Dog attack victim suffered 100 bites

KIWIS need to address the issue of dangerous dogs as children are ‘‘suffering needlessly’’, the plastic surgeon caring for a 7-year-old dog attack victim says.

Middlemore Hospital plastic surgeon Zac Moaveni is in charge of the team caring for Sakurako Uehara, who was attacked by four Staffordshire bull terrier-cross dogs while visiting a family friend at a Murupara property on Monday.

Mr Moaveni said his team would see a dog bite that required plastic surgery ‘‘maybe once a month’’.

‘‘As a society it is something we need to address.

‘‘These are our children that are suffering needlessly. Our kids need us to protect them.’’

Mr Moaveni said Sakurako’s injuries were terrible and her presentation to the hospital shocked even seasoned professionals.

Intensivist Dr David Galler said the wounds were ‘‘very, very distressing‘‘, particularly because of the severity of the injury to the girl’s face.

Mr Moaveni said the attack was horrific and sustained, and that Sakurako would have been conscious throughout the attack and the medical process afterwards. ‘‘I don’t think any of us were prepared for what we were going to see.’’

Sakurako had extensive injuries to her face and all her limbs.

She had sustained more than 100 bites ‘‘any of which would make you wince’’, he said.

He credited the retrieval team that first responded to the attack with saving Sakurako’s life.

They were now concentrating on cleaning, ‘‘debriding’’ the wounds and keeping her free of infection.

They would move next week to evaluating what reconstruction efforts – which will include transferring tissue from other parts of her body – could be undertaken.

He estimated she would be undergoing reconstruction efforts, probably until she reached adulthood. Middlemore Hospital plastic surgeon Zac Moaveni

Dr Galler said Sakurako’s wounds were ‘‘grossly contaminated’’. ‘‘She’s got some risks, clearly, largely from infection ... She will be with us for some time.’’

The injuries were complex as dog bites involved crushing injuries as well as cuts.

A social worker read a statement from Sakurako’s parents in which they thanked those involved in her care and asked people to keep their daughter in their prayers.

They particularly asked to thank the driver of a red car who helped get their daughter to the medical centre.

They said they were a small family who worked in the food industry and did not have a lot of family support back in Japan.