Sepsis From Dog Lick: Woman Undergoes Quadruple Amputation After Lick Leads to Sepsis
Sepsis From Dog Lick is the warning Manjit Sangha wants others to hear after a small cut she says was licked by her dog preceded a life-threatening illness that cost her all four limbs. The 56-year-old returned home after 32 weeks in hospital and now urges vigilance for sepsis symptoms.
Manjit Sangha left Ward 9 at Moseley Hall in Birmingham on a Wednesday to a family welcome in Penn, on the Wolverhampton/Staffordshire border, after a hospital stay that included several cardiac arrests. She had been at home on a Sunday afternoon in July last year feeling unwell; by the following morning she was unconscious, with her hands and feet ice-cold, lips purple and struggling to breathe.
Her heart stopped six times while in intensive care at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. Surgeons at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley later amputated both legs below the knee and both hands because the condition had spread. She also lost her spleen, battled pneumonia and developed gallstones that she was told might require further surgery.
Reflecting on her ordeal, Sangha said, "It's difficult to explain the experience. Losing your limbs and your hands in a short time period is a very big thing. " Her husband, Kam Sangha, described the speed of the decline: "You're thinking 'how can this happen in less than 24 hours?' One minute on a Saturday she's playing with the dog, Sunday she's gone to work, Monday night she's in a coma. "
Sepsis From Dog Lick and the suspected trigger
Doctors believe her sepsis might have been caused by something as innocent as a lick from her dog on a small cut or scratch. The NHS defines sepsis as a life-threatening response when the body's immune system turns on its own tissues and organs; Manjit experienced rapid deterioration that required intensive care and emergency surgery.
Hospital course and the surgeries that followed
During her 32 weeks in hospital, Sangha suffered multiple complications: cardiac arrests in intensive care at New Cross Hospital, amputations at Russells Hall Hospital, loss of her spleen, a battle with pneumonia and gallstones. Medical teams concluded amputations were necessary when the infection and its effects progressed to her hands and lower legs.
What she wants others to know
Now back at home in Penn, Sangha works to rebuild her life after leaving Ward 9 and faces ongoing recovery. She has said the episode could happen to anybody and wants to warn others about the danger of sepsis. Her experience underscores how quickly sepsis can advance—from feeling unwell on a Sunday afternoon to being in a coma within 48 hours in her case.
Her immediate path includes recovery at home and medical follow-up for complications that include gallstones, which she was told might require further surgery. She continues to urge people to watch for sepsis symptoms and to seek prompt medical attention if they suspect a serious infection.
