ESPANOLMan’s best friend is getting a little too snippy. The number of dog bites that send humans to the hospital is increasing, according to a new report .
From 1993 to 2008, the number of dog bites that require people to visit the hospital increased by 86 percent, according to the data compiled in 2008 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. There were approximately 5,100 cases of hospitalized dog bites in 1993 and 9,500 in 2008.
Every day, approximately 866 people who are bitten by a dog visit the hospital, out of which 26 are admitted to the hospital, based on the extent of their injuries.
Those most likely needing hospitalization include seniors and children, especially those aged five-to nine-years-old. Where you live also increases the probability of a serious dog bite, according to the report. People who live in rural areas visited the hospital four times more than those who live in cities.
Nearly half of hospitalized dog bite victims required a skin infection treatment and 58 percent needed stitches, skin grafts, wound debridement or other similar procedure. The average cost for a dog-bite hospitalization totaled $18,200 in 2008.
As a personal injury attorney , I am shocked to see the number of dog bites requiring hospitalization increase. Every year, nearly 4.5 million people are bitten by one of the 77.5 million dogs in the U.S. I urge dog owners to train their animals to be non-aggressive toward non-threatening humans. If you have been seriously injured by a dog bite, contact a dog bite attorney .
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