Dog bites account for 330,000 emergency department visits per year.
4% of dog bite victims that go to emergency departments are hospitalized.
Approximately 20 deaths per year from dog bite wounds per year in the U.S.
80% of individuals with dog bite wounds to not seek medical care.
Dogs are responsible for greater than 80% of animal bite wounds.
Children between 5 and 9 years are the typical victims of dog bites as they interact with pets known to them.
Dog bites occur most often on the extremities.
Facial dog bites most commonly occur in children and they can be associated with crush injury, tissue devitalization, along with puncture, laceration and evulsion injuries.
4-25% of dog bite wounds become infected with a median time of initial symptoms of 24 hours.
The risk of infection with dog bites increases with the depth of the bite, degree of injury and if the wound(s) are on the hand.
Cat bites occur more common in women and an older population compared to dog bites.
Nearly half of individuals are older than 20 years and up to two thirds of lesions occur on the upper extremity, typically the hand.
Most infections caused by dogs and cats present with an acute symptomatic presentation and many require antibiotics with or without surgical drainage.