Citrus County Injury Attorney Blog
Officials are currently looking for a small dog that bit a woman Thursday in Beverly Hills.
The incident apparently occurred around 7 a.m. in the area of New Florida, California and Pennsylvania in Beverly Hills.
The dog has been described as a small black and white Shih Tzu-type dog. The woman who was attacked by the dog claims it is walked daily between 6:45-7:30 a.m. by a woman with another white Shih Tzu and a man in a motorized wheelchair.
The woman said the owner of the dog told her the pet was current on rabies vaccinations, but did not provide her with any veterinarian information so that she could follow up.
Anyone with information on this dog’s whereabouts is asked to call 352-746-8400 immediately. If the animal is not located, the woman will likely have to undergo a series of rabies shots.
Dog bites can lead to nerve damage and scars, which can be quite painful. On top of this, victims may suffer infections, including rabies. In these cases, the victim of the attack has the right to seek financial compensation for damages from the dog owner.
The main problem following a dog bite is simple infection. The saliva in dogs is known to contain many forms of bacteria. This bacterium or other pathogens shows up in about 85 percent of dog bite cases, according to recent studies. An estimated 4.5 million dog bites occur every year in the United States, and around 1 percent of these bites require hospitalization.
While rare, dog bites can result in rabies, which is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system. Rabies is a virus that can be found in all warm-blooded animals. When a person is bit by an animal, there is always a chance that rabies exists. While the incidence of rabies in humans is low, there are more than 30,000 people in the U.S. that undergo treatment for possible exposure to rabies every year. When rabies is left untreated, death is imminent.
If you have been the victim of a rabid dog bite attack, please call a Citrus County Injury Lawyer at Whittel & Melton at 352-726-0078 or contact us online for a free consultation. We will gladly examine the circumstances leading up to the bite or attack, and will hold all negligent or careless parties accountable for their actions.