Man Licked By His Dog Contracts an Infection That Almost Killed Him
Whoever has a dog knows that it’s nearly impossible not to get licked by your dog at least once a day. But Greg Manteufel who lives in Wisconsin had no idea that his dog’s lick would send him straight to the hospital, fighting for his life.
It started a few weeks ago with symptoms that resembled the common flu. Several hours later, the situation got critical, so he was taken to the emergency room. His blood pressure was very low, and his body was filled with weird bruises.
The doctors discovered that the man developed an infection of the bacteria Capnocytophaga canimorsus which is usually present in saliva from a dog or a cat. The infection soon evolved and doctors had no other option than amputation of the legs, parts of both hands and his nose.
Manteufel is now under medical supervision and is slowly recovering.
How Did He Get Infected?
Doctors suspect that the patient got the bacteria through the dog’s saliva, probably a lick was enough to start the infection. If he had a wound that was not completely healed, the bacteria could easily enter the body.
The low blood pressure then caused Manteufel’s limbs to get damaged, and doctors couldn’t rescue much of his legs. They were able to amputate only the fingers from both of his hands, but the man will also need surgery to breathe normally because the nose was also damaged by the infection.
The family has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the operations and recuperation, raising almost $24,000 in over two weeks. Manteufel’s road to recovery will be rough.
The bacteria Capnocytophaga canimorsus from dogs caused almost 500 cases of infections (in non-bite contact) in North America since the mid-1970s, which make this case a rare type of septic infection.
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.
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