Dog bite claims cost insurers $497M in 2011, insurance group says

Treating dog bites

Los Angeles carriers recorded the most bites with 83; San Diego was second with 68; followed by Houston at 47; and Cleveland at 44. Medical expenses from dog attacks cost the Postal Service just over $1 million last year, officials said. The third full week each May is National Dog Bite Prevention Week and State Farm, the U.S. Postal Service, the American Veterinary Medical Association and CDCP release dog bite statistics and launch campaigns to promote dog safety. Despite the large number of attacks on letter carriers, the Postal Service decided to focus on children for their campaign because a child is 900 times more likely to be attacked than a letter carrier, Maher said.
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Dogs Put $489M Bite on Home Insurance Industry

Here is a common local leash law: Every dog shall be leashed at all times except only when it is inside the residence of its owner, or upon the property of its owner that is enclosed by a fence. A dog will be considered to be leashed only when the leash is six feet or less in length or is a retractable leash, and is being grasped by an adult (provided that if the dog is less than 20 pounds then the leash may be grasped by a person who is competent to handle the dog and is over 12 years of age.) If you are walking your dog without a leash, and your city or county has a leash law, you can be held responsible for anything bad that happens as a result of your dog being off the leash. If it chased a child who was riding a bicycle, and caused the child to have an accident by falling off the bike or crashing into something, you would be held liable for that. What about fenced dogs? A dog shall not be considered enclosed by a fence when and if the dog can pass through, under or over the fence, or the gate of the fence is not securely latched.
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According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were close to 27,800 reconstructive procedures, including ones for children, to repair dog bites in 2012. Most homeowners' policies, says the Institute, provide liability coverage of $100,000 to $300,000. If the claim exceeds the limit, the dog owner is responsible for all damages above that amount, including legal expenses. Most insurance companies insure homeowners with dogs, according to the Institute. But some charge more to people owning breeds that an insurer may regard as bite-prone, such as pit bulls and Rottweilers. Some cover the owner only if the dog is taken to behavior classes or is restrained in public with a muzzle, chain or cage. Others deny coverage altogether.
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Dog Bites Q & A with Craig Swapp

Cephalosporins: Antibiotics sometimes given to dog-bite victims Cephalosporins are indicated for the prophylaxis and treatment of infections caused by bacteria susceptible to this particular form of antibiotic, according to the Wikipedia site on cephalosporins . First-generation cephalosporins are active predominantly against Gram-positive bacteria, and successive generations have increased activity against Gram-negative bacteria (albeit often with reduced activity against Gram-positive organisms). Common adverse drug reactions (ADRs) (1% of patients) associated with the cephalosporin therapy include: diarrhea, nausea, rash, electrolyte disturbances, and/or pain and inflammation at injection site. Infrequent ADRs (0.11% of patients) include: vomiting, headache, dizziness, oral and vaginal candidiasis , pseudomembranous colitis , superinfection , eosinophilia , and/or fever. What happens when you have a penicillin allergy and a dog bite? Many of the patients in the study that were given inadequate therapy had a penicillin allergy. Of 13 such patients, only two received an appropriate alternative. The issue health care professions are concerned about are the large number of inadequate treatment scenarios.
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John Barrette: Man bites dog! Water hazard bites man! Want to comment?

You may be puzzled about this man-bites-dog stuff, but folks who know Richards wont be perplexed upon learning he had no comment Friday when asked about water and his golf course. Richards rarely passes up an opportunity to comment on the citys Eagle Valley Golf Course complex, leased to another operator, though he sometimes asks a reporter afterward not to print all his views. But this time it was little but no comment. Of course, reporters must honor that; when it comes to columnists, even though rules still apply, the speculative realm gets to rear its subjective head. And the reporter/columnist ruminating here has played this water hazard-infested golf course hole before. It featured a different twist earlier this year, but as pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus said long ago, You can never step in the same water hazard twice. Actually, he said river, but a loose translation will suffice. If youve plunked in one water hazard, it feels like youve dunked in them all.
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