500 Florida Dog Bite Victims Are Hospitalized Each Year

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Dog Bites on Tuesday, November 23, 2010.

American culture commonly refers to dogs as “man’s best friend.” But what happens when a dog turns aggressive and bites a person? Dog bites can lead to infection, scarring, and even surgery. Florida dog bite victims include children and adults alike. When canine creatures attack a human, the victim can suffer from psychological trauma, infection and debilitating physical injuries. Each year across Florida more than 500 dog bite victims are admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Young children, especially boys, are the most likely people to be bitten by a dog. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated that children suffer approximately half of the roughly 4.7 million dog bite injuries in the United States each year. Children between 1 year and 10 years of age are also the age group most likely to sustain injuries to the face, head and neck.

Young children, however, are not the only victims who suffer from injuries in a dog attack. Indeed in 2006, three adult Floridians over the age of 25 died from dog bites. Nationally, 20 percent of dog attack fatalities involve adults age 70 and over, according to government statistics.

Dogs that have not been spayed or neutered are more likely to attack humans. Male dogs that have not been neutered are involved in 70 to 76 percent of known dog bite attacks, according to experts. Females that have not been spayed have a higher propensity to bite than spayed females. Researchers believe that purebred dogs tend to bite more than non-purebreds. Hounds, non-AKC-registered breeds and toy dogs carry a comparatively reduced bite risk.

Source: Florida Department of Health, “Dog Bites” Danielle Stanek, Carina Blackmore, Rebecca Shultz, Lisa VanderWerf-Hourigan, and Kyla Shelton