Dog Bite Awareness

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Every 40 seconds a person seeks treatment for a dog bite. The United States has an estimated 5 million dog bite victims per year, with nearly 800,000 of these victims requiring medical treatment. 60% of this total is comprised of children, with 77% sustaining injuries to their face.

The average yearly cost to treat these victims is over 160 million dollars. Approximately 70% of those injured were bitten while on the property of the dog owner. In the United States there are 15 to 18 dog bite related fatalities per year.

Dog Bite Awareness Tips for Children

• Never pet an unfamiliar dog without your parent's permission and the permission of the dog's owner first.
• Never stare directly into the eyes of a dog.
• Never tease or play aggressive games with a dog, or try to hurt them in any way.
• Never run up to, or startle a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for its puppies.
• Never approach a dog that is chained or tied up.
• Always be aware of dogs in your neighborhood, and never touch a strange or unfamiliar dog you see running loose.
• Tell an adult if you see any dogs running loose in your neighborhood or school.
• If you are ever confronted by a dog, be as still and quiet as possible and try to place an object between yourself and the dog.
• If you are ever knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball, covering your face by raising and crossing your arms.
• If a dog bites you or someone you know, tell an adult right away.

Pets Left in the Car

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Leaving your pet in a parked car may cost them their life. Pets can suffer and die when left inside parked cars. Even on mildly warm days pets can be in danger of suffering heat stroke in a matter of minutes, even when the car is left in the shade, with the windows left partially open.

Dogs and cats cool themselves by panting and through the release of heat from their paws. On summer days the un-circulated air and heat absorbed and reflected by the upholstery in your vehicle may heat up the inside temperatures making it impossible for the confined pets to cool themselves. The average temperature of a dog is 101 F to 101.5 F; a dog with a core temperature of 105 F and above may have already sustained permanent brain damage.

Heatstroke symptoms:

• Exaggerated panting
• Rapid or erratic pulse
• Salivation
• Anxious/Restlessness
• Weakness
• Lack of coordination
• Deep red or purple tongue
• Convulsions or vomiting
• Collapse
• Coma
• Death

Emergency Treatment:

• Immediately move the animal to a cool, shady place, or air conditioning.
• Wet the animal all over with cool water, not ice cold water.
• Fan vigorously to promote evaporation. This process will cool the blood, which reduces the animal's core temperature.
• Do not apply ice. This constricts blood flow which will inhibit cooling.
• Allow the animal to drink some cool water.
• Take the animal to a veterinarian as soon as possible for further treatment.
• Veterinarians may apply supportive measures such as intravenous fluids to rehydrate the animal and oxygen to prevent brain damage.

Intervention:

What to do if you see an animal locked in a vehicle on a hot day: If you see an animal in danger, take down the vehicle's color, make, model and license plate number. Try to have the owner paged inside the store, or call your local Animal Care and Control Agency or Police Department immediately. Do not attempt to take matter into your own hands. When you leave a companion animal in a car, you not only expose them to the possibility of heat stress, but also theft. Every year thousands of pets are stolen from unattended vehicles.

Pets in Disasters

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Make arrangements for your pets as part of your household disaster planning. If you must evacuate your home, it's always best to take your pets with you. For health and space reasons, pets will not be allowed in public emergency shelters. In most states, trained guide dogs for the blind, hearing impaired or handicapped will be allowed to stay in emergency shelters with their owners. Check with local emergency management officials for more information.

Ten Animal Disaster Preparedness Tips:

• Have at least a weeks supply of food and water on hand for each animal in your household. The food should be dry and in sturdy water tight containers. Be sure to rotate the water at least once every other month. Animals should never drink flood water or any water that may have become contaminated as a result of a disaster.
• If an animal is on long term medication, try to keep a backup supply on hand. Veterinary offices may not be open for some time following a disaster. If the medication needs to be refrigerated, keep an ice chest on hand to store it in.
• Always keep a collar and tag on companion animals. You may want to consider micro chipping your animals as a more permanent form of identification.
• Start a buddy system with your neighbors, so they will check on your animals during a disaster in case you are not home. Agree to do the same for them.
• Have a way to contain your animals in case you are relocated from your home.
• For cats, have a cat carrier to evacuate each cat in your household. (In an emergency, a pillowcase is an alternate way to transport a cat.)
• For dogs, have a leash for each dog. (A harness is better in case the dog panics and tries to slip out of the collar.) Include an identification tag for your pet that has your name, address, and phone number.
• Have photos of all of your animals to take with you if you have to evacuate. These pictures can help reunite you with a lost animal. (Most animal shelters will take lost reports after a disaster, a picture of your pet attached to the report, may help to identify and return them to you.)
• Identify locations out of the disaster area where you can take your animals should you have to evacuate. Include boarding kennels, veterinary clinics, hotels and motels, along with the homes of family and friends. Keep your pet's vaccinations current and know where the records are. Most kennels require proof of current vaccinations before accepting a pet.
• Know where the animal shelters are located in your area. You may need to visit them after a disaster to look for a missing animal.
• Include some toys for your animals in your survival kit. Animals who are confined for long periods of time can become bored and playing with the toys may relieve some of the stress the animal is feeling.
• Companion animals and people can provide a great deal of comfort to each other after a disaster, but the behavior of your pets may also change. Normally quiet and friendly pets may become aggressive or defensive. Remember, they are scared too.