The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) is an ongoing surveillance system used to monitor consumer product–related injuries treated in US hospital EDs. 13 The current study provides an update to the work of O’Neil et al using more current data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP). Based on their study, with data from 2001 to 2004, an estimated 900,000 people were treated in US hospital EDs annually for noncanine bite and sting injuries. In comparison, O’Neil et al 13 provided much more detailed epidemiologic information on the species of noncanine animal bites and stings resulting in a visit to the ED. 12 That study, however, lacked detailed information on the type of animal species involved in the encounter. In a study using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality data on nationwide ED visits and community hospital discharges from 2006 to 2008, an annual average of 1 million ED visits and nearly 50,000 hospitalizations were reported. 10, 11Ī few national studies have focused on noncanine bite and sting injury-related ED visits or hospitalizations. In recent reviews of US deaths from animal encounters, an average of 177 deaths per year were reported from animal encounters from 1991 to 2001, which increased slightly to 200 average annual deaths during the period 1999 to 2008. 9 Additionally, there have been national studies on deaths from animal injuries. 8 The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports on calls regarding animal exposures, and in a study from 2001 to 2005, an annual average of 94,552 calls were made to poison control centers for animal exposures. 4– 6 A recent study found an average of 323,000 dog bites treated in US hospital emergency departments (EDs) from 2005 to 2009, 7 and another national study from 2001 to 2006 found that dogs and cats were responsible for an annual average of 86,629 nonfatal falls. There have been a few national studies on the occurrence of nonfatal animal bites, primarily canine. Nonfatal bites and stings account for a substantial proportion of injuries from contact with animals. Although canine injuries have probably been the best documented, with an estimated 4 million persons reporting injuries per year, numerous other species cause human injury. Even excluding infections and allergies resulting from exposure to animals, millions of individuals still suffer injuries from adverse encounters with animals in the United States resulting in pain, tissue damage, disability, and even death. 1– 3 Animals can bite, sting, scratch, peck, maul, trample, fall on, throw off riders, crush, or gore. However, is this really the case? Many surveys have been conducted that measure the bite force PSI of various dog breeds, so we can compare the PSI of 406 to that of other dogs and get an idea of the overall differences.Despite numerous recommendations from both the medical and veterinary professions, injuries resulting from contact with animals remain a significant public health concern. Since there is no official chart to rely on, we could assume that the wolf has a strong bite force PSI that rivals that of any dog. But there have been no official studies or surveys done to determine the average bite force PSI of a wolf. If the wolf were going on the offensive, its bite force PSI would likely be much higher. However, this bite force PSI was measured using a defensive bite. Wolves have a bite force PSI of about 406, which is thought to be one of the strongest in the dog kingdom. Here is what you should know about the strength of a wolf’s bite force and how it compares to different types of dogs in existence today. Different breeds have a wide variety of different bite force PSIs to consider. We can gauge the bite force of an average wolf, but its bite force compared to that of a dog depends on what kind of dog the wolf is being compared to. So, how strong is a wolf’s bite force, and how does it compare to a dog’s bite force PSI? The higher the PSI, the more strength the bite has overall. The force of pressure in pounds per square inch is the PSI of an animal’s bite force. When we talk about the strength of an animal’s bite, we refer to it as bite force PSI. If you were bitten by a wolf, you can bet that it would hurt, but how much? Could a wolf bite kill you? It all comes down to the bite force PSI that the wolf has. While toothless bites aren’t too concerning, when we talk about powerful animals with big teeth, like wolves, we should worry about the force of their bites. All animals can bite, even those without teeth.
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