Level I Trauma Center Over 11 Years

(2016)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26103618/

“A total of 342 dog bite victims were identified, of whom 91 sustained ocular trauma.  The most common breed of dog inflicting ocular injury was the pit bull (25%).”

Contemporary update on the treatment of dog bite: injuries to the oral and maxillofacial region

(2014)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25795183/

“The medical records from 20 patients were included and reviewed. More than one half (60%) of the patients were younger than 12 years old. The dog was owned by the patient or a relative in 58% of the cases. The children sustained injuries requiring hospital admission and repair in an operating room setting more often than did the adults. Pit bulls were more frequently associated with injuries than other breeds (9 of 20).”

Morbidity of pediatric dog bites: a case series at a level one pediatric trauma center

(2014)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25638634/

“Of 650 dog bite incidents, 282 met the criteria for inclusion in the trauma database. Median age was 5 years (range, 2 months to 17 years) and 55% (154/282) of patients were male. Pit bulls were most frequently responsible, accounting for 39% (83/213) of incidents in which dog breed was documented.”

Dog bites of the head and neck: an evaluation of a common pediatric trauma and associated treatment

(2014)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25311183/

“334 unique dog bites were identified, of which 101 involved the head and neck. The mean patient age was 15.1±18.1years. Of the more than 8 different breeds identified, one-third were caused by pit bull terriers and resulted in the highest rate of consultation (94%) and had 5 times the relative rate of surgical intervention. Unlike all other breeds, pit bull terriers were relatively more likely to attack an unknown individual (+31%), and without provocation (+48%).”

Analysis of pediatric facial dog bites

(2013)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3820741/

“A total of 537 children were identified. The average age was 4.59 ± 3.36 years, with a slight male preponderance (52.0%). The majority of dog bites occurred in children 5 years of age or younger (68.0%). Almost all (89.8%) of the dogs were known to the children. When circumstances surrounding the bite were documented, over half (53.2%) of the cases were provoked. The most common breeds were mixed breed (23.0%), Labrador retriever (13.7%), Rottweiler (4.9%), and German shepherd (4.4%).”

Dog bites of the face, head and neck in children

(2011)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22235708/

“Most dog bites occurred in or near the home by an animal known to the child/ family. Most injuries were soft tissue related.  However,  more severe bites and injuries were observed in attacks from the pit-bull and Rottweiler breeds.”

Mortality, mauling, and maiming by vicious dogs

(2011)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21475022/

“Our Trauma and Emergency Surgery Services treated 228 patients with dog bite injuries; for 82 of those patients, the breed of dog involved was recorded (29 were injured by pit bulls). Compared with attacks by other breeds of dogs, attacks by pit bulls were associated with a higher median Injury Severity Scale score (4 vs. 1; P = 0.002), a higher risk of an admission Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or lower (17.2% vs. 0%; P = 0.006), higher median hospital charges ($10,500 vs. $7200; P = 0.003), and a higher risk of death (10.3% vs. 0%; P = 0.041).

“Attacks by pit bulls are associated with higher morbidity rates, higher hospital charges, and a higher risk of death than are attacks by other breeds of dogs.

“Strict regulation of pit bulls may substantially reduce the US mortality rates related to dog bites.”

Beth & Merritt Clifton.

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