HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — A dog is recovering after she was slashed with a weapon that South Florida veterinarians believe was a machete.

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The dog, a Staffordshire Terrier mix, was discovered on a road in Hollywood near Florida’s Turnpike, WPLG-TV reported.

“I got a text from my neighbor saying that there was a very badly injured dog,” Cindy Hunt told WSVN-TV.

Hunt brought the injured dog, whom she named Hunter, to Sunshine Animal Hospital in Hollywood. Hunter had a large slash on her back near her neck, according to WPLG.

“It was awful,” Hunt said.

“It looks like it was a machete injury,” Ember Moreno, the medical director at Sunshine Animal Hospital, told the television station. “It was a slice, and it was deep, and several muscles were torn.”

Hunter underwent a two-hour surgery on April 5. She was called a “very sweet and gentle dog” by Moreno.

The dog also needs anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, WTVJ reported. Her medical costs have been rising and have been estimated to cost $10,000, according to the television station.

She is expected to have another operation on Friday to repair the torn ACL, WPLG reported.

“The surgery went very well. She’s really good, she‘s going to have the ACL surgery this week,” Hunt told WSVN. “They think she is only 2 to 3 years old, so she should recover fine.”

Hunt called I Heart Animal Rescue. Its co-founder, Cindy Mucciaccio, said she had heard about Hunter’s injury.

“It looks like a knife right across the whole entire back of the neck,” Mucciaccio told WSVN.

Veterinarians believe Hunter’s knee injury could be from being hit by a car, but they cannot explain how or why the dog was injured by the sharp object, according to the television station.

“Check your security cameras,” Hollywood police spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi said in a statement, according to WPLG. “If you have any, check around Friday at 6:30 in the morning. If you saw this dog or any interaction that someone may have had with this dog around that time, give us a call.”

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