Perth boy almost loses leg to infection after falling in dog faeces
A 10-year-old Perth boy was rushed to hospital and was at risk of having his leg amputated after a grazed knee turned into a severe infection caused by dog faeces.
Cottesloe’s junior rugby team assistant coach Tele Ventouras said one of his players had fallen and scraped his knee during a training session.
Dog owners are warned to pick up after their pooches. Credit: iStock
Speaking to Radio 6PR, Ventouras said the boy had ended up in the emergency department at Fiona Stanley Hospital that night with a severe infection. A graphic photograph showed the area around his knee was badly infected.
Doctors had discussed the possibility the boy’s leg would need to be amputated.
“Overnight it got severely infected and he went to hospital, where it was revealed there was dog faeces contamination in the wound,” he said.
“The doctor said to the parents the worst-case scenario is you end up with septicemia (blood poisoning by bacteria) and you have to amputate the leg because the bacteria in dog faeces is fairly resistant to antibiotics, and you can’t fix infections unless they are treated super quickly.”
Thankfully, doctors managed to get the infection under control in time.
Although rare, other similar incidents have been reported. Ventouras said dog owners often bought their dogs onto the playing field during training and games, and could be oblivious to what their pets were doing, or deliberately not picking up after them.
“We now make sure before training and before games we have a look up and down the pitch to make sure there is no poo on the ground,” he said.
“You’re certainly [picking up] half a dozen off one rugby pitch. You don’t want to take dogs off pitches and fields, but I think dog owners have to be a bit more vigilant.”
The Cottesloe council hands out on-the-spot fines of $250 to anyone spotted not picking up after their dogs. If taken to court, something which rarely happens, fines can reach $1000.
At their meeting on Tuesday, councillors clarified that dogs are banned from sports fields while training, games or other activities are under way.
They are also banned from children’s playgrounds and all public beaches or reserves unless indicated otherwise.
The council has listed the areas where dogs will still be welcomed.
One councillor voted against the clarification, with all others in support.
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