Jesus Take The Wheel: Man Has Four Limbs Amputated Because Of Infection Caused By Dog Lick

Stock Image by Getty

A Wisconsin man has had part of his legs and forearms amputated because of a dog lick that led to a rare blood infection, and is preparing for more surgeries according to the Huff Post.

Greg Manteufel, 48, has been hospitalized since late June, when he went to a Milwaukee-area hospital with flu-like symptoms. The father was diagnosed with a blood infection caused by capnocytophaga, bacteria that is common in the saliva of cats and dogs but almost never leads to illness. Dawn Manteufel said her husband’s symptoms began on June 26, with a fever and pain in his legs. The infection reportedly caused Greg Manteufel’s blood pressure to drop and circulation in his limbs to rapidly decrease, which in itself isn’t unusual for blood infections, doctors reported. The infection was quickly cleared with antibiotics, but the problem in Manteufel’s case “was that his body mounted an overwhelming response to this original blood infection and he shut down the circulation of his limbs,” the doctor said.

It’s not known where Manteufel got the infection. He and his wife own an 8-year-old pit bull, but she said her husband came in contact with several dogs in the days leading to his infection, including a stray he encountered during his job as a house painter. The doctor said animal lovers have no need to panic: They’re more likely to die in a car accident than to be infected by the bacteria.“It’s extremely rare. Do not get rid of your pets. Continue behaving the same way that you have behaved with your pets up until now,” Munoz-Price said.

So sad.