Dog bite studies ::

A collection of recent medical studies examining nonfatal dog bite injuries in Level 1 trauma centers, national fatal dog bite injury studies, government studies and breed-specific law studies.

June 2021

Literature Review:

special report dogsbite
Level 1 Trauma Center Studies Characterizing Dog Bite Injuries Across Major U.S. Geographical Regions (2011-2021)
A review of 19 retrospective dog bite studies from U.S. Level 1 trauma centers. In the majority of studies, pit bulls inflicted a higher prevalence and severity of injuries compared with other breeds.

Level 1 trauma center dog bite studies

March 2020
Dog-Bite Injuries to the Craniofacial Region: An Epidemiologic and Pattern-of-Injury Review at a Level 1 Trauma Center
A retrospective review of 182 patients over a 10-year period from a Level 1 trauma center in the Southeast found that pit bulls inflicted more complex wounds compared with other dog breeds.

July 2019
Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries in Central Texas
A retrospective review of 102 pediatric patients ages ≤ 18-years old from the pediatric trauma registry showed that bulls accounted for the highest prevalence and severity of injuries.

February 2019
Dog Bite Injuries to the Face: Is There Risk with Breed Ownership? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
A retrospective review of 240 pediatric patients, as well as a meta-analysis, showed that pit bulls and mixed-breeds pose the highest relative risk of biting and cause the most damage per bite.

October 2017
An Algorithmic Approach to Operative Management of Complex Pediatric Dog Bites: 3-Year Review of a Level I Regional Referral Pediatric Trauma Hospital
A retrospective review of 108 dog bite victims over a 3-year period from a pediatric Level 1 trauma center in the Northeast. Pit bull injuries required operative repair 3 times more than other breeds.

April 2017
Characteristics of 1616 Consecutive Dog Bite Injuries at a Single Institution
A retrospective review of 1616 dog bite victims over a 4-year period from a pediatric Level 1 trauma center in the Southeast. Pit bull bites were implicated in half of all surgeries performed.

January-February 2015
Dog Bites of the Head and Neck: An Evaluation of a Common Pediatric Trauma and Associated Treatment
A retrospective review of 334 dog bite injuries from a Level 1 trauma center in Sacramento. One third of all injuries were caused by pit bull terriers and resulted in the highest rate of consultation.

View more nonfatal dog bite studies »

Fatal dog bite injury studies

May 2018
U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities: Breeds of Dogs Involved, Age Groups and Other Factors Over a 13-Year Period (2005 to 2017)
A 2018 report issued by DogsBite.org shows that over 35 dog breeds contributed to 433 deaths in a 13-year period. Pit bulls contributed to 66% of these deaths, followed by rottweilers with 10%.

September 15, 2000
Breeds of Dogs Involved in Fatal Human Attacks in the United States Between 1979 and 1998
A special report issued by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)1 in 2000 reviewed a 20-year period to determine the types of dog breeds most responsible for U.S. dog bite fatalities.

View more fatal dog bite injury studies »

Government dog bite studies

November 2010
Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Stays Involving Dog Bites, 2008
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published a study in 2010 showing that the number of Americans hospitalized for dog bite injuries almost doubled over a 15-year period.

July 2003
Nonfatal Dog Bite-Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments - United States, 2001
In 2003, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study that examines the frequency of dog bite-related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments.

View more government dog bite studies »

Breed-specific legislation studies

June 30, 2012
Effectiveness of Breed-Specific Legislation in Decreasing the Incidence of Dog-Bite Injury Hospitalisations in People in the Canadian Province of Manitoba
A study analyzing dog bite injury hospitalizations over a 23-year period (1984 to 2006) in Manitoba showed a significant reduction at the provincial level after implementing breed-specific laws.

December 2010
Decline in Hospitalisations Due to Dog Bite Injuries in Catalonia, 1997–2008. An Effect of Government Regulation?
A study analyzing hospitalizations for dog bite injuries over a 12-year period in Catalonia, Spain after changes in legal regulations, including breed-specific regulations, showed a 38% decrease.

View more breed-specific legislation studies »

Citations
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not published any dog bite fatality data that includes breeds of dogs information since 2000. Learn more: Nonprofits Urge CDC to Resume Tracking Richer Data Set for Children and Adults Disfigured, Maimed and Killed by Dogs.