One Florida Shiba Inu is in critical condition after winding up in the mouth of an alligator in Fleming island, FL.
According to owner Daniel Less, his dog, Maiya, is having difficulty walking on all fours and has a very long road to recovery. She is currently being treated at the Wells Road Veterinary Center.
The incident happened on May 21, when Maiya ran out of the family garage and over to a nearby pond. At first, Less wasn’t concerned, until he heard a loud and disturbing noise.
“As I’m walking down the hill to go get her, there’s like an explosion of water, and at that point, I didn’t realize what was going on,” Less said in an interview with News 4 Jax.
When Less arrived, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Down at the pond, Maiya was caught between the teeth of an estimated seven-foot alligator. Luckily, Less got her out and to safety immediately, but the damage done to the young pup was extensive.
Dr. Michelle Sands, a veterinarian with the Wells Road Veterinary Center, told reporters that Maiya’s injuries were the most severe that she had seen in her 25 years of working with animals.
“There’s a lot of trauma. She didn’t want to eat. She had whole body trauma at the end of her tail area,” Sands said, noting that she was surprised that the dog survived at all.
At first, Maiya was treated in a hyperbaric chamber and has since developed a superbug that is difficult to treat.
“It’s resistant to everything at this point, so we’re going to have to do some research into human medicine and see what we can use,” Sands said.
According to Sands, Maiya will need many months to recover, and it’s likely she will need the help of more doctors.
Veterinary bills are expensive. In fact, the U.S. spends a whopping $13.59 billion annually on veterinary bills. That being said, Maiya’s family has set up a GoFundMe account in order to pay for the pup’s mounting medical expenses.