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Gazette Letters
Letters DOG BITES
Risk of dog bite injury in veterinary practice OCCUPATIONAL hazards are numerous in general veterinary practice; these can range from animal-acquired infection to operator musculoskeletal fatigue (Jeyaretnam and Jones 2000). It has been reported that veterinarians encountering work-related injuries outnumber medical GPs by a factor of 2.9 (Nienhaus and others 2005). Bites and scratches from patients are commonly accepted as inevitable injuries that ‘come with the territory’ of practising as a veterinary professional. It is noteworthy, however, that fewer incidents are seen by more experienced practitioners (Gabel and Gerberich 2002). We report a case of a young veterinary surgeon who was treated by our oral and maxillofacial surgery team following an incident with a Staffordshire bull terrier. The canine patient, which was not muzzled, attacked the vet while undergoing a cardiovascular examination. Due to its position it was able to lunge towards the vet’s face to bite off a significant portion of the upper lip. Additionally, several superficial facial lacerations were sustained. The resultant upper lip was technically complex to manage, owing to the degree and site of tissue loss. Future management is likely to involve mucosal grafting to aid lip reconstruction. The vet is likely to remain under the maxillofacial team for follow-up for several months to come. This is not an isolated case of facial trauma experienced by veterinary staff. A similar case has been managed by our team recently which, again, necessitated several months of treatment. We would like to raise awareness among our veterinary colleagues of animal bites and their potentially devastating consequences. In our experience, such incidents can result in profound psychosocial issues such as depression and emotional withdrawal. These cases demonstrate the importance of donning appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in the veterinary surgery. A clear visor acts as a simple yet effective means of facial protection without detracting from eye contact and facial recognition on the part of the veterinary patient. We wonder if a lower threshold for muzzling dogs could be implemented? Comments and opinions regarding PPE in veterinary practice and
prevention of animal bites would be welcome. Navroz Singh, Senior House Officer, Muhammad Ali Malik, Associate Specialist, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Great Western Hospital, Marlborough Road, Swindon, Wiltshire SN3 6BB e-mail: [email protected]
References
GABEL, C. L. & GERBERICH, S. G. (2002) Risk factors for injury among veterinarians. Epidemiology 13, 80-86 JEYARETNAM, J. & JONES, H. (2000) Physical, chemical and biological hazards in veterinary practice. Australian Veterinary Journal 78, 751-758 NIENHAUS, A., SKUDLIK, C. & SEIDLER, A. (2005) Work-related accidents and occupational diseases in veterinarians and their staff. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 78, 230-238
doi: 10.1136/vr.g1370
February 8, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 151
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 9, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Risk of dog bite injury in veterinary practice Navroz Singh and Muhammad Ali Malik Veterinary Record 2014 174: 151
doi: 10.1136/vr.g1370 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/6/151.1
These include:
References Email alerting service
This article cites 3 articles, 0 of which you can access for free at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/6/151.1#BIBL Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
Gazette Letters
Letters DOG BITES
Risk of dog bite injury in veterinary practice OCCUPATIONAL hazards are numerous in general veterinary practice; these can range from animal-acquired infection to operator musculoskeletal fatigue (Jeyaretnam and Jones 2000). It has been reported that veterinarians encountering work-related injuries outnumber medical GPs by a factor of 2.9 (Nienhaus and others 2005). Bites and scratches from patients are commonly accepted as inevitable injuries that ‘come with the territory’ of practising as a veterinary professional. It is noteworthy, however, that fewer incidents are seen by more experienced practitioners (Gabel and Gerberich 2002). We report a case of a young veterinary surgeon who was treated by our oral and maxillofacial surgery team following an incident with a Staffordshire bull terrier. The canine patient, which was not muzzled, attacked the vet while undergoing a cardiovascular examination. Due to its position it was able to lunge towards the vet’s face to bite off a significant portion of the upper lip. Additionally, several superficial facial lacerations were sustained. The resultant upper lip was technically complex to manage, owing to the degree and site of tissue loss. Future management is likely to involve mucosal grafting to aid lip reconstruction. The vet is likely to remain under the maxillofacial team for follow-up for several months to come. This is not an isolated case of facial trauma experienced by veterinary staff. A similar case has been managed by our team recently which, again, necessitated several months of treatment. We would like to raise awareness among our veterinary colleagues of animal bites and their potentially devastating consequences. In our experience, such incidents can result in profound psychosocial issues such as depression and emotional withdrawal. These cases demonstrate the importance of donning appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in the veterinary surgery. A clear visor acts as a simple yet effective means of facial protection without detracting from eye contact and facial recognition on the part of the veterinary patient. We wonder if a lower threshold for muzzling dogs could be implemented? Comments and opinions regarding PPE in veterinary practice and
prevention of animal bites would be welcome. Navroz Singh, Senior House Officer, Muhammad Ali Malik, Associate Specialist, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Great Western Hospital, Marlborough Road, Swindon, Wiltshire SN3 6BB e-mail: [email protected]
References
GABEL, C. L. & GERBERICH, S. G. (2002) Risk factors for injury among veterinarians. Epidemiology 13, 80-86 JEYARETNAM, J. & JONES, H. (2000) Physical, chemical and biological hazards in veterinary practice. Australian Veterinary Journal 78, 751-758 NIENHAUS, A., SKUDLIK, C. & SEIDLER, A. (2005) Work-related accidents and occupational diseases in veterinarians and their staff. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 78, 230-238
doi: 10.1136/vr.g1370
February 8, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 151
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 9, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Risk of dog bite injury in veterinary practice Navroz Singh and Muhammad Ali Malik Veterinary Record 2014 174: 151
doi: 10.1136/vr.g1370 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/6/151.1
These include:
References Email alerting service
This article cites 3 articles, 0 of which you can access for free at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/6/151.1#BIBL Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
