Cat-astrophe? Dog Disaster? Pet-Related Falls Injure Thousands

March 26, 2009— -- An encounter in 2003 with a dog led to a painful injury for Jon Grayson, now 24, of Houston, Texas, but not in the way most might guess.

"I tripped over my mom's Chihuahua while I was at home," he said. "I didn't even see her; she's a little-bitty thing."

The stumble led to an aggravation of the broken left ankle Grayson had suffered a year and a half prior to the accident. And it was severe enough to sideline him from the University of Texas ultimate Frisbee team for two weeks.

Fortunately, Grayson's injury was relatively minor. For tens of thousands of other animal lovers, however, the consequences of pet-related falls can be far more serious.

A report released today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that, on average, an estimated 86,629 Americans receive emergency room treatment each year for fall-related injuries associated with a pet dog or cat.

All told, the number represents a small fraction of the more than 8 million patients treated in emergency rooms in the United States each year. Still, such injuries represent a significant problem for some people, particularly the elderly.

"The analysis showed that the highest rates of injuries occurred among persons aged >75 years, and the most common diagnosis was fracture," the authors noted in the report, adding that some of these fractures could be in the hip. "Among older adults, hip fractures can result in serious health consequences, such as long-term functional impairments, nursing home admission, and increased mortality."

Dr. Corey Slovis, chair of the department of emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., said he has seen such severe injuries firsthand.

"I remember a woman with a horrible leg fracture who carefully explained to me twice that it was her fault -- and not the dog's -- for her fall," he said.

Dr. Richard O'Brien, a spokesman for the Dallas-headquartered American College of Emergency Physicians, agreed that such injuries are all too common.