86,000 injuries annually from dogs and cats

by JeffHuang | March 27, 2009 at 10:27 am

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Every year, more than 86,000 injuries are caused by pets with dogs causing 88 percent of the injuries and cats at 11.7 percent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected the datas from 66 emergency rooms.
Many of the injuries occur when owners walk or chase after their pets with over half of the injuries caused by dogs are from either falling and tripping or push and pull. 9 percent of the falls are related to tripping over a toy or food bowl.

Here are some ways to avoid pet collisions:

• Put your animal in another room or different area of the house before carrying groceries or heavy things into the house. This will protect both the animal and human, so the dog or cat won't knock you off balance, and you will avoid stepping on an animal while distracted.

• Keep stairs and hallways clear of clutter.

• If you get up frequently in the dark, use night-lights so your path is lighted and you can see your pet. Also consider removing the animal from the bedroom to prevent stepping on it.

There are many athletes who had the misfortune of hurting themselves due to pets. Liam Lawrence, an English soccer player was sidelined with an ankle injury after tripping over his Labrador on the stairs. Tennis star, Kim Clijsters had a bruised tailbone after falling over her pet. Cyclists for the Tour de France crashed into a group of dogs that ran onto the course in 2006. Finally, English soccer player Darren Barnard suffered a knee injury after slipping on a puddle of urine.