A dog attack caused a 5-year-old boy in Pennsylvania to nearly lose his arm—after the incident left him hospitalized.

King Martin, is currently recovering in Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville. His mother, Brandi Sanders told NBC affiliate WPXI that it happened last Friday, Dec. 22, on Boyd Street in McKeesport.

“It’s a miracle they didn’t have to cut off his arm,” Sanders told the network, referring to the hospital staff treating his injuries.

King was playing with a friend when he was attacked by one of his neighbor’s dogs—a pit bull breed. His left arm suffered major damage from the dog’s onslaught.

“My son’s a fighter,” Sanders told WPXI.

Sanders said she came rushing over when she heard screams of panic.

“I ran over to the house and when I got to the house I just saw the dog on my son and wouldn’t let go,” Sanders told WPXI. “I had to lift my son up for him not to attack my son anymore.”

The pit bull bit the young boy in several areas, with many bites on his left arm. Doctors even told the mother that his arm may have to be amputated, after the initial examination.

WPXI reporter Aaron Martin said in a Facebook post that the boy is “lucky to still be alive.”

”Some man knocked on my door and said a dog was eating my son’s arm,” Sanders told Pittsburgh’s Action News.

The mother said she was fired from her job at a fast-food restaurant due to her missing work.

She told Pittsburgh’s Action News she was forced to miss work so she could spend time with her son in the hospital.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family. The page said the pit bull was 1-year-old.

Sanders said she plans to press charges over the incident after her son heals. The identity of the neighbor was not revealed in any reports, as of writing.

The concerned mother said she is now focused on her son’s recovery, adding that it will be a long process.

“He can only move his fingers, not his whole arm,” Sanders said. “We’re hoping and praying. But when he tried he just screamed, because it hurt so bad.”

It’s unclear when the boy will be released from the hospital.

2017 Year in Review

From NTD.tv