canine attack
© Angela Antunes / CC by 2.0

A man attacked by two dogs in Sydney's west five weeks ago has died in hospital, as figures reveal an increase in attack incidents across NSW.

The 40-year-old man was staying at a home in Tregear with two American Staffordshire Terriers when he was attacked.

He went into cardiac arrest and was taken to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition.

The man, who had injuries to his ears, face, abdomen and chest, was placed in an induced coma, but died on Friday.


The ABC understands it is the first death connected to a dog attack in NSW since the State Government began keeping records of the severity of attacks in July 2015.

The man was not the owner of the dogs and was being visited by a 39-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter at the time of the attack.

The girl was bitten on the back by one of the dogs and her mother was bitten on the forearm as the pair tried to flee the home.

They were both taken to Westmead Hospital at the time for treatment for minor injuries.

Dog handlers remove a sedated dog from a home and put it into a vehicle

Neighbours said they heard screaming during the attack.

The dogs were surrendered to the council and later euthanased.

A report on the man's death will be prepared for the coroner.

Dog attack records are kept by the NSW Officer of Local Government, with its latest statistics showing a slight increase in the number of recorded "incidents" across the state.

According to statistics, there were 4,770 recorded dog attack incidents, on humans or animals, recorded in the 12 months up to June 30, 2018.

It resulted in 681 people requiring medical treatment.

It is up slightly from the 4,643 incidents recorded in the 12 months to June 2017.

It comes as police revealed a 70-year-old woman was bitten on the hand during a walk this morning in Chester Hill, in Sydney's west.

The woman was taken to Auburn Hospital for further treatment.