MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF DOG BITE

Managing dog bite 1

On August 26, 2014, The PUNCH newspaper reported that a 14-year-old boy died from dog bite. James Musa and his teenage friends were playing football. Things went awry when Musa allegedly touched the dog during the match.

Jerry, the dog, was said to have jumped on him, mauling the boy just under his right eye. Unknown to its owners and neighbours, the huge Alsatian dog was not done with its deadly mission. Without provocation, it bit another victim, 21-year-old Aishat Opakunle, on her right palm on the night of the same day it attacked Musa.

Musa hid the news of the dog bite from his aunt and her husband, telling lies about the real cause of the scratch just below his right eye.

Musa, Jerry the dog and Aishat all died within a month. Musa was said to have complained of headache and fever, while Aishat was said to be barking like a dog before her death.

This confirmed the suspicion of the people that the dog was rabid.

Last week, again as reported by The PUNCH, four-year-old Omonigho Abraham and his brothers were chased into their apartment by tow wild dogs. But while Omonigho’s brothers escaped from the dogs, he wasn’t as lucky, as the dogs pounced on him and ate off his scalp! He is currently battling for his life at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

The dogs chewed the skin and exposed the victim’s skull during the attack last Thursday.

The two dogs have been kept in police custody in order to prevent further attacks on others.

The immediate elder brother of the victim, seven-year-old Osemudiamen, and another brother who is 11 years old, were said to have jumped down from the balcony of their two-storey building in their bid to escape from the dogs, with one of them sustaining fracture in the process.

The dogs reportedly dragged Omonigho through the compound for more than one hour before help arrived. His mother, Mrs. Helen Abraham, who was warned by the police and neighbours not to venture inside the compound, refused to listen and ran in to rescue her traumatised child.

She narrated, “One of the dogs emerged from the corridor with blood stains in its mouth. I ran inside. The other dog, on sighting me, pounced on me, but I fought back. It later ran away. I called on people who joined me to take Omonigho to the hospital. This has been a nightmare I want to wake up from.”

I spoke with Omonigho’s dad a few days after the gory event. He said, “When I got home, I saw parts of my son’s scalp on the floor. The dogs dragged him through the compound for about one and a half hours but nobody moved near them. His face was also affected, but thankfully, it did not get to his eyes.”

Truth about dog bite

Almost one half of all dog bites involve an animal owned by the victim’s family or neighbours. A large percentage of dog bite victims are children. And although some breeds of dogs have been identified as being more aggressive than others, any dog may attack when threatened.

Health workers and schools should educate parents and children on ways to prevent dog bite.

Again, doctors can also educate parents and children on ways to prevent dog bite; and when dog bites do occur, the physician must be knowledgeable about how to treat the victim effectively.

Many fatalities related to dog bites occur each year in this country, many are unreported; and most of the victims are children. In certain parts of Nigeria, the population has been taught about dog bite, what to do, the first aid and not to hide.

While I was practising up north, I discovered that whenever a dog bit anyone, the community or relations of the victim would quickly kill the dog and then bring the owner to the hospital to say what he knew about his dog.

Some owners would come with the certificate of vaccination from the animal public health department to prove that the offending dog was not rabid. This would not help matter in any way, however.

The narrative of the victim was one of the things that would enable the doctor to guess whether or not the dog had rabies. The victims will immediately tell you whether they provoked the dogs or the dogs were unprovoked. This will help the doctor in a way.

Again, the victim might be able to tell you how many people have been bitten by the dog in the community.

Although most dog bite attacks are not provoked, there are several measures that adults and children can take to decrease the possibility of being bitten. Most dogs don’t bite humans; however, under certain circumstances, any dog is capable of inflicting harm. The most common victims of dog bites are children, especially in incidents that prove fatal.

Several dog breeds, especially the wild ones, have been identified for their role in fatal dog bite attacks, including pit bull breeds, Rottweiler, huskies, German shepherds and wolf hybrids.

Assessment for the risk of tetanus and rabies virus infection, and subsequent selection of prophylactic antibiotics, are essential in the management of dog bites.

Save Omonigho

Omonigho, the four-year-old victim of the recent dog bite is alive in the intensive care unit of LASUTH and he is now more stable and communicates with the parent. The father said he was worried and hoped that his brain is not affected.

Here’s a special appeal for Omonigho and his brothers who were also injured and a prayer for the family as they pass through this post-traumatic stress disorder.

I have also given my own widow’s mite on behalf of my family. So, let’s be our brother’s keeper by donating towards this child’ medical treatment, which may take some time and consume much money.

Omonigho’s dad’s account details are as follows:

Name: Abraham Odia

Email: abraham.odia@gmail.com

A/C Number: 2057755102

Bank: UBA

Tel: 07061833256

Let us save this boy’s life.