A lot of people think that letting a dog lick their wounds will help them heal quicker, but one man found out that this is far from the truth. In fact, allowing his dog to lick an open wound caused him to get a severe infection that resulted in him having four of his limbs removed.
His wife explained what happened.
She said, “It hit him with a vengeance. Just bruising all over him. Looked like somebody beat him up with a baseball bat.”
Dogs have bacteria in their mouths. Most of it is harmless, and the mouths of dogs stay so hot that many dangerous bacteria can’t survive for long. However, they can carry some that are dangerous and very contagious.
That’s what happened in the case of Greg Manteufel. His doctor explained that the infection is rare.
Dr. Silvia Munoz-Price, an infectious disease specialist, said, “This infection in his blood triggered a very severe response on his body. More than 99 percent of the people that have dogs will never have this issue. It’s just a chance.”
Doctors couldn’t get rid of the infection with antibiotics, so they had to amputate the limbs to prevent it from spreading to other areas of the body and possibly becoming fatal. He and his family are devastated, and the amputations will mean some big changes in their lives.
The family started a GoFundMe account for him and shared his story.
The page says, “On June 27th, 2018 the Manteufel family experienced a medical emergency when Greg started feeling ill, within hours of the onset of symptoms, Greg’s body started to go into septic shock. Once Greg was admitted to the hospital, they were able to confirm the reason Greg was septic. He had somehow contracted the bacteria Capnocytophaga canimorsus.
This bacteria caused the sepsis in Greg’s body that has completely changed not only Greg’s life but his entire family’s as well. Within days of being admitted to the hospital while still fighting for his life, Greg first lost both feet, after a second surgery to remove more damage on legs, they amputated thru both kneecaps. Surgery is scheduled to remove a portion of both hands as the damage from the sepsis is too extensive.
Furthermore, all areas of Greg’s body and tissue was affected by the bacteria and the sepsis, the Drs say his nose will need extensive repairs, which means he will need plastic surgery to rebuild a new healthy nose. Greg is going to need several more surgeries, lots of healing time and his family by his side to get thru this life-changing event.”
Luckily, Greg is expected to make a full recovery.
While his life will be different, he will at least have the support of his family. They hope to help care for him and help him transition into his new life.
His friend Jason said, “Any help you can give the family will be greatly appreciated. Greg’s recovery will be a very long process and he will need his family by his side, they will need help financially to be able to be with him during the coming months with surgeries as well as waiting to be fitted for leg and hand prosthesis which will allow him to become independent again.”
The chances of getting an infection like this from a dog may be rare, but people shouldn’t take the chance.
You never know when something like this could happen, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry. It’s best not to let pets lick wounds.
Soft tissue injuries an heal on their own or with some first aid or medical care.
There are no benefits of allowing a dog to lick a wound. Greg is lucky to have survived his ordeal, and he has a long and painful recovery ahead of him. Hopefully, his story can raise awareness of the risk of infection and prevent his from happening to someone else.
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