Accidents can happen anytime and anywhere and sometimes, without us knowing until it’s too late.
A woman suffering from flu-like symptoms had her limbs amputated due to a “mysterious infection” triggered by her dog’s saliva, reported ABC News.
Marie Trainer from Ohio first felt a little under the weather in early May, after returning from the Carribean. She thought it was the flu but when her symptoms got worse, she was then rushed to the emergency room.
Doctors then said that she was suffering from both liver and kidney failure but were not sure what was causing it. Alarmed, Marie’s husband then decided to transfer her to another hospital.
In that hospital, she was put into a 10-day medically-induced coma. On Monday, 13th May, the family received the devastating news that the unknown source of her illness had attacked the small vessels in her arms, hands, legs and feet.
They couldn’t find the source of the mysterious infection and her organs were already shutting down. With few options left, the family chose to go to another clinic for a third opinion.
There, her family was told that to survive, Marie would have to have her arms and legs amputated.
The family soon learnt that the mysterious infection was triggered by the bacteria capnocytophaga canimorsus.
Capnocytophaga canimorsus lives in the mouths of dogs and cats. These germs do not make dogs or cats sick. Rarely, capnocytophaga can spread to people through bites, scratches, or close contact from a dog or cat and may cause illness, including sepsis.
Doctors believe that Marie’s two dogs might have licked a small graze that she had on her arm.
According to The Sun, if surgeons did not remove Marie’s limbs, she would’ve died from gangrene and necrosis – when cells in organs or tissues die.
Oh no! That sounds really scary! This may be an isolated case but it never hurts to be extra careful! Make sure your pets do not lick your wounds!
Also read: This Little Doggy is So Brave, It Barked at Kidnapper & Saved Its Owner but Dies From Injuries