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91-224
. AUG 2 3 1991
TPDN 1991, Vol. 51, No. 15
Chow chows or chow cross-
breeds were involved in 23 %
of all reported attacks. Pit
bull and pit bull crossbreeds
accounted for an additional
14% of the total (Table 2).
Special studies of ownership
and breeds are needed to esti-
mate animal denominators.
PDN Editorial Note: Animals
involved in attacks on humans
are considered dangerous and
must be properly restrained to
avoid additional human injury
or death. However, local au-
thorities cannot declare an
animal dangerous and require
proper restraint if such at-
tacks go unreported.
Under Texas law, "a person
who knows of an animal bite
or scratch to an individual
that the person could reason-
ably foresee as capable of
transmitting rabies, or who
know of an animal that the
person suspects is rabid, shall
report the incident or animal
to the local health authority of
the county or municipality in
which the person lives, in
which the animal is located,
or in which the exposure oc-
curs" (Texas Health and Safety
Code, Chapter 826,
Subchapter E, Section
826.041).
For assistance on problems or
questions about rabies pro-
phylaxis, call your local health
department, TDH public
health regional office, or the
TDH Epidemiology Division
(512) 458-7328 (Tex-An 824-
9328) during working hours
or (512) 458-7111 on nights,
weekends, and holidays.
Prepared by: Vic Whadford, Public
Health Technician, Zoonosis Con-
trol Division, TDH.
References:
1. August JR. Dog and cat bites.
J Am Vet Med Assn 1988;
193(11):1394-8.
2. Sacks JJ, Sattin RW, Bonzo SE.
Dog bite-related fatalities from
1979 through 1988. J Am Med
Assn 1989;262(11):1489-92.
3. Wright JC. Severe attacks by
dogs: characteristics of the dogs,
the victims, and the attack set-
tings. Public Health Rep
1985;100(1):55-61.
Table 1.
Canine attacks on humans by
age and sex -- Texas, June 1987
- December 1990
Age
Male Female Total
<I 0 1 1
1-4 60 35 95
5-9 81 46 127
10-14 52 23 75
15-19 14 13 27
20-29 17 16 33
30-39 16 23 39
40-49 8 6 14
50-59 10 10 20
60+ 15 12 27
Total 273 185 458
Table 2.
Canine breeds or types involved
in attacks on humans --Texas,
June 1987 - December 1990
Breed or Type
Number
Purebred/Type
Chow Chow
Pit Bull
German Shepherd
Labrador Retriever
Unknown/Crossbreeds
Cocker Spaniel
Rottweiler
Doberman Pinscher
All Others*
81
43
29
15
15
17
17
Crossbreeds
Total
28 109
21 64
21 50
17 32
27 27
5 20
3 20
2 19
- 128
Total
23
14
11
7
6
4
4
4
27
Total 227 124 469 100
* No other single breed or type comprise more than 1.5% of total.
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