Life-threatening Kidney Rupture: What Happens When a Child is Attacked by Dogs, and How Parents Can Keep Them Safe

On April 1, a young boy playing outside was attacked by two dogs from a neighbor’s house. Each dog weighed approximately 25 kg and caused the child’s right kidney to rupture, leaving him in critical condition. The patient was admitted to Phu Tho Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital in a state of panic with multiple wounds on his head, face, groin, back, and legs. He also had bloody urine.

The child received first aid, wound cleaning, tetanus vaccination, and rabies vaccination. An ultrasound and X-ray were conducted to assess the extent of the damage. Doctors determined that the baby had a ruptured right kidney after finding that it had broken into two pieces on a computed tomography scan. A urinary catheter was placed to monitor the color and quantity of urine. Three types of antibiotics were used in combination to treat the patient’s wounds and prevent infection.

On the second day of hospitalization, the child received a transfusion of 150 ml of packed red blood cells. After four days, he woke up without fever but still had some fluid seeping through his bandages on his soft tissue wounds. His abdomen was not distended, but he felt pain in his right flank area and his urine was clear. Dr. Nguyen Duc Lan assessed this as a complicated case due to the blunt abdominal trauma and kidney rupture despite not severe soft tissue injuries. The baby needs close monitoring and emergency surgery if conservative treatment is not effective.

One week earlier on March 23, another patient came into the Department of General Pediatric Surgery with similar injuries sustained when bitten by a domestic dog on the head and right arm while playing outdoors. This incident serves as a reminder for parents and caregivers to keep children away from dogs or cats especially strange or large animals when playing outside.

When such incidents occur again, it is crucial for children to be taken immediately to medical facilities for treatment and vaccination against tetanus and rabies infection.

Dog owners should have their pets fully vaccinated annually as recommended by veterinarians.

Moreover pet owners should ensure their pets do not roam freely on streets or take them out only with muzzles to avoid attacking others