These dogs are most likely to bite children

No parent wants his child to be a victim of a dog bite, and new research offers insights into the riskiest dogs among young children.

The researchers found that the size of the body and the shape of the dogs' heads affected the risk of biting and wounding.

For the study, investigators examined 15 years of face dog bite visits in two emergency departments and over 45 years of data from various dog bite studies.

Pitbull bite wounds were the most common and the most serious. Then come purebred dogs and German shepherds.

But in many cases, the data did not indicate which breed of dog was involved in a biting incident.

"Because we often did not know what type of dog was involved in these incidents, we looked at aspects such as weight and shape of the head," says Dr. Garth Essig, author of the study, a Otolaryngologist at the Wexner Medical Center of Ohio, Columbus.

"We wanted to provide families with data to help them determine the risk to their children and inform them about the types of dogs that are doing well in households with children," Essig said in a press release issued by a medical center. .

Some breeds of dogs are known to be more likely to bite and cause more serious injuries, but the breed was unknown in about 60% of dog bite cases analyzed by the researchers.

The researchers also identified the physical characteristics of dogs that are at higher risk of biting and injury.

For example, dogs weighing more than 66 kg and those with a more square head – such as a chow-chow or a pug – were more likely to bite and cause serious injury.

Every year in the United States, nearly 5 million people suffer from dog bites and children are at much higher risk than adults. The authors of the study should learn to interact safely with dogs.

Meghan Herron is Associate Professor of Clinical Services at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State. She explained that "people often think that leaning forward and reaching out so the dog feels is the right thing to do, but in reality, it can actually be a threat to the dog."

Herron suggested that "rather than asking the dog owner for permission to pet his dog, then turn to his side, squat on your knees, pat your leg and let the dog come to you."

The results of the study were recently published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology.