An Oban mum has spoken of her horror after her four-year-old son was mauled by a dog.
The nursery child was injured during an attack in the Soroba area of the Argyll town on Tuesday, April 23.
The youngster had to endure a hospital stay and a surgical procedure under general anaesthetic and intravenous antibiotic treatments.
The wounds were initially found on the boy’s arm, and his elbow.
The following day the mum discovered another wound on her son’s bottom and, during surgery, medical staff found another on his back.
The mother and child can not be identified for legal reasons.
Four-year-old bitten by dog in Oban
On the day of the incident, the youngster had just finished a full day at nursery when he went out to play with his friends in a neighbouring street.
After seeing him off at his friend’s house, his mum headed back home.
But before she got there, she heard the unmistakable sounds of her wee boy screaming in pain.
The worried mum picked up her son, to be told by another woman that he had fallen off his bike.
But very quickly she realised he had injuries that appeared to suggest something more serious.
His mum, a professional carer with medical knowledge, wrapped her traumatised son’s arm with a wet cloth to stop the bleeding.
She said: “He was crying, his arm and elbow had been mauled.
“His skin was broken in several places. In the worst wound you could see muscle and deep inside the arm.”
Mum and son took a taxi to the hospital to save time waiting for an ambulance, arriving around 4pm.
When she arrived, staff in Lorn and Islands Hospital efficiently treated her son, cleaning his wound on his arm and putting him on intravenous antibiotics. They even reported the incident to police.
Very quickly, the mum said staff realised that the boy would need to be seen by a paediatrician within the children’s ward at Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital in Glasgow.
Mum and son left Oban by ambulance at around 9.30pm, arriving on the ward after midnight when the other young patients were already snuggled down for the night.
The mum said: “In dim lights I got him into his pyjamas and settled him for the night.
“The following morning when I got him up to get him into clean clothes, I was shocked to find blood on his pants where there had been a dog bite. There is definitely a tooth mark.”
Boy had ’10 wounds’ from the attack
During an almost three-hour surgery to manage the largest wound on his arm, another wound on the youngster’s back was found.
Mum said: “In all he had nine or 10 wounds from the attack, and at least seven or eight puncture wounds.
“It was traumatising for my son, and he is still very worried about going out and doing things. Although he was pleased to be back at his nursery.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a child having been bitten by a dog at a property on Shuna Terrace, Oban, around 4pm on Tuesday, 23 April, 2024.
“The child was taken to hospital for treatment.
“A 42-year-old man has been charged in connection and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.
They added: “The dog warden has been notified and inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”