Dog attacks increasing in Tayside

The number of people hospitalised in Tayside because of dogs is on the rise, new figures show.

Data obtained by The Courier highlights the growing number of animal-related cases in Dundee and Perth’s accident and emergency departments – half of which were caused by dogs.

Animals were behind more than 2,250 individual visits to NHS Tayside A&E wards in the last three years.

A total of 24 species caused visits to A&E since November 2013, according to the figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

At least 847 cases involving animals were brought before the two departments between November 2015 and October 2016, up from 751 and 673 in the two previous years.

Man’s so-called best friend caused an overwhelming 1,116 accident and emergency visits across the three-year period, almost 10 times as many as any other single species.

An NHS Tayside spokesperson said: “The overwhelming majority of animal-related attendances we see at the emergency department are very minor injuries.”