Boy, 4, gets arm ripped off by dog after sticking hand in gran's 'pit bull pen'

A boy got his entire arm ripped off by a dog when he stuck his hand in his grandmother's "pit bull pen".

Axel Foster, four, lost his arm from the shoulder down in the terrifying attack on Friday in the town of Tecumseh, Oklahoma, US.

Chief JR Kidney, with the Tecumseh Police Department, said: "I've seen dog bites in the past and experienced some pretty brutal dog bites with children but never a complete amputation."

The arm was still in the pen when officers arrived and they found the boy and grandmother in the driveway.

Chief Kidney said: "When officers and animal control attempted to retrieve the arm, the dog became aggressive to them."

Attempts to reattach Axel's arm were unsuccessful (gofundme)

Police officers and firefighters tried to stop the bleeding with the tourniquet and his mum was heard asking "what if he doesn't make it through?"

One officer wrote in his police report that when he saw the arm in the pen that "one of the puppies was trying to chew on it".

The little lad was rushed to hospital where attempts to reattach the arm were unsuccessful.

Axel's arm was still in the pen when the officers arrived (K-FOR.com)

Destiny McDow, Axel's mum, told KFOR : "We raced to the hospital. When we got there, the nurses confirmed his arm was dismembered from his body.

"I don't know what he's going through. I never went through it. But he's only a child."

Chief Kidney added: "To be over just an innocent type thing of wanting to pet some puppies, it's just devastating.

Police are investigating if Axel was supervised at the time of the attack (K-FOR.com)

"What kind of Christmas is this child gonna have now? What kind of life, in general, is this child gonna have now?"

It has been confirmed that the dog that mauled Axel was killed.

The Tecumseh Police Department is now working with the Department of Human Services to determine if Axel was being watched at the time of the attack.

If not, the grandparents could face child neglect charges.

Chief Kidney said: "I'm hoping it was simply an accident that the child was able to get to the pen, but we will look at everything."

The family have set up a GoFundMe for Axel to help pay for medical bills.

It reads: "He has undergone two surgeries, and is still fighting not only to keep his arm but his life.

"I am asking for help to save my baby boys life."