OXFORD, Ohio —A turkey has gone viral after some fowl play involving a dog.

Nearly 3.5 million views appeared on TikTok as word about Thomas the turkey survived a dog attack, protecting other animals at a farm near Oxford, Ohio. 

Thomas’ owner Cara Zellers says Thomas was bitten twice while protecting the family’s other animals during the attack, including ducks, chickens and his mate Gamora, another turkey.

 “Stepped into hero mode. It was fight or flight, and Thomas stepped up to the task,” said Dr. Chantel Raghu, veterinarian and co-owner of Oxford Veterinary Hospital. “Thomas was likely trying to protect ducks and chickens from the dog and was bitten badly in the process.”

 “I had just gotten home that day and saw a dog running through our yard,” said owner Cara Zellers. “My first instinct was to search for my two-year-old turkey, Thomas.”

 Zellers found Thomas hiding in the garage. The other animals in the yard were safe.

 “It was a terrifying time for all of us as Thomas is a special bird to our family,” Zellers said. “He’s a big part of our family as he waits for us at the door when we come home.”

 The staff at the veterinary clinic said Thomas was very patient as he was sedated in order to have his wound looked at a few days before Thanksgiving.  

“The wound he sustained and how brave and kind he was to us as we were taking care of him…he’s a really sweet animal,” Raghu said.  

And seeing a turkey enter the clinic doors was a first for Raghu.

 “I’ve had a variety of animals come into my clinic, but this is the first turkey we’ve seen,” Raghu said. “We’ve seen other types of farm animals such as ducks, geese, pigs and chickens. And or course, many dogs and cats. But never a turkey.”

 “The biggest worry was that of infection from bacteria, which is why you can’t immediately close up the would from a dog bite right away,” Raghu said. “Dog saliva contains lots of bacteria. It’s best to flush it out as much as you can to clean it out. We had to make the tissue as healthy as possible before closing the wound.”

 “Thomas went back home the day before Thanksgiving,” Raghu said. “He’s doing well and very resilient.”

 Thomas has several treatments ahead of him, but Raghu says he should fully recover from these injuries.

 “We’re looking forward to taking Tom to Bass Pro Shops to meet Santa Claus later this month,” Zellers said.