Man loses all four limbs after dog lick leads to severe infection
A man who has been around dogs all his life has been forced to have all four of his limbs amputated after contracting a rare blood infection – believe to be caused by a dog lick.
Greg Manteufel, 48, went to the hospital on June 27 after he began exhibiting flu-like symptoms and, within hours of being admitted, he went into septic shock
Through a blood test, doctors diagnosed the Wisconsin resident with an infection caused by Capnocytophaga canimorsus, a bacteria often found in dog and cat saliva.
Mr Manteufel’s wife, Dawn, said her husband was the picture of health before contracting the bacteria.
“It hit him with a vengeance,” she said. “Just bruising all over him. Looked like somebody beat him up with a baseball bat.”
Within days of being admitted to the hospital, he had to have both of his feet amputated, but as the damage grew more severe, he had to have both of his legs amputated above his kneecaps.
His family said they were hoping the surgeries would stop there, however after further analysis, surgeons made the decision to amputate to mid-forearm on both arms “due to extensive damage to the tissues and muscles”.
“We can’t wrap our heads around it that all of the sudden, he’s 48 years old and been around dogs all of his life… and this happens,” Ms Manteufel said.
Dr Silvia Munoz-Price, an infectious disease specialist with Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin, told WITI that Mr Manteufel’s case is an extremely rare occurrence and that pet owners need not panic.
“More than 99 percent of the people that have dogs will never have this issue. It’s just chance,” she told the station.
A GoFundMe page set up to cover his mounting medical bills said “Greg has held his head high and taking the news like a beast” despite the panic and chaos.
“He is so thankful to be alive today and is taking one day at a time,” it reads.
