A 48-year-old man lost his legs and hands after letting a dog at a dog park lick him
The theory that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's is not true. I mean, they lick themselves, other dogs, and will sometimes eat things on the ground that they're not supposed to (you can take a wild guess what I'm referring to here).
Greg Manteufel of Wisconsin lost his hands and legs and is expecting to lose this nose after contracting a rare blood infection, called Capnocytophaga, that doctors believe he may have gotten after an unknown dog at a dog park licked him. After visiting the dog park, Greg started wiping his hands on his face. Later on, he started getting flu-like symptoms, pain in his legs and a fever. His blood pressure dropped and also experienced a lack of blood circulation.
Doctors were able to administer antibiotics, but the damage had already been done to his body. Shortly after, he required 7 surgeries, first to his legs below the knees, and then his forearms a few weeks later. Doctors estimate that he has 3 more surgeries, and believe his nose is the next to go because the infection has already started affecting the area.
Greg and his wife Dawn have an 8-year-old pit bull, but doctors believe the infection came from another dog at the dog park.
A GoFundMe page to raise money for the Manteufels has been set up by a relative.
How likely are you to become infected by Capnocytophaga?
Capnocytophaga infections are rare. It's a bacteria that is very common in the saliva of dogs and cats. No need to panic! A person is more likely to die from an auto accident than from this bacteria.