Mi'kayja Oliver underwent nearly eight hours of surgery at North Oaks Hospital, her mother, Natasha Oliver told The Daily Star n Saturday.
She said the worst injury was a torn artery. "When I tell you I thought her leg was gone, that's how bad it was," Oliver said.
Bridget Harper, 39, and Natalie Newton, 20, were released on bond after being booked Friday with negligent injury, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said. They could not be reached for comment Sunday because directory assistance has no listing for either.
Oliver said her daughter, a second-grader at Hammond Eastside Elementary School, and a 10-year-old friend were playing Friday when the dogs attacked Mi'Kayja.
Her friend tried to pull off the dogs, then ran to her mother, screaming for her to call 911. Then she ran to Oliver's house, screaming, "They got Mi'kayja! They got Mi'kayja!"
"I don't know who got the dogs off her," Oliver said. "I want to say they (the owners) called them off. She was lying there helpless. It was horrible to see."
She said her daughter was in critical but stable condition Saturday. On Sunday, hospital spokeswoman Melanie Zaffuto said Mi'kayja was in fair condition.
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| Natalie Newton and Bridgette Harper |
Tangipahoa Parish Animal Control took the dogs. "I need to keep the animals for at least 10 days," Director Chip Fitz said Saturday. Had Mi'Kayja died, he said, he would have immediately sought a court order to kill the dogs.
The only way to test an animal for rabies is to check its brain for the virus.
(WWL - April 29, 2012)
