Adopted Labradors ‘Mutilated’ 2-Year-Old: ‘They Had Eaten Her Ear’

A California mother has warned others of the dangers of "Littermate Syndrome" after several puppies she adopted attacked her daughter earlier this month, resulting in the child obtaining severe injuries.

Sierra Michele Peden and her family decided to adopt four Queensland Labrador puppies back in May, the Daily Mirror reported.

The four crossbreeds, named Amarah, Negan, Gideon and Keerah, were from a friend who was moving away from the area and could not take the animals along.

Peden's husband, Michael, and the couple's four children, Samantha, 13; Daisy, 11; Felicity, 2; and Daryl, 1, had dreamed of owning pets for years.

Unfortunately, the puppies reportedly mauled Felicity on June 3 while Peden stepped out of their home to go shopping in preparation for the child's birthday. She had only been gone for 10 minutes.

Felicity ended up receiving deep gashes and bloody scratches all over her face following the attack, and she was taken to the hospital.

"They had eaten her ear and mutilated her face, neck and upper body... She was missing her hair and was covered in bandages and gauze. There were stitches in multiple places, including her lip, neck and throat," Peden recalled.

Due to the severity of her injuries, Felicity was flown to a specialist children's hospital with a trauma center in Fresno, where she received plastic surgery in an attempt to save her ear.

Doctors were unable to save most of the child's ear apart from her earlobe and inner ear after three hours.

They later suggested Felicity be put on dialysis since her kidneys were failing, and her body was starting to shut down from the trauma.

"I cried, my heart was broken and I felt like I was going to pass out – the feeling of not being able to do anything to help my baby was overwhelming," Peden said.

Felicity was released after staying in the hospital for seven days, and her condition has since improved. However, she has continued to attend plastic surgery appointments once every week.

An animal shelter took in Peden's puppies after the attack. They did not need to be put together and should be separated since they were suffering from Littermate Syndrome, authorities said.

Also known as Sibling Aggression or Littermate Aggression, Littermate Syndrome "is a non-scientific anecdotal term that refers to a whole host of behavioral issues that tend to present when canine siblings (Littermates) are raised in the same household beyond the normal 8 to 10 weeks of age, when puppies are usually placed in homes," according to Canine Behavioral Services.

The condition can cause canine siblings to become violent toward one another, according to Peden.

"If they can't be adopted or still show signs of aggression after training, they will sadly have to be put down," the mother said.

Peden's family shared their story on social media to raise awareness and to stop such attacks from happening to others.

A GoFundMe page launched to help with Felicity's hospital bills has raised $14,127 as of press time.