The family of a woman who was rushed to hospital after being viciously mauled by her pet dogs have revealed she is now facing serious complications.
Nikita Piil, 31, desperately screamed for help when she was attacked by her two Rottweilers at her home in Success, about 22 kilometres south of Perth, on September 16.
She suffered serious bite injuries to her arms and legs and has since undergone five emergency surgeries but her family fear there are “countless more on the horizon”.
“We nearly lost our precious girl a couple of times… but as you all know, Nikita is our little fighter,” her family said in the latest update on a GoFundMe page.
“Unfortunately, she didn’t brush her dog’s teeth that morning, so the canine bacterial infections are manifesting and creating ongoing serious complications.
“The rehabilitation journey ahead will be painful, long and costly.”
Ms Piil’s neighbours told media they heard her screams and ran to her fence, where they saw her Rottweilers savaging their owner.
Resident Bryn Spencer said there was nothing he could do but watch her get mauled. Another neighbour brought over a hose and sprayed the dogs, which briefly stopped them.
“The dogs stopped for a bit and it was looking at me and it was deciding what to do next. I kept on screaming at it, smacking the fence,” Mr Spencer told Nine News.
“Then it just decided ‘stuff you’, it got the girl and dragged her around the back corner and that's when I was like, ‘oh no’.”
It is understood Ms Piil was screaming for help for about 10 minutes.
Emergency services rushed to the scene but were also unable to stop the dogs from attacking Ms Piil.
An officer was forced to shoot one of her dogs, leaving it severely injured. It was later euthanised at a veterinary clinic.
“Due to the extremely aggressive nature of the dogs, and the ongoing risk to human life, a police firearm was discharged to stop the attack,” Western Australia Police said in a statement.
The second dog was secured in the garage as paramedics rushed to treat Ms Piil. It is currently being held at the City of Cockburn's Animal Management Facility.
Her family said the incident was a “devastating and unnecessary dog attack” but were tightlipped on what prompted the pets to turn on their owner.
“She loved and adored her dogs, and her friends and family have witnessed how much they loved her too,” her family said in an earlier statement.
“Unfortunately she got caught in a crossfire calming her dogs down due to an incident within the neighbourhood. There’s more to this story as to what the media has told.”
The City of Cockburn is investigating the incident.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover Ms Piil’s medical costs. It has so far received more than $15,000 in donations out of a $30,000 goal.
“We would like to thank every single person who has donated, we have been extremely moved by your kindness and generous support. Words cannot express how thankful we truly are,” her family said.
