ALMOST 50 people a month are being treated for dog bites, while cats, hamsters and even fish have landed people in hospital in the Lothians in the last year, it emerged today.
Statistics released by NHS Lothian under Freedom of Information laws, show 1088 people suffered at the paws and claws of animals in 2007, up slightly on the previous year.
And over the course of the last three years, creatures from jellyfish to gerbils and moles to monkeys have been responsible for people needing hospital treatment.
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Click here to see which are the Lothians' most dangerous animalsLast year, saw a surge in ferret-related injuries, up to six from none in 2006 and three in 2005.
Rat bites, however, were down from a high of 11 in 2006, while no weasel attacks were reported last year. Both pigs and cows have caused injuries in the Lothians, and several people have fallen victim to squirrels over the past three years.
The majority of injuries recorded, however, involved animals usually kept as pets and the SSPCA urged people to take more care. Spokeswoman Doreen Graham said: "As far as family pets are concerned it is important to know how to handle your animal.
"Make sure they are not teased or aggravated when they are unwell. Animals are members of the family and it is important that they are handled properly."
In each of the last three years more than half of injuries caused by animals were by dogs – 527 in 2005, 666 in 2006, and 573 last year.
The Evening News reported last week how a woman was savaged by two Staffordshire bull terriers while trying to protect her dog in Maybury Drive, East Craigs.
Ms Graham said: "It really does come down to how you train your dog. Staffies are often bought as macho fashion accessories and become status symbols for the local hard man.
The owner deliberately makes the dog aggressive to add to their status, but any dog can be made aggressive if it is treated badly, from a Chihuahua up."
Kay Hamilton, the Duchess of Hamilton, chairwoman of the Scottish Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue, said she has been consulted by the Scottish Government on possible changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Her organisation carries out rescues of Staffies bred to play the role of "hard dog" and then mistreated by their owners, and she is keen to see owners made to take responsibility for the actions of their pets.
Mrs Hamilton said: "Until we get the law to take animal cruelty seriously we are going to get nowhere. The revised Dangerous Dogs Act will put the onus on the owner. If someone owns a dog that is potentially dangerous then when it takes it outside it is their responsibility. We have all been consulted by the Scottish Parliament and the new act will help I'm sure."
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www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk•
www.scottishspca.org•
www.staffierescuescotland.co.ukThe full article contains 504 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
