A 7-year-old boy had his lip bitten off by his family dog.
A 7-year-old boy was bitten multiple times in the face by his family's dog, resulting in the permanent severance of half of his upper lip.
Viet Duc Hospital reported that over the past week, they have treated two consecutive cases of people bitten by domestic dogs, both in serious condition.
The first patient was a 7-year-old boy from Chuong My, Hanoi, who was bitten multiple times on the face by his family dog (which had not been vaccinated). Half of his upper lip was bitten off, measuring 2x2cm, close to his nose, and his lower lip was also deeply bitten.
|
| The boy bitten by the dog is at a high risk of developing severe scarring.lip. |
Notably, the severed and crushed lip, with numerous dog bite marks, made microsurgical reattachment impossible, and the lip was also not properly preserved.
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, from the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery - Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, said that the doctors cleaned the lesions, sutured the facial wounds, and grafted a partial upper lip.
The patient is currently conscious, has no fever, and the wound is dry. The doctor has recommended multiple reconstructive surgeries; however, the prognosis is poor, with significant long-term aesthetic and functional consequences.
Dr. Hang advises that in cases of partial amputation of a limb or lip, proper preservation is necessary by placing the severed body part in a clean plastic bag with a small amount of clean water, wrapping it tightly, and then placing it in a container of ice water.
The other case involved an 88-year-old woman from Dong Anh, Hanoi, who was bitten by a dog while returning home after buying cold and flu medicine. The dog, which ran out from a neighbor's house, knocked her down and bit her arm, tearing off a long section of skin from her right arm and causing soft tissue damage to two fingers.
|
| The elderly woman's arm, which had been bitten by a dog, has been surgically repaired and bandaged. |
The patient subsequently underwent wound debridement. Their condition is now stable, and they may be discharged in 2-3 days.
Two weeks ago, Viet Duc Hospital also treated an 8-month-old girl from Hanoi who was bitten by her family's mastiff, leading to hemorrhagic shock and death. When the mother saw her child being bitten, she ran in to pull the dog away but was also bitten multiple times on the arm.
According to Government Decree 90 on administrative penalties in the field of veterinary medicine and some other fields, effective from July 19, 2017, in cases where dogs are not muzzled or leashed in public places, owners will be fined from 600,000 to 800,000 VND... However, in reality, many dog owners still ignore this regulation.
