PHILADELPHIA -- A 5-year-old Pennsylvania boy has died days after he was choked when the family dog pulled on his scarf as they played in the snow.

The Philadelphia coroner’s office says John Bruno died Saturday at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he had been under heavy sedation since Wednesday’s accident.

Police say the boy was playing outside with the family dog -- a 1-year-old hound mix --0 when the child’s mother saw the boy lying face down in the snow while the dog was pulling and tugging at the scarf, CBS Philadelphia reported.

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Police initially thought the child had collapsed from cardiac arrest while playing with the 18-month-old hound.

Police say first responders performed CPR on the boy.

A GoFundMe page set up to help the family pay medical costs says John’s smile was electric and he loved “Ninja Turtles, Pokemon, superheroes and being silly.” As of Monday afternoon, donations totaled nearly $17,000, more than tripling the $5,000 fundraising goal.