Behind the Bite: Ownership and Breed as Predictors of Dog Bite Severity

Each year in the United States, approximately 400,000 people bitten by dogs require medical attention in the emergency room. There has been little investigation into identification of canine characteristics associated with higher morbidity and mortality. This study aims to evaluate dog breed and ownership status as predictors of morbidity, need for surgical intervention, and health care burden following dog bite injuries.

The trauma registry at an American College of Surgeons-verified Level I trauma center was queried for "dog bites" from 2016 to 2024 for this retrospective cohort study. Bivariate analysis was conducted to assess potential associations between dog breed or ownership status and patient outcomes, including need for surgical interventions, readmissions, and death.

A total of 276 patients sustained dog bites during this period. Pit bulls were implicated in nearly one-third of all injuries and were significantly more likely to require surgical intervention compared to other breeds (61.5% versus 47%, P = 0.0233) with a higher median number of operations (1 versus 0, P = 0.013). Injuries from nonpet (unknown ownership, police, or stray) dogs resulted in more operations (1 versus 0, P = 0.0205) and higher readmission rates (20.7% versus 7.3%, P = 0.0028) than those caused by pets.

Nonpet dogs were associated with greater health care utilization, including increased operations and readmissions. Dogs reported as pit bulls were disproportionately represented in injuries requiring surgery, but patient bias was introduced in identifying implicated breeds. These findings highlight associations between canine characteristics and health care utilization, underscoring the importance of injury-prevention education and responsible pet ownership.