Having handled dog attack cases for many years, I have learned a few things. Children and the elderly are at greatest risk. Dogs seek out the victims least able to defend themselves, the most vulnerable.
Injuries can range from a relatively minor wound or no would at all or catastrophic injury and even death. I have seen cases where the dog or pack of dogs killed a victim. A horrible death.
Dogs are known to carry in their mouths a bacterium that causes them no harm but places a victim with even a slight scratch at deadly risk. The Pasteurella bacteria can be transmitted even the most minor scratch. Once it takes hold, it often must be treated by an immunologist with intravenous antibiotics. It is this risk that led a prominent hand surgeon to advise me that all my clients with any bite that breaks the skin should seek immediate medical treatment at an emergency room or doctor’s office.
Some attacks leave beautiful children with ugly facial scars requiring painful plastic surgery. Sometimes, even the most skillful surgeon cannot return the victim to a normal appearance. This type of attack never really comes to an end. Every day for the rest of their life some victims see an ever-present reminder of the attack staring at them from the mirror.
But what about the unseen emotional scars caused by being attacked by an animal? These invisible injuries are far more prevalent than might be suspected. This is particularly true for children. An adult would have to be attacked by a bear to experience life and death terror of a small child attacked by a dog.
Several psychological studies have established that children are at a highly elevated risk of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder in this setting. Psychologists have established that 65% of child dog attack victims will sustain post-traumatic stress disorder. That percentage was recently confirmed in a multiple-hospital study specific to our Central Texas area.
Two takeaways from this emerge. Any bite or scratch that breaks the skin should be treated immediately. The risk of a debilitating infection is too great to be ignored. Ignored even more than the risk of infection is post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly in children. This reaction can last from a few months to a lifetime.
I would not presume to tell any parent that their child needs or does not need counseling after an attack. I hope this note raises heightened awareness of the unique vulnerabilities of children attacked by animals. I leave it to each parent to chart their own child’s recovery based upon loving concern and prayer.
I wish you all the best.
