Children being bitten by dogs is a common accident. Since the beginning of October, the Department of Orthopedics of the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital has received 3 cases of children bitten by dogs requiring hospitalization. The hospitalized children were all in critical condition, posing a danger to their lives.
The most recent case is that of 7-year-old girl N.L (from Hanoi), who was admitted to the hospital in pain, psychologically distressed, with hundreds of wounds on her body from being attacked by 4 dogs. According to the medical history, N.L was taken by her father to his workplace. While her father was not paying attention, the child was suddenly attacked by 4 dogs belonging to the homeowner, causing hundreds of wounds on her body, leading to life-threatening injuries. Immediately afterward, the family rushed her to the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital for emergency treatment. N.L’s mother also shared that the 4 dogs that bit her daughter were normally kept by the homeowner, but at the time of the incident, these dogs were unleashed and not wearing muzzles.
Dr. Le Tuan Anh, Deputy Head of the Department of Orthopedics at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital, who performed surgery on the child, stated that upon receiving the patient, it was identified as a very serious dog bite case. The doctors immediately initiated emergency resuscitation, pain relief, and took the child directly to the operating room for surgery to clean the wounds, which were contaminated with dirt, sand, dog hair, etc., including a wound about 13cm long. After the surgery, the child was out of life-threatening danger. She was also vaccinated against rabies and tetanus to ensure safety. However, the child’s psyche still suffered severe trauma from being attacked by 4 dogs at once.
Currently, many dog-owning households still have the habit of letting their dogs roam freely without muzzles, posing a danger to the public, especially children. To prevent the risk of dog or cat bites and scratches, according to Dr. Le Tuan Anh, families with pets need to ensure they are fully vaccinated and receive booster shots annually as recommended by veterinary authorities. Additionally, pets should not be allowed to roam freely, and when taken out, dogs must wear muzzles. Moreover, for households that keep dogs confined, there should be a clearly defined area away from residential and community areas.
According to Dr. Dinh Thi Van Anh, Deputy Head of the Department of Infection Prevention and Control, when children are bitten, scratched, licked on wounds, caregivers should:
- Wash the wound under running water as soon as possible within 15 minutes.
- Clean the wound with soap and water or with antiseptic substances such as iodine alcohol, 70% alcohol or strong alcohol, soap, shampoo, or bath oil.
- Urgently take the child to the nearest medical facility for first aid, wound assessment, vaccination, and serum according to specific cases based on the severity of the animal bite, contact with the source of infection, and the rabies situation in the area…
Furthermore, caregivers should never buy medicines to ingest, apply, or apply to wounds or attempt home remedies, as advised by Dr. Le Tuan Anh, as this poses a danger to the child’s health and life.
