Staying calm is the best advice if your kids (or you) find themselves confronted with an aggressive dog.
If you're getting a dog, make sure you get advice from your vet about what would be the best dog for your family situation.
Deborah Mulligan, MD, discusses how to handle an aggressive dog and what to do if you or your child is bitten.
Dog Bite Prevention
Featuring:
Dr. Deborah Mulligan received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of San Francisco, Medical Doctorate from the University of California Los Angeles and completed pediatric emergency medicine training at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. As Director of the Institute for Child Health Policy and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Nova Southeastern University, she reports directly to the Chancellor. The Institute is a resource for communities, policy makers, public and private agencies, professional organizations, foundations, and academic institutions. To be an optimal reserve, the ICHP at NSU conducts professional training and education, demonstration projects, engages in translational community-based participatory quantitative and qualitative research, developing
evidence-based public policy, participating in and serving as a venue to nurture community-based advocacy and research. www.nova.edu/ichp The work emanating from ICHP has been recognized through coveted federal agency awards such as the SAMHSA Excellence in Community Communications and Outreach (ECCO) Gold award. Board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, past experience as physician executive includes role of Pediatric Services Medical Director for nation’s fourth largest safety net hospital system serving a county of 1.6 million residents
Deborah Mulligan, MD
Dr. Deborah Mulligan received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of San Francisco, Medical Doctorate from the University of California Los Angeles and completed pediatric emergency medicine training at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. As Director of the Institute for Child Health Policy and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Nova Southeastern University, she reports directly to the Chancellor. The Institute is a resource for communities, policy makers, public and private agencies, professional organizations, foundations, and academic institutions. To be an optimal reserve, the ICHP at NSU conducts professional training and education, demonstration projects, engages in translational community-based participatory quantitative and qualitative research, developing evidence-based public policy, participating in and serving as a venue to nurture community-based advocacy and research. www.nova.edu/ichp The work emanating from ICHP has been recognized through coveted federal agency awards such as the SAMHSA Excellence in Community Communications and Outreach (ECCO) Gold award. Board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, past experience as physician executive includes role of Pediatric Services Medical Director for nation’s fourth largest safety net hospital system serving a county of 1.6 million residents
Transcription:
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Children | Original Air Date: May 13, 2015
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest: Deborah Mulligan, MD
This is Healthy Children. Brought to you by the American Academy of Pediatrics on RadioMD.com. Here’s Melanie Cole, MS.
MELANIE: Well, you know if you’ve ever been bitten by a dog, or your child has, or had a dog growl at you, that it is a pretty terrifying thing. So, how do you keep your children safe from neighborhood dogs or even from a dog in your own home and are you responsible dog owner? Do you keep your dog from getting aggressive with other people and animals? My guest is Dr. Debra Anne Mulligan. She is Chief Medical Officer of MDLive and one of our fan favorites here on Healthy Children.
Welcome to the show, Dr. Mulligan.
Tell us a little about dog bite prevention. If you were to tell somebody the best information to preventing dog bites, what is it?
DR. MULLIGAN: I am really glad you are having this lesson in dog safety. I am actually one of those persons that have been bitten by my neighbor’s dog and I am also a pediatric emergency medical physician and take care of children who have been bit by dogs. To your good point, there are almost five million Americans who are bitten every year by dogs and it isn’t necessarily strangers who have the dogs or dogs that are running mindlessly around the streets. It’s your family pets, it’s your neighbor’s pets. Some of the things that you could do would be to pick a really good match for your family. If you are not sure what that match might be, you can ask your veterinarian what are the dogs that have really even tempers, that are easy to train and that goes along to training your dog. Commands that you can build obedience with your dog so they trust you as an owner and will obey you should they find themselves in a situation where perhaps – and this is not uncommon – where a child might be wanting to play with a dog while the dog is eat. So, there are also social settings where the dog is eating his food, protecting his owners and you have to be able to pick up those cues as an adult when you are supervising and trying to keep children safe. Other things you might want to do is neuter your dog. When you neuter your dogs, they are less likely to bite. They are less aggressive. Things like never leave a baby or a small child alone with a dog. Make sure that your children don’t bother the dog when they are eating, sleeping or caring for their puppies. Especially a mama dog who just had her little puppies and is trying to nurse them, for example.
MELANIE: Great advice and you know you have to be a responsible dog owner. We got a dog that had been fostered, so we got a rescue dog just last year. At the beginning, she was alpha female, she was a little aggressive. If she was bothered while she was sleeping, she growled. Now she’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever met in your life. But still occasionally, she’s got her little spot, you hear that low throat. She is learning and we are working with her. We are teaching our children to do these things. You can’t control other people’s dogs. So, what do you do about them?
DR. MULLIGAN: Great question. You know your dog and you know your dog’s cues to you. There is an interaction there, sort of a bi-directional communication between you and the dog. You’ve gotten to know your dog. But to your good point, if your child is playing outside and they come across an aggressive dog the best advice we can give is do not scream, do not run away, that will only cause the dog to want to chase you. They may think it is a game, they make think it is a threat but, either way, you don’t want to run away or scream. You want to stay calm. Teach your children to move slowly. Do not make eye contact with the dog. Those are some of the things you can do with strange dogs that may come upon you. So, again, just remain calm. Avoid eye contact. Move slowly. Keep your hands behind your back and the dog will be less likely to feel threatened and allow you to move aside and move away from the dog.
MELANIE: So, really just stand still. Like a tree. Just be a tree and just sit there or stand there. Just don’t run around screaming and, hopefully, the dog will just smell you and go away.
DR. MULLIGAN: That is another option. Yes.
MELANIE: What about hugs and kisses? People want to hug and kiss somebody’s dog and dogs really don’t like face to face contact.
DR. MULLIGAN: They sure like to lick everything else, though, don’t they? If they are your dog and you just ate a hotdog ,they are going to lick your mouth. The dogs are interested in licking for tasting and showing affection and interest to their owner and their owner’s family members. But if it is a strange dog, the best thing is to be respectful of the dog. Don’t jump towards it. Don’t make sudden movements. Try to move calmly when you are first meeting the dog. Show the back of your hand first. Gently pet the dog. Make sure that the owner is there to tell you that everything you’re doing is going to be accepted by this new animal in your presence to avoid any potential for harm such as dog bite.
MELANIE: We need teach our kids not to run up to dogs that they don’t know. We need to ask the owner, “Is it okay to pet your dog?” Are dogs, Dr. Mulligan, on leashes more or less likely – are there any studies on whether they are more aggressive or less – if they are on a leash?
DR. MULLIGAN: Anecdotally, it does seem as if that could be the case. Whether it gives them more courage knowing that they are not going to get away because they are on a leash or if it makes them more aggressive. I really can’t answer that. I guess if we had a veterinarian who was expert in behavioral health with dogs, they could tell us. But I’m really not sure about that one.
MELANIE: No taking things away. No bothering dogs when they are eating or sleeping or nursing their little babies. Asking the people, “Can I pet your dog?” What else do you want to tell us about dog bites? What if our child does get bitten?
DR. MULLIGAN: If, on the occasion they are bit, just like I had my dog bite by my neighbor’s dog who, for whatever reason, thought I might have been a threat to the family’s home area when I was walking down the driveway. If that does happen, there are a couple things you can do. One, make sure that you examine the bite. If it looks deep and it is bleeding, you do need to go to the emergency department. If it’s shallow and superficial, you can clean it with a towel to wipe away the blood to examine it. Clean it really, really well with water and soap and then apply a sterile bandage to the wound. You might want to think about putting antibiotic ointment that you can get in any local pharmacy or grocery store to prevent infection. If it is anything more than superficial, if it is deep and still bleeding, than you do need to go to the emergency department. If the dog did bite you that deeply, it might be an aggressive dog, and you do go to the emergency department for treatment they will do a couple of things. They will manage the bite and they will also involve the local law enforcement because they will want to make sure that dog has its rabies shots up to date If the dog has bit anyone else, then there are mechanisms in place where they can compel the owner to make sure that the dog gets resocialized with training from those who understand how to train dogs who are aggressive.
MELANIE: I don’t even like it when my kids play tug of war, even with our own dog, much less with other people’s dogs. Because when you are playing tug of war with a dog they instantly get on the defensive. You hear them growling even though the people who own the dog say, “They are playing. They are playing.” I hate that tug of war game.
DR. MULLIGAN: That is good advice as well. Not playing tug of war is probably a good idea.
MELANIE: I don’t think so. Dog bites, if it does happen, those are the things to do about them. Give us your last best bits of advice about dog bite prevention and making sure this isn’t something that happens in your own home, in somebody else’s home, at the local park, or anything like that.
DR. MULLIGAN: So the top ten, or less might be. Pick a good match for your family. Socialize your pet. Make sure your pet as a puppy – or your foster/adopted pet – gets used to a variety of people and other animals – cats and dogs in your home environment. Keep exposing them to puppies as they get older because sometimes older dogs get a little annoyed at the young dogs. So, we want to keep socializing our pets throughout their life time. Train your dog so that when you say a command, he knows that you are serious and he needs to abide by whatever your command was. Make sure you vaccinate your dog against rabies and other diseases as well. If you could, consider neutering your dog if you are not breeding your dog for any purpose. It is healthy for the dog to be neutered as well. That will also minimize their aggression and they are less likely to bite. Never, ever leave a baby or small child alone with a dog. You should always be supervising. Teach your child to see if the dog is with an owner and looks friendly, if it is a strange dog. And ask the owner’s permission to pet the dog. Let the dog sniff your child, as we said a little while ago, and have your child avoid the face, head or tail because the dog is going to feel threatened if you are grabbing them in these locations. Enjoy them. Dogs are a wonderful part of our families. We love them and they bring so much joy and happiness.
MELANIE: This is great information. You are listening to Healthy Children right here on RadioMD. Thanks for listening and stay well.
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Children | Original Air Date: May 13, 2015
Host: Melanie Cole, MS
Guest: Deborah Mulligan, MD
This is Healthy Children. Brought to you by the American Academy of Pediatrics on RadioMD.com. Here’s Melanie Cole, MS.
MELANIE: Well, you know if you’ve ever been bitten by a dog, or your child has, or had a dog growl at you, that it is a pretty terrifying thing. So, how do you keep your children safe from neighborhood dogs or even from a dog in your own home and are you responsible dog owner? Do you keep your dog from getting aggressive with other people and animals? My guest is Dr. Debra Anne Mulligan. She is Chief Medical Officer of MDLive and one of our fan favorites here on Healthy Children.
Welcome to the show, Dr. Mulligan.
Tell us a little about dog bite prevention. If you were to tell somebody the best information to preventing dog bites, what is it?
DR. MULLIGAN: I am really glad you are having this lesson in dog safety. I am actually one of those persons that have been bitten by my neighbor’s dog and I am also a pediatric emergency medical physician and take care of children who have been bit by dogs. To your good point, there are almost five million Americans who are bitten every year by dogs and it isn’t necessarily strangers who have the dogs or dogs that are running mindlessly around the streets. It’s your family pets, it’s your neighbor’s pets. Some of the things that you could do would be to pick a really good match for your family. If you are not sure what that match might be, you can ask your veterinarian what are the dogs that have really even tempers, that are easy to train and that goes along to training your dog. Commands that you can build obedience with your dog so they trust you as an owner and will obey you should they find themselves in a situation where perhaps – and this is not uncommon – where a child might be wanting to play with a dog while the dog is eat. So, there are also social settings where the dog is eating his food, protecting his owners and you have to be able to pick up those cues as an adult when you are supervising and trying to keep children safe. Other things you might want to do is neuter your dog. When you neuter your dogs, they are less likely to bite. They are less aggressive. Things like never leave a baby or a small child alone with a dog. Make sure that your children don’t bother the dog when they are eating, sleeping or caring for their puppies. Especially a mama dog who just had her little puppies and is trying to nurse them, for example.
MELANIE: Great advice and you know you have to be a responsible dog owner. We got a dog that had been fostered, so we got a rescue dog just last year. At the beginning, she was alpha female, she was a little aggressive. If she was bothered while she was sleeping, she growled. Now she’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever met in your life. But still occasionally, she’s got her little spot, you hear that low throat. She is learning and we are working with her. We are teaching our children to do these things. You can’t control other people’s dogs. So, what do you do about them?
DR. MULLIGAN: Great question. You know your dog and you know your dog’s cues to you. There is an interaction there, sort of a bi-directional communication between you and the dog. You’ve gotten to know your dog. But to your good point, if your child is playing outside and they come across an aggressive dog the best advice we can give is do not scream, do not run away, that will only cause the dog to want to chase you. They may think it is a game, they make think it is a threat but, either way, you don’t want to run away or scream. You want to stay calm. Teach your children to move slowly. Do not make eye contact with the dog. Those are some of the things you can do with strange dogs that may come upon you. So, again, just remain calm. Avoid eye contact. Move slowly. Keep your hands behind your back and the dog will be less likely to feel threatened and allow you to move aside and move away from the dog.
MELANIE: So, really just stand still. Like a tree. Just be a tree and just sit there or stand there. Just don’t run around screaming and, hopefully, the dog will just smell you and go away.
DR. MULLIGAN: That is another option. Yes.
MELANIE: What about hugs and kisses? People want to hug and kiss somebody’s dog and dogs really don’t like face to face contact.
DR. MULLIGAN: They sure like to lick everything else, though, don’t they? If they are your dog and you just ate a hotdog ,they are going to lick your mouth. The dogs are interested in licking for tasting and showing affection and interest to their owner and their owner’s family members. But if it is a strange dog, the best thing is to be respectful of the dog. Don’t jump towards it. Don’t make sudden movements. Try to move calmly when you are first meeting the dog. Show the back of your hand first. Gently pet the dog. Make sure that the owner is there to tell you that everything you’re doing is going to be accepted by this new animal in your presence to avoid any potential for harm such as dog bite.
MELANIE: We need teach our kids not to run up to dogs that they don’t know. We need to ask the owner, “Is it okay to pet your dog?” Are dogs, Dr. Mulligan, on leashes more or less likely – are there any studies on whether they are more aggressive or less – if they are on a leash?
DR. MULLIGAN: Anecdotally, it does seem as if that could be the case. Whether it gives them more courage knowing that they are not going to get away because they are on a leash or if it makes them more aggressive. I really can’t answer that. I guess if we had a veterinarian who was expert in behavioral health with dogs, they could tell us. But I’m really not sure about that one.
MELANIE: No taking things away. No bothering dogs when they are eating or sleeping or nursing their little babies. Asking the people, “Can I pet your dog?” What else do you want to tell us about dog bites? What if our child does get bitten?
DR. MULLIGAN: If, on the occasion they are bit, just like I had my dog bite by my neighbor’s dog who, for whatever reason, thought I might have been a threat to the family’s home area when I was walking down the driveway. If that does happen, there are a couple things you can do. One, make sure that you examine the bite. If it looks deep and it is bleeding, you do need to go to the emergency department. If it’s shallow and superficial, you can clean it with a towel to wipe away the blood to examine it. Clean it really, really well with water and soap and then apply a sterile bandage to the wound. You might want to think about putting antibiotic ointment that you can get in any local pharmacy or grocery store to prevent infection. If it is anything more than superficial, if it is deep and still bleeding, than you do need to go to the emergency department. If the dog did bite you that deeply, it might be an aggressive dog, and you do go to the emergency department for treatment they will do a couple of things. They will manage the bite and they will also involve the local law enforcement because they will want to make sure that dog has its rabies shots up to date If the dog has bit anyone else, then there are mechanisms in place where they can compel the owner to make sure that the dog gets resocialized with training from those who understand how to train dogs who are aggressive.
MELANIE: I don’t even like it when my kids play tug of war, even with our own dog, much less with other people’s dogs. Because when you are playing tug of war with a dog they instantly get on the defensive. You hear them growling even though the people who own the dog say, “They are playing. They are playing.” I hate that tug of war game.
DR. MULLIGAN: That is good advice as well. Not playing tug of war is probably a good idea.
MELANIE: I don’t think so. Dog bites, if it does happen, those are the things to do about them. Give us your last best bits of advice about dog bite prevention and making sure this isn’t something that happens in your own home, in somebody else’s home, at the local park, or anything like that.
DR. MULLIGAN: So the top ten, or less might be. Pick a good match for your family. Socialize your pet. Make sure your pet as a puppy – or your foster/adopted pet – gets used to a variety of people and other animals – cats and dogs in your home environment. Keep exposing them to puppies as they get older because sometimes older dogs get a little annoyed at the young dogs. So, we want to keep socializing our pets throughout their life time. Train your dog so that when you say a command, he knows that you are serious and he needs to abide by whatever your command was. Make sure you vaccinate your dog against rabies and other diseases as well. If you could, consider neutering your dog if you are not breeding your dog for any purpose. It is healthy for the dog to be neutered as well. That will also minimize their aggression and they are less likely to bite. Never, ever leave a baby or small child alone with a dog. You should always be supervising. Teach your child to see if the dog is with an owner and looks friendly, if it is a strange dog. And ask the owner’s permission to pet the dog. Let the dog sniff your child, as we said a little while ago, and have your child avoid the face, head or tail because the dog is going to feel threatened if you are grabbing them in these locations. Enjoy them. Dogs are a wonderful part of our families. We love them and they bring so much joy and happiness.
MELANIE: This is great information. You are listening to Healthy Children right here on RadioMD. Thanks for listening and stay well.