Dogbites and Reconstruction
Dog Bites
Hello, my name is L and I am the mother of two young boys, ages two and five. I am also the owner of three springer spaniel dogs. The reason I am writing to you is to thank you for your website and graphic pictures of children who have been bitten. A friend of ours has a seven year old boy who has teased and tormented our three dogs over the past summer--it has only been little things that we have caught him at, but nonetheless, we try to keep our dogs away from him at all times ( my husband and I feel that he has done more severe tormenting); his parents are very much aware of their sons problem with dogs and together we have tried different things to make him stop. Well, just last weekend, this seven year old boy was at our house and I caught him teasing one of our dogs. You can about imagine the one-sided conversation I had with him and after he "zoned-out" on me, I got on the web and found your pictures! What a shock! I showed all the children, ages two to ten and all were amazed. The seven year old almost started to cry (that was not my intention; I just wanted some shock therapy). Well, needless to say, there hasn't been anymore teasing or tormenting of dogs, from any of the children. Now, I know that that is not the intention of your website, but I just wanted to let you know how you helped a scared and frustrated parent! I don't think any of the children want to see their faces on the Internet! Thank you!
Sincerely,
L
Dr. Bermant Responds:
Thank you for your comments. The images are some of the more mild dog
bites I have had to treat. The really bad ones are just too much to
publish on the web.
Michael Bermant, MD
Richmond, Virginia
Board Certified
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Dog Bite Prevention
Dear Dr. Bermant:
I am the Education Events Specialist for the Humane Society of --. First
of all, please allow me to compliment you on your responsible approach
to dog bite prevention, as well as your quality of information that
you have on your web site. I do have one suggestion for you when you
get questions from the public regarding dog behavior or specific breed
information. Humane societies generally have excellent information on
dog breeds and are more honest with the information than someone who
has a vested interest in the sale of a particular breed such as a breeder
or breed club. These groups sometimes tend to allow their affection
for a particular breed to cloud their judgment by recommending these
dogs for a person when they may not be the best choice. Humane societies
are more honest because they are well aware of what happens when someone
makes a poor choice in the type of pet they bring home.
Sincerely,
Charles
Education Events Specialist
The Humane Society of --
Dr. Bermant Responds:
Thank you for the information. Hopefully you can put that on a web page. Please let me know when you have done so and I will add a link.
Michael Bermant, MD
Richmond, Virginia
Board Certified
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Dog Attack on 4 Year Old Son
Thank you so much for your web page. It has been the only ray of hope my husband and I have had for weeks. Our 4 yr old son was attacked by our neighbors dog, a husky and German shepherd mix . He spent 4 hours in plastic surgery and the DR did a wonderful job. The skin above the lip area was sliced and laying down on his chin. The DR reattached muscles all around the lip area. He also has several 1-3 inch lacerations on his right cheek. I can not believe the facial damage it has done to our child's face. I am most concerned about the lip area. It runs horizontal with the nose and across the fatty part of the cheek. It is already slightly indented. Is there any natural cream or vitamin you would suggest to help promote healing of the scars and lessen the redness. Our family is devastated but feel 'blessed" our son is alive. This dog also attacked our 10 yr old son in May and the neighbors agreed to get rid of the dog, but did not. They kept the dog tied up all summer but had been letting it out while we were gone 10 days before my son was attacked. Also, I am a therapist who specializes in working with traumatized children. Ironic, huh? Is there any material on this issues you have found for coping with the trauma?
S
Dr. Bermant Responds:
The best help is preventing the injury in the first place. After that good initial reconstruction is what I recommend - as soon as possible after injury. Scar care needs to be planed by the doctor involved with your care. I individualize the scar care for each of my own patients. There can be much emotional trauma associated with such injuries. This is your specialty and you probably know it is very hard to help when your own family is involved. When appropriate I also involve child care specialists to deal with that aspect of the problem.
Michael Bermant, MD
Richmond, Virginia
Board Certified
American Board of Plastic Surgery
My Son's Nasal Tip Dog Bite
Dr. Bermant:
In October, my son sustained a significant dogbite to the nasal tip. He had initial wound debridement and application of full thickness skin graft to the site. This was completed by a plastic surgeon in the -, WA area. At this point he has a defect that is 16 x 14 mm and approaches the columella. The underlying lower lateral alar cartilages are exposed visually at the graft site. At the time of the original reconstruction, it was felt that because of his age and anticipated growth, further reconstructive endeavors would take place in the future. My son is now 19 years old and is asking for further reconstruction to improve the appearance of his nasal tip.
It seems from your web site that you have an expertise with nasal reconstruction. Would you be able to advise me further. We are interested in starting surgery this summer and will travel as needed.
N, RN, BSN
Dr. Bermant Responds:
Nasal reconstruction is an art form. There are many possible places to "borrow" tissue and each must be weighed for possible benefits and trade offs. Each nasal defect needs to be evaluated in person to determine possible reconstructive options. I need to feel the tissues and see how they move to offer advice.
We have several examples of nasal reconstruction on this website. The defects are for skin cancer, but the types of flaps shown on these pages demonstrate the various forms of sculpture needed in rebuilding this structure.
Cost of surgery depends on what needs to be done. We do see patients
from around the world and try to plan a package ahead to minimize possible
disappointments. Preliminary evaluations include information about your
problem and medical information, photographs, and in some cases previous
surgical details. The photographs should be all of the views shown on
that web page and at least 3x5 large or by E-mail images (JPEG compression
preferred). The face should fill the entire image for each view. A tiny
nose on an entire body shot does not permit enough detail. If sending
images by land mail, please enclose return postage and envelope if you
would like these images returned. For those patients who prefer, we
will do the photographs here during the consultation avoiding the remote
package.
Standard views include:
- Full frontal with the head directly at the camera
- Left and Right direct Lateral (Side views with the ear pointing straight towards the camera)
- Left and Right oblique views (Side views with the tip of the nose lined up with the edge of the cheek)
- Chin up view (from front view with chin tilted up until the tip of nose lines up between the eyebrows)
Call my office for the fees for this preliminary package or for our in office consultations.
We have a great deal of material that can start the remote process. Preliminary remote evaluations can be difficult and not all patients are candidates. If you are interested in learning more, our surgical packages include patient education, preparation for surgery, our care, and the operation. Not all offices will offer our attention to detail, expertise, and time we take with each of our patients.
I hope this information proves of some use. If my office can be of further assistance, please let us know. We can be reached at: (804) 748-7737. My staff and I try to ensure the comfort of our out of town guests during their consultations and procedures.
Michael Bermant, MD
Richmond, Virginia
Board Certified
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Dog bites of Lip and Reconstruction Photographs (graphic)
Dog bite Injury Face Repair / Reconstruction Photos (graphic)
Camel Bite Reconstruction
Find books about dog bite prevention from Barnes and Noble
Bite Injuries Reconstructive Surgery bulletin boards, forum, experiences, and chat.
