The Kohl's A Minute for Kids campaign is a way for Kohl's Department Stores and Dayton Children's to bring health, safety and prevention information to children and families in the region.
Safety through the ages…Learn how to use developmental concepts to better protect your toddler. Safety through the ages…Learn how to use developmental concepts to better protect your toddler.
Expert: Eileen Kasten, MD, developmental pediatrician Learn more
If your child is using a cell phone to text, make sure he or she understands the dangers of texting and “sexting.”
Expert: Greg Ramey, PhD, child psychologist Learn more
Countdown to good health 5 – 2 – 1 – 0. Learn how taking small “bites” toward good health can lead to big gains.
Expert: James Ebert, MD, lead physician, lipid clinic Learn more
This year’s flu season—with the seasonal flu and H1N1—is expected to be a long one. Learn how to best prevent the flu.
Expert: Sherman Alter, MD, infectious disease Learn more
When cleaning your house, it’s important to use products and methods to minimize asthma triggers.
Expert: Belinda Huffman, respiratory therapist, pulmonary medicine Learn more
With active kids, a hard “bonk” on the head is common. When is it more than just a “bonk?”
Expert: Laurence Kleiner, MD, pediatric neurosurgeon Learn more
Children and dogs go together like peanut butter and jelly. A child's first best friend is often the family dog. Yet too frequently children are not taught how to be safe around dogs.
Locally, The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton treats about 240 children a year or about 20 children a month for dog bites. These are children who have dog bites serious enough to be seen in the Regional Pediatric Trauma and Emergency Center at Dayton Children’s.
According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dogs bite more than 4.7 million people a year.
Two-year-old Pierson Ward of Springfield was in extreme pain.
He was climbing into the family car when the neighbor’s dog knocked him to the ground and began biting him. Pierson suffered four cuts on his face, two bites on his ribs, two bites on this spine and a bite on the back of his head.
Pierson’s story is not the exception.
"The majority of dog bites seen in the trauma center at Dayton Children’s are dogs that the child knows," says Dr. Krzmarzick.
After initially going to the local hospital, Pierson was transported to Dayton Children’s because his parents were told it was the best place for kids.
"The doctors and nurses were really good to Pierson," says Ashley Ward, Pierson’s mother. "Their main concern was to keep him comfortable."
Pierson was in a great deal of pain and was given the right dosage of medicine to keep his pain down.
"At Children’s the staff explains everything to you," said Ashley. "They tell you what is going on and what it’s going to take to fix it." To fix Pierson’s bite wounds, over four hours of general and plastic surgery were needed
Pierson was lucky. Today, Pierson is back to his normal self he plays outside and enjoys being a 2-year-old. However, Ashley says she now doesn’t let Pierson go out of the gate before an adult and is never allowed to go out of the yard alone.
"I’ve learned that you can’t be too careful with anybody’s dog," says Ashley.
While children love dogs, they are most at risk for dog bites, says Thomas Krzmarzick, MD, medical director of the trauma and emergency center at Dayton Children’s.
"Most young children are about the same size as dogs and the dogs may see these children as a threat," Dr. Krzmarzick. "It’s critical that parents teach their children how to interact with dogs to prevent injuries. Just because a dog has never bitten, does not mean that it won’t get scared and bite in defense. Eighty-five percent of dogs who bite have never bitten before."
Also teach your child to tell an adult. If he or she sees a stray dog or dogs displaying unusual behavior tell an adult immediately. Also, report bites. Tell your child that if a dog bites him or her, immediately report the bite to an adult.
Dr. Krzmarzick recommends that parents carefully consider their decision if adding a dog to the family when children are young. If families want dogs, he says, it’s important to research appropriate dog breeds that are good with young children.
Dogs who are well socialized and supervised are much less likely to bite.
Dogs can be uncomfortable with children’s quick movements, says the Humane Society of the United States. Children get excited when they see dogs and often approach quickly, speak loudly and sometimes hug the dog.
Thomas Krzmarzick, MD, is medical director of the Regional Pediatric Trauma and Emergency Center. Dr. Krzmarzick is also a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. He is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine. He earned his medical degree at the University of Iowa School of Medicine. Dr. Krzmarzick completed his pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, where he was also chief resident in pediatrics. Dr. Krzmarzick has been the medical director of the emergency department at Dayton Children’s since 1999.