It may have happened to you before: you’re walking or cycling through the neighborhood when suddenly an unfamiliar dog crosses your path. The dog begins barking, growling; maybe it even charges you. So much for man’s best friend.Even small dogs can be threatening if they’re worked up, and just about any dog can inflict a painful bite. In the US alone, nearly 5 million people are attacked by dogs per year, and 1,000 people go to emergency rooms per day as a result of a dog attack; many of them are children, and about half of them have been bitten in the face. If a dog attacks you or your child, your response can be the difference between walking away unharmed or being injured by the dog, and perhaps even be the difference between life and death.

Steps To Take:

Take precautions against dog attacks. Most dog attacks are the result of human provocation or simple mistakes that can easily be avoided.
Avoid making eye contact with the dog. Dogs perceive eye contact as a challenge and a threat. Look slightly down or aside of the dog, but keep him in your vision.
Avoid smiling at the dog. You may be putting on a friendly face, but an aggressive dog sees you baring your teeth for a fight.
Do not taunt a dog, even if you think it can’t reach you.Dogs that are chained or tethered to a stationary object for extended periods of time are more likely to be aggressive, so do not come within their reach.
Look for warning signs. Most dogs are not aggressive but rather just curious or defending what they perceive as their territory. It is important to be able to tell if a dog is just playing or is being truly aggressive. While some breeds have been singled out as being particularly vicious (pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes) any mid-size and large dog breed can be dangerous (poodles, terriers) so do not ignore warning signs because you think a certain breed is harmless or friendly.
If the dog approaches you with its head held high or low, it is probably not going to attack. A dog whose head is level means business.
A loping gait means the dog is playful and checking you out. An even, steady run means business.
Remain calm. There’s some truth to the adage that dogs and other animals can sense fear. If you panic, you may make the dog feel more confident in his attack, or you may appear threatening to the dog. Neither of these is a good situation.
Control the situation. Remember that most dogs are in subjugation to humans. A commanding “Down!” or “Go Home!” may stop an attack momentarily, giving you time to back away.
Don’t run. Running away can awaken the dog’s instinct to chase and catch animals, and he may pursue you vigorously even if its initial intent was just playful. In addition, you won’t be able to outrun a dog if you’re on foot. Even if you are on a bicycle you usually will not be able to outrun a dog.
Hold your position. Dogs have short attention spans. Often after some barking, the dog will lose interest and go away. Do not appear threatening to the dog, and don’t open your hands and arms up to a bite by extending them. Keep your fingers curled into fists to avoid getting them bitten. The dog may come quite close, even sniffing you, without actually biting.
Curl into a fetal position if there is no way to avoid the physical attack. Use your arms and hands to protect your face and neck, and curl up in a ball. Remain motionless and don’t scream. Dogs will almost always lose interest in you if you remain still. Wait until the dog leaves the area before getting up.
If the dog is biting, the last thing you want to do is struggle or pull away, as this can cause open, torn wounds. If you stay still and protect your ears, face, chest, and throat, the dog will only be able to inflict puncture wounds on areas of your body that have thicker skin.
If the dog is biting someone else, do not pull the victim away for the very same reason. Try to force your arm in the dog’s mouth. Push your arm in forcefully towards the throat to minimize damage to yourself.[8] If you have time, wrap your arm in a shirt or jacket first.
If the dog attacks your dog, let go of the leash and do not interfere. Learn how to break up a dog fight.
Back away slowly and leave the area once the dog loses interest in you. Staying calm and stationary can be a real test of your nerves in this situation, but it’s the best thing to do as long as the dog isn’t actually biting you.

After an Attack

 
Attend to any wounds. If you do get bitten, be sure to take care of any wounds promptly, as even minor bites can cause infection. See a medical professional promptly if you suffer serious wounds or if you haven’t had a tetanus shot in the past 5 years. Also see the warning below about rabies.
Apply gentle pressure to stop minor bleeding. Use a clean cloth or sterile gauze pad. If bleeding is serious or if it won’t stop after several minutes of applying pressure, seek medical attention.
Wash the wound thoroughly. Use warm water and soap (preferably antibacterial soap) to gently cleanse the wound.
Dress the wound. Use a sterile band-aid (for very small cuts) or sterile bandages.
Apply fresh bandages and apply antibiotic ointment at least 1 or 2 times a day.
Look closely for signs of infection, including redness, warmth, increasing tenderness, or oozing pus. See a doctor if any of these symptoms arise.

Contact the owner and animal control authorities. In order to prevent such incidents in the future, as well as to determine if the animal has rabies, you should notify the local police or animal control department promptly. Many states have laws holding owners responsible for the actions of their dogs.

Tips: Teach these steps to children in case they ever encounter an aggressive dog.

These instructions are for dealing with one dog, and may work when dealing with two. If you’re attacked by a pack of dogs, however, the pack mentality will call for a different response, which is beyond the scope of this article.
If cycling, dismount and keep the bicycle between you and the dog. This will create a barrier of protection. If a dog is attacking you (vs, just barking) use the bicycle as a weapon to strike the dog. Holding the bicycle by the stem (handlebars) and the seat, swing the bicycle tire to hit the dog. But don’t lose your grip as you will have lost a valuable defensive tool.
If the dog is lunging at you, wave a cloth, helmet or other object away from your head. The dog will be more likely to lunge at the cloth than your face or neck.

Warnings

Note that while in some parts of the world rabies is more common, it is quite rare in the U.S. and most of the developed world. There is no rabies at all in the U.K. That said, if the dog appears sick or if he falls ill within 10 days of the incident, the dog should be tested for rabies immediately. If the dog tests positive you must go through a series of rabies shots. If the dog cannot be found after the incident, you should see a doctor to determine whether you should get the shots. The rabies shot sequence, if it is necessary, should be begun as soon as possible after the bite.

Don’t hit the dog on the head. Dogs have very thick skulls. You will only make the dog angry.

 The only place to hit a dog that will have an effect is across the back of the neck near the base of the skull or across the sensitive nose. This may not be useful in self defense but may be used if a partner is being attacked. You may be better off pushing the stick across the dog’s mouth if it tries to bite you. Use good judgment.
Every dog is different, and dogs will react in sometimes unpredictable ways. These tips will help you escape danger in most situations, but you may have to adapt to an attack.
Don’t use pepper spray or mace. The odds of hitting dog in the face before it can attack you are very small. Even if you can hit the dog in the face, you are unlikely to stop the dog. You are more likely just to make the dog angry.

Aaron Wilmont

Unfortunately, there are a number of household items which we tend to take for granted that are potentially very dangerous to your dog’s health. It is especially important to be aware of this because as you know, dogs are essentially scavengers and will often eat just about anything they can sink their fangs into. I would say that may own dog is more like a mobile garbage disposal. It is also very important to be aware of these items since their sense of smell is so well developed that your pooch will be able to find what you may think is well hidden.

One of these dangerous household items, it turns out, is simple chocolate. While chocolate has been reported recently to be high in human-friendly antioxidants, it appears to be potentially lethal for our pets, and particularly for our dogs. Cats are mostly unaffected since they do not care for the taste of chocolate, but dogs tend to be crazy about it. Certain breeds of dogs react indifferently to chocolate. The root of the problem is that chocolate contains various chemicals which are called methylxanthine alkaloids(sometypes have more of these chemicals than others) Sadly, relatively miniscule amounts of these chemicals are capable of causing such serious problems as constriction of the arteries and an increased heart rate. Large amounts may cause even more dire symptoms and a pound of milk chocolate could possibly kill a sixteen pound dog. If you find that your dog has eaten chocolate then by all means take note of the it’s type and try to estimate the amount eaten. Then get on the phone with a veternarian or an emergency facility. Be sure that your children know how important it is to keep chocolate out of your dog’s reach. If you are not aware that your dog has consumed chocolate, the consequences could be severe. If consumption is not found within 4 to 6 hours without the right treatment, cardiac failure, seizures, coma and death could result, according to veternarian Dr. Jane Bicks.

In addition to seemingly innocent chocolate, there are a number of other common household items that may seem safe for our dogs but that can be downright dangerous.

Some mushrooms, for example, can produce abdominal pain, liver andd kidney damage and amenia. So be aware of wild mushrooms when you are out walking your dog in wooded areas. Garlic may seem benign but can cause vomiting, liver damage, anemia and diarrhea so do not give your pet baby food since it can contain garlic. Anti-freeze can shut down your dog’s kidney and they tend to love the taste. Miscletoe can cause vomiting, abdominal pain and depression. Onions can causeliver damage, anemia and diarrhea. Onion can also sometimes be found in baby food. Cats are actually somewhat more sensitive to this one so keep out of the reach of both. Coffee, like cocoa, is especially dangerous, and may cause heart rate increase, diarrhea, seizures, coma, death. Caffeine just does not have the same effect in dogs. When outside be careful around apple and cherry trees. While the fruit is safe, the leaves and roots are not. And be very careful about Moth Balls. it’s primary chemical naphthalene is extremely toxic to dogs and can result in tremors and seizures.

Concerning dog food, you should be looking for dyes and other chemicals, according to Dr. Jane BHA, for instance, which is one of the main synthetic antioxidant preservatives used to prevent food discoloration, has been observed to cause cancer in laboratory rats at certain doses. Small doses are as yet unclear but since dog food is eaten every day caution is advised. Many conventional dog food brands have large quantities of sodium to make them palatable, and this can be quite harmful to a dog. Other ingredients to wary of are dairy, by-products, chemical preservatives and artificial colors.

Aaron Wilmont is an author and researcher in the fields of human and pet health. For more info. go to http://www.dog-food-nutrition.com.