• Mathias B Forrester.
• 4600 Monterey Oaks Boulevard #F2335, Austin, TX 78749, USA. Electronic address: mathias.forrester@gmail.com.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2020 Sep 1; 38 (9): 1782-1786.

BackgroundAlthough dog ownership may provide health benefits, interactions with dogs and their leashes can result in injuries. The intent of this study was to describe dog leash-related injuries treated at United States (US) emergency departments (EDs).MethodsCases were dog leash-related injuries during 2001-2018 reported to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), from which national estimates of dog leash-related injuries treated at US EDs were calculated. The distribution of the cases and estimated number of dog leash-related injuries was determined for selected variables, such as the circumstances of the injury, patient demographics, and diagnosis.ResultsA dog leash was involved in 8189 injuries, resulting in a national estimate of 356,746 injuries and an estimated rate of 63.4 injuries per 1,000,000 population. Of these injuries, 193,483 resulted from a pull, 136,767 from a trip/tangle, and 26,496 from other or unknown circumstances. The total injury rate per 1,000,000 population increased from 25.4 in 2001 to 105.5 in 2018. Adults accounted for 314,712 (88.2%) of the patients; 260,328 (73.0%) of the patients were female. The injury occurred at home in 133,549 (37.4%) cases. The most common injuries were 95,677 (26.8%) fracture, 92,644 (26.0%) strain or sprain, and 62,980 (17.7%) contusions or abrasions.ConclusionThe most common type of dog leash-related injuries resulted from a pull followed by a trip/tangle. The number of dog leash-related injuries increased during the time period. The majority of the persons sustaining such injuries were adults and female. Over one-third of the injuries occurred at home.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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