Surgery after dog bite

[SEL]

my sister in law was out running last Sunday and got bitten on her thigh by a dog. It was on a lead but she remembers the owner holding its muzzle. To be fair to the owner she was mortified and offered to exchange details, but my SiL was a) shocked and b) is one of those nice 'don't want to make a fuss' people.

A&E patched her up and gave her antibiotics, but its gone sceptic and she's having surgery under full GA today.

If she had got details would the police take an interest? It was on a public footpath regularly used by families and it worries me that someone thought they'd take the muzzle off a dog which is reactive enough to bite a passing runner.

 

[Skib]

It should be reported to the local Police yes. My friend's dog snapped at a man who waved a stick at him outside her own gate and the Police came round.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Yes report to police. Hopefully it won't come to it, but in case of long-lasting impact/loss of future earnings etc, it's best to have all angles covered.
Hope she comes through OK.

 

[Clodagh]

How totally horrible for her. I hope the operation is ok.
I hope the hospital will be proactive about advising her to report it, but I certainly would.

 

[some show]

How scary for her, and you - I hope it all goes well and she's out soon x

 

[Birker2020]

my sister in law was out running last Sunday and got bitten on her thigh by a dog. It was on a lead but she remembers the owner holding its muzzle. To be fair to the owner she was mortified and offered to exchange details, but my SiL was a) shocked and b) is one of those nice 'don't want to make a fuss' people.

A&E patched her up and gave her antibiotics, but its gone sceptic and she's having surgery under full GA today.

If she had got details would the police take an interest? It was on a public footpath regularly used by families and it worries me that someone thought they'd take the muzzle off a dog which is reactive enough to bite a passing runner.

Yes the police take a very strong view point on this type of thing. When a staffie attacked my horse during a prolonged attack on common land years ago and my horse eventually kicked the dog the owner was threatening to sue me - dog knocked out and jaw/teeth presumably broken. I went to the police and gave a statement and they said if I saw the dog again I was to call 999 and they would be out very quickly.

 

[SEL]

Thanks everyone. Her friend thinks she knows which dog / owner so the police could follow up. Keeping everything crossed surgery this evening goes ok. She's a very good runner so will be devastated if there's any long term damage ?

 

[Tiddlypom]

What an awful thing to happen. Fingers firmly crossed that she makes a full recovery.

As others have said, the attack should be reported, the dog is dangerous.

 

[BeansNsausages]

Good grief, what is wrong with people!?

 

[Gloi]

Make sure she gets some photos in case the police investigate

 

[SEL]

Make sure she gets some photos in case the police investigate

Hadn't thought of that - although I think my mum took a few because she was furious. OAP vs. bad dog owner and I'm betting on the OAP to come out on top. She used to be a teacher and still has the voice for dealing with naughty kids ?

 

[Smitty]

I think it's appalling and I would be thinking of contacting a solicitor, as well as police and dog warden. I hope she's OK after the surgery and it doesn't affect her long term.

 

[Clodagh]

I think the whole thing is terrifying. Sounds like far more than a nip, but a proper bite.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Why on earth had the owner removed the muzzle?! I hope your sister in law heals quickly with no issue. It sounds terrifying.

 

[SEL]

I think the whole thing is terrifying. Sounds like far more than a nip, but a proper bite.

It was - A&E did an X ray because they were worried how far the teeth had gone in. Looks like one of them pierced her leg deeply and I'm guessing that's how the infection got in despite the antibiotics.

The last person I knew who got bitten thought the dog was going for hers (not that that is an excuse) but my SiL doesn't have a dog and was just running along minding her own business. Not sure I'd want a dog in my life that did that to someone.

 

[twiggy2]

I hope the surgery went OK and send vibes for a speedy recovery

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

That's awful! Your poor SiL, I hope she makes a speedy recovery but that really is quite scary.

Absolutely would report, it's really not okay for something like this to go unchecked.

 

[Clodagh]

It was - A&E did an X ray because they were worried how far the teeth had gone in. Looks like one of them pierced her leg deeply and I'm guessing that's how the infection got in despite the antibiotics.

The last person I knew who got bitten thought the dog was going for hers (not that that is an excuse) but my SiL doesn't have a dog and was just running along minding her own business. Not sure I'd want a dog in my life that did that to someone.

Tbh probably an unpopular opinion but a dog as reactive as that, owned by a bloody idiot who takes him somewhere like where the bite happened, there’s no place for him. Even if muzzled he could still terrify. If you have a dog that vicious don’t walk it in public!

 

[Flyermc]

There alot of presumption here.

The owner of the dog was mortified and clearly wanted to do the right thing by exchanging details, but your SiL decided not to make a fuss and declined the offer.
The dog was on a lead at the time and that the owner had a mussel in there hand. We dont know why that was, but its presumed that it was purposely taken off, could it have broken whilst on the walk? If you think you know who the owner is, why not just go and speak to them?

However i do 100% agree that it does need reporting to protect others

 

[some show]

Agreed, she may have just taken its muzzle off to give it a drink of water (depending on the muzzle-type) and sounds like she would be horrified if she knew what was happening now - but also agree to report it, the dog warden/police can speak to her and decide whether it's a vicious dog or not. It's an awful situation all round.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I know a fair bit about bites and biting and bite pressure and motivation by now, a dog that bites the thigh of a human passer-by, that deep (requires x-ray and causes infection) should not be out in public again.

 

[Tiddlypom]

There alot of presumption here.

The owner of the dog was mortified and clearly wanted to do the right thing by exchanging details, but your SiL decided not to make a fuss and declined the offer.
The dog was on a lead at the time and that the owner had a mussel in there hand. We dont know why that was, but its presumed that it was purposely taken off, could it have broken whilst on the walk? If you think you know who the owner is, why not just go and speak to them?

However i do 100% agree that it does need reporting to protect others

A dog that does that just because someone runs past it needs a one way trip to the vets. If the muzzle had still been on, it could still have lunged at the runner and knocked her over and injured her.

There are minor transgressions for which allowances can be made, and then there are much more serious ones. This is one of the latter.

 

[skinnydipper]

I agree with CC. I think this is a level 4 bite.

My concern would be that if management failed - people aren't perfect and could slip up - the consequences could be serious.

Ian Dunbar's bite scale:

"Levels 4: The dog has insufficient bite inhibition and is very dangerous. Prognosis is poor because of the difficulty and danger of trying to teach bite inhibition to an adult hard-biting dog and because absolute owner-compliance is rare. Only work with the dog in exceptional circumstances, e.g., the owner is a dog professional and has sworn 100% compliance. Make sure the owner signs a form in triplicate stating that they understand and take full responsibility that: 1. The dog is a Level 4 biter and is likely to cause an equivalent amount of damage WHEN it bites again (which it most probably will) and should therefore, be confined to the home at all times and only allowed contact with adult owners. 2. Whenever, children or guests visit the house, the dog should be confined to a single lockedroom or roofed, chain-link run with the only keys kept on a chain around the neck of each adult owner (to prevent children or guests entering the dog's confinement area.) 3. The dog is muzzled before leaving the house and only leaves the house for visits to a veterinary clinic. 4. The incidents have all been reported to the relevant authorities — animal control or police. Give the owners one copy, keep one copy for your files and give one copy to the dog's veterinarian."

https://apdt.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/ian-dunbar-dog-bite-scale.pdf

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I think it being on the lead makes the whole incident worse in a way, although I shudder at the thought of it being off lead. The owner still did not have it under control and allowed a situation for it to get close enough/someone to get close enough to it for it to bite like that.

 

[Kat_Bath]

I really hope your SIL recovers from this in good health and quickly (although these things always take time) SEL. How did the surgery go?

Other posters have responded much better I could about the situation, but I just wanted to pass on my best wishes. I would be similar to your SIL - no want to make a fuss etc - but also, if that was my dog, I would be seriously considering my very limited options...

 

[Equi]

It’s a perfect storm for your friend to be able to claim if that’s what she wants to do. The owner clearly knew the dog was reactive if they had a muzzle and unfortunately for whatever reason they didn’t have the muzzle on it at the time.

 

[babymare]

How awful SIL and I hope the surgery went well. Most definitely report to not only police but dog warden. Hoping your SIL has a speedy recovery

 

[cauda equina]

Another wishing your SiL the best outcome

I completely understand her being shocked at the time as a reason not to deal with the incident differently; sometimes we are stunned by events such as this and find it hard to process what has just happened
But please do get the police involved - a dog that can and will bite an adult on the thigh might bite a child on the face

 

[SEL]

Another wishing your SiL the best outcome

I completely understand her being shocked at the time as a reason not to deal with the incident differently; sometimes we are stunned by events such as this and find it hard to process what has just happened
But please do get the police involved - a dog that can and will bite an adult on the thigh might bite a child on the face

Thanks - I think once she's out of hospital she'll be in a better mindset to think about what she wants to do. All a bit sore and shocked right now.

I had no idea there was such a thing as a bite scale. I'm not sure how I feel about any dog being out and about which meets that level 4 criteria tbh.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I hope you sister makes a full recovery, SEL. What a nightmare. I hope they can find the owner. A dog that will do that should not be out in public and should probably be PTS. Hardly an ankle nip in passing type incident! I completely understand your sister's reaction though, she'll have been shocked.