Every day about 235 people wind up in an emergency room because of an injury related to a pet dog or cat. According to the Centers for Disease Control ( CDC) and Prevention, more than 86,000 serious falls a year occur because someone takes a tumble caused by a pet. Pet related serious injuries only account for one percent of the eight million injured in falls annually, however.
“There are many benefits to pet ownership. But they also can be a hazard,” said Judy Stevens, a CDC epidemiologist who co-authored the study which covers data from 2001 to 2006. Stevens said she got the idea for the survey after being asked at conferences about falls caused by pets. The report was released in March, 2009, in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The data for the estimates was collected from a nationally representative sample of 66 hospitals. The report also stated that the analysis probably underestimates the actual number of injuries, because it does not include those treated in doctors’ offices or other outpatient facilities. About 43 million households in the United States have dogs, and about 37.5 million have cats.
Interestingly enough, about 88 percent of the falls involving dogs showed that women were about twice as likely to be hurt as men. Fractures were more common in the elderly, but most of the injuries were in people under 14 or between the ages of 35 and 54. Most were quickly treated and released, but nearly 10 percent involved broken bones, internal injuries or other conditions that required hospitalization, the researchers found.
Cats mainly caused injuries by tripping people – a phenomenon well understood by cat owners who have affectionate felines that rub against their shins and ankles as they walk through their home. Dogs were blamed for more of the pet-caused injuries. They tripped people, startled them and pushed or pulled them off balance during a walk. Or they ran away and their owners toppled chasing them. Dog toys also caused falls.
“A lot of these statistics show the owner does not have complete control of the dog,” said Lisa Peterson, a spokeswoman for the AKC. Obedience training can help. Also, reducing the number of dog toys and storing them each night could prevent a nasty fall and a trip to the doctor.
[Editorial Note: Information for this article came from stories in the New York Times and the Associated Press.]