Content area

Abstract

Over 1 million dog bites occur every year in the USA, however, fatal dog bites are rare and mostly affect children under 4 years of age and old people. Usually pet dogs are involved and only recently has public awareness of this health problem increased. As an example of a forensic approach we present the case of a 6-year-old girl who was killed by the three pet Rottweilers of her father. The present report includes the investigation of the death scene, the autopsy findings and the results of the examination of the dogs. Dog bite wounds in this case typically were limited to the head and neck regions and classic features of these wounds have been described in various studies. We emphasise the particulars of canine dental features, discuss the resulting bite wounds and, reviewing the literature, try to come up with a strategy for prevention.

Details

Title
Forensic approach of fatal dog attacks: a case report and literature review
Author
De Munnynck, K; Van de Voorde, W
Pages
295-300
Publication year
2002
Publication date
Oct 2002
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
ISSN
09379827
e-ISSN
14371596
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
216661378
Copyright
Copyright Springer-Verlag 2002