File Photo: Pitbull dog. Al-Ahram
The prosecution also ordered the victim's medical and treatment papers be examined. The deceased, Mohamed Moheb, was immediately transferred to a hospital after being mauled by the dog in February. Investigation is yet to determine whether the correct medical procedures were followed with Moheb.
The prosecution is investigating whether a medical error occurred while Moheb was being treated, "and if any, its degree, extent of gravity, and its relationship to the death," read a statement by the prosecution on Wednesday.
On 27 February, Moheb and his son were on their way back home when they found that their neighbours, who live on the ground floor in the same building at an upscale compound in Giza’s Sheikh Zayed, had left their Pit Bull untied in the garden.
Terrified, the victim and his son knocked on the neighbours' door to ask them to tie the dog. When the neighbours' maid opened the door, the dog immediately attacked Moheb in front of his son and almost tore his body apart.
On 5 March, the prosecution opened an investigation into the incident and ordered the detention of the dog owner.
The prosecution said on Wednesday the victim's wife had stated her husband was transferred to a private hospital in El-Sheikh Zayed City on the day of the accident, where he received first aid. He was then transferred to a public hospital, where he received the first dose of the rabies vaccine.
Moheb received the second dose of the vaccine at a third hospital to which he was transferred to undergo the necessary surgeries. However, after being administered the anesthetic his heart stopped for 30 minutes, the wife added.
Hospital doctors told the prosecution that a cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed and resulted in the restoration the blood flow to the heart. Moheb was transferred to intensive care in a coma, the statement added.
The anesthesiologist told the prosecution that "the causes of the patient’s condition cannot be determined with certainty, suggesting that it is either due to the rabies vaccine which may weaken the heart muscle, or the dog’s bite, which may transmit diseases that lead to stopping the heart."
The prosecution said the results of the investigation will be revealed, adding that the dog owner is still in detention.
The incident went viral after the victim's family and friends took to social media. Debates were raised on the safety of owning pets in residential buildings amid demands stricter regulations be applied on pet ownership in Egypt, especially in cases of owning Pit Bulls.
Several countries like the UK, Brazil, and Australia have special legislation that ranges from banning to restricting the ownership of Pit Bulls.
At present, some calls are being made in Egypt to ban the import of Pit Bulls.
According to laws that regulate the ownership of dogs and dangerous animals, it is prohibited to accompany any dangerous animal in public places. The owner of dangerous animals is obliged to take all the necessary precautions to ensure they do not escape.
Article 244 of the Penal Code states that if any animal causes harm to a person as a result of the negligence of its owner, the latter is punished by one year in prison and a fine of EGP 200 or one of them, and a fine of up to EGP 300,000 in the event of causing a permanent disability to the victim.
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