Epidemiology of voluntarily reported dog and cat bite incidents in a large-scale, multi-site veterinary network in the UK and Ireland

IntroductionDog and cat bites are an occupational risk within veterinary practise. Despite this, there is minimal research exploring the occurrence and details surrounding such incidents.MethodsThe aim of this study was to use a large veterinary group’s existing incident and near miss reporting system in the UK to explore the incidence of dog and cat bite reporting and surrounding details of such incidents.ResultsDog and cat bite incidents were identified from January 2024 to October 2025 covering all clinics in the UK and Ireland (>1,000). A total of 2,327 dog (1,239; 53.24%) and cat (1,088; 46.76%) bites were reported. The most common anatomical bite location was reported to be the hands and fingers for both dog (63.0%) and cat (80.6%) bites. The majority of bites for cats (77.96%) and dogs (80.60%) occurred between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Location of in-clinic bites differed between staff, with the veterinarians most commonly bitten in the consult room and non-veterinarians most often bitten in the preparation area. Regarding perceived behaviour, the term ‘aggression’ was most frequently used in reports.ConclusionIn conclusion, this report highlights the common occurrence of dog and cat bite related injuries, providing insights into surrounding factors. Factors need to be considered to reduce bites such as low stress handling, environment adaption and encouraging advancement of knowledge of animal behaviour. More needs to be done to help the reporting of incidents, incorporate human behaviour change approach and education to prevent bite incidents.