Dog bites in Portugal: Analysis of incidents, and consequences for both people and dogs

Abstract

Dog bites are a public health problem worldwide, and Portugal is not an exception. Thus, it is fundamental to develop effective prevention programs and interventions strategies using evidence-based information. In the present study, we investigated single dog bite incidents in Portugal retrospectively through an online survey. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study analyzing dog bite consequences for both people and dogs at a national level in Portugal. A total of 729 valid responses of bite incidents were received. The characteristics of the people, dogs, and consequences of the incidents for both were analyzed. The mean age of the people was 28.2 years (range: 9 months-89 years), and 78.1% of the people were female. The majority of dogs involved were male (71.1%), and were familiar to the person (78.7%). More than half of the bites were on the upper extremities (58.1%). In 78.3% of the incidents, the bites did not require medical intervention. Among the incidents requiring medical care, 18.6% of the incidents required surgical intervention. Single bites were more frequent (87.2%). While 75% of the single bite incidents resulted in minor injury, this number was reduced to 61% for multiple bite incidents. Children who are under 12 years old had a relatively higher number of head injuries (22.3%) than the other age groups. While in 58.3% of the incidents, nothing happened to the dog as a consequence, 11 dogs (1.9%) were euthanized. The odds of major injuries leading to the dog's euthanasia were 4.3 times higher than that of the minor injuries (95% confidence intervals (CI95), 1.3-14.2). Biting is a natural and a preventable behavior, that deserves better mitigation strategies with a deeper understanding of the risk and the protective factors. The results of this study contribute to creating a scientific basis for the investigation of dog bites in Portugal.