Young child recovering from severe injuries after loose dog attack in Fresno on Aug. 1

FRESNO, Texas (KTRK) -- A 4-year-old boy is at home recovering after suffering severe injuries from a dog attack that happened in early August, his mother says.

Carson Neal was on a walk with his babysitter in Fresno on Maple Street on Aug. 1. According to Carson's mother, the babysitter caring for the boy told her a dog got loose from under a gate and attacked the child.

"My son didn't provoke this attack, so I don't understand why the dog attacked my son," Yvonne Gutierrez, Carson's mom, said.

The babysitter yelled for help while she tried to get the child away from the dog's grip.

Neighbors in the area reportedly saw what was happening and started hitting the dog with pieces of wood. Eventually, it let go.

"They got in there, and they tried to take care of the situation and do as much as possible and I'm very, very thankful for that," Gutierrez said. "If not, my son may not be here."

Paramedics arrived and bandaged Carson before his mother came. Gutierrez said her son was calm when she saw him, and she did not realize the extent of the boy's injuries until they got to Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, where a team of doctors and nurses were waiting on them.

The extent of the photos is too graphic to show. Carson suffered deep wounds to the armpit area, arm, and a cut to the face that extends from the ear until the jawline.

Carson did suffer nerve damage to his face, and doctors used a cadaver nerve to replace it. According to Gutierrez, it will take months before they know if the procedure was successful.

For now, Carson cannot blink on the left side of his face.

Carson had two surgeries during his six days in the intensive care unit.

"It was definitely the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life ever, to see him so helpless and there's nothing you can do for him," the mother said.

There is a possibility Carson will need to have additional surgery on his face. Presently, he has bandages covering his wounds that his mom changes several times a day.

"I will do everything in my power to get his face back to the way it was," Gutierrez said. "I know when he grows up, and you consider that, your face and what you look like. Right now, it doesn't necessarily bother him. He doesn't necessarily know his face looks different than it did a few weeks ago."

A day and a half after being released from the hospital, his mother said what happened is still surreal.

"To think at that time it was so serious that he had brain fluid leaking out of his ears, you know, now look at him," Gutierrez said. "He's playing. He's laughing. He's having a good time. Just thankful. Extremely thankful."

There are no records of any issues with the dog in the past, but the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office has confirmed the dog was euthanized.

The family started a GoFundMe page to help with Carson's care moving forward.

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