Agencies team up to help prevent dog bites

Indianapolis Animal Care & Control and the United States Postal Service are joining forces with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Veterinary Medical Association for National Dog Bite Prevention Week. The purpose of this week is to educate Americans about dog bite prevention.

Small children, the elderly and letters carriers are the most frequent dog bite victims. According to the CDC, 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites each year-half of these are children. Of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in an emergency department and about a dozen die.

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. Injury rates in children are significantly higher for boys than for girls.

Lack of socialization and confidence, fear, improper training and irresponsible pet ownership can all contribute to a dog attack.

In 2003, 1662 bites were reported by Indianapolis Animal Care & Control, an 8% decrease from 2002. Unfortunately, countless more bites go unreported and untreated, said administrator Jeff Bennett. Dog bites are a largely preventable public health and safety issue and National Dog Bite Prevention Week provides us with a platform to promote dog bite prevention and education as well as responsible pet ownership.

You can help protect your neighbors’ children and your letter carrier by making sure your pet is properly restrained, said Indianapolis Postmaster John L. McEwen.

Last fiscal year more than 3,400 letter carriers in the nation suffered the pain of an OSHA-recordable dog bite. But that pales in comparison to the number of children who receive dog bites in a single year.

Several of our letter carriers know first-hand about the prevention and pain of animal attacks, and we want to do whatever we can to help educate the community – especially parents and pet owners. For more information, see pet health care information.

About The Author:

Sally Potter is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-pets.com. Pamper your pet and get up to date information on pet health, food, accessories, behavior, gifts and toys.