A dog bit off a four-year-old boy’s lower arm after the child reached through a fence in his back garden to try to play with the animal.
The boy had put a sock on his hand for a game with his neighbour’s two huskies when he was attacked at his home in Layton, Utah, reports the Idaho Statesman.
The child was airlifted to a children’s hospital in Salt Lake City, where he underwent surgery. However, emergency workers were unable find the severed limb for reattachment, despite an extensive search involving up to ten police officers.
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“There is fear that it was probably ingested by the dog that bit him,” said Jason Cook, a battalion chief with the Layton Fire Department.
Cook told local news site Gephardt Daily that medics also had to attend to the boy’s father, who was “extremely emotionally upset”.
Both parents were home when the incident occurred, and administered care until medics arrived.
Rhett Nicks, director for Davis County Animal Care and Control, said the husky that attacked the boy would be quarantined for ten days, reports Sky News.
He added that officials have not determined if the animal will be put down or listed as a dangerous dog, with an investigation under way.
It is believed to be the first time the animal has bitten anyone. Animal control are holding the neighbour’s other husky, which is not believed to have been involved in the attack.
It is not known if the owners will face legal action, according to the news site.
