Dog ownership has unknown risks but known health benefits: we need evidence based policy

Abstract

Politically driven UK legislation that targets “dangerous dogs” has not been shown to reduce dog bites, writes Rachel Orritt, who calls for policy to be based on robust evidence of incidence and risk assessment of ownershi

How many people have been bitten by dogs? A cross-sectional survey of prevalence, incidence and factors associated with dog bites in a UK community

“…With a dog population of around 8.5 million 1 in the UK (ie, 1 for every 7–8 people in a population of 65 million) 2 dog bites are bound to occur. 3 However, the rate of dog bite occurrence remains unknown, 4 which has implications for knowledge of the true burden on public health and economic loss to the health system. There are an estimated 6743 hospital admissions for ‘dog bites and strikes’ per year in England 5 and 9500 for dog bites in USA.…”

“…6 7 However, these figures actually concern ‘bites and strikes’ from a dog (strikes meaning injury caused by a dog but not from a bite), yet are commonly misreported as dog bites. 4 Statistics concerning actual dog bites require clarification. Further, prevalence studies based on hospital admission records do not include likely less serious dog bites which do not require medical treatment or are treated elsewhere, including Accident and Emergency.…”

“…Further, prevalence studies based on hospital admission records do not include likely less serious dog bites which do not require medical treatment or are treated elsewhere, including Accident and Emergency. 4 8 9 In a population-based study in USA over 20 years ago, six times more bites occurred than required medical attention. 10 The current often cited incidence for UK is estimated to be around 2.5 per 100 000 requiring hospital admission and 740 per 100 000 bitten.…”

“… 10 The current often cited incidence for UK is estimated to be around 2.5 per 100 000 requiring hospital admission and 740 per 100 000 bitten. 11 However, these figures are based on out-of-date data, incorrectly cited or even no true source is known 4 and medical literature has a tendency to exaggerate dog bite risk. 12 Given the implications of even minor dog bites to both physical health 13 (including rabies in some countries) 14 and psychological health, 15 16 newer and more accurate figures are essential.…”

Small Pilot Survey on Parents’ Perception of the Relationship between Children and Pets

“…However, most of these studies have focused on adults, while much less is known about the role of companion animals related to children in the family environment. On one hand, pets are thought to give both physiological and psychological health support, but on the other hand, they can represent a risk as far as bites and zoonosis are concerned [ 7 , 8 ]. A few studies have reported the perceptions of the children themselves about having a pet [ 9 , 10 ].…”