Sepsis From Dog Lick: Woman Undergoes Quadruple Amputation After Dog Lick Leads to Sepsis
Warning: this article contains images some readers might find upsetting.
A 56-year-old woman who endured 32 weeks in hospital and several cardiac arrests now says her case began after what doctors believe was a sepsis from dog lick on a small cut or scratch; she has returned home after a quadruple amputation and a prolonged critical illness.
Sepsis From Dog Lick: Survivor's Return Home
Manjit Sangha, a 56-year-old sepsis survivor, has finally returned home after a lengthy hospital ordeal. Despite medics thinking she would almost certainly die, she left Ward 9 at Moseley Hall in Birmingham on Wednesday and received a hero's welcome from her family in Penn, on the Wolverhampton/Staffordshire border.
Timeline: Rapid Decline and Early Symptoms
Before falling ill, Manjit Sangha worked seven days a week. She returned home on a Sunday afternoon in July last year feeling unwell; by the following morning she was unconscious. Her hands and feet had become ice-cold, her lips had turned purple and she was struggling to breathe. Her husband, Kam Sangha, described how disorienting the collapse was, and noted how quickly the situation escalated from ordinary activity to life-threatening illness in a matter of days.
Medical Crisis: Cardiac Arrests, Amputations and Complications
While in intensive care at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, Manjit Sangha's heart stopped six times. Surgeons at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley later amputated both legs below the knee and both of her hands because the condition had spread. Over the course of treatment she spent 32 weeks in hospital and suffered several cardiac arrests.
Her complications extended beyond limb loss: she also lost her spleen, battled pneumonia and developed gallstones that she was told might require further surgery. The speed and severity of organ and tissue damage left gaps in her memory; she has said she does not remember the first month of her illness.
Public Warning and What to Watch For
As she recovers and begins to rebuild her life, Manjit Sangha wants to warn others about sepsis, believing it could happen to anybody. Medical guidance describes sepsis as a rare but serious condition in which the body's immune system starts to attack its own tissues and organs; a national health authority describes it as life-threatening and hard to spot, and a sepsis organization estimates about 50, 000 sepsis-related deaths in the UK each year.
In adults, symptoms can include slurred speech, extreme shivering or muscle pain, severe breathlessness and skin that is mottled or discoloured. Manjit Sangha’s story is being shared as a warning about sepsis from dog lick and how quickly an apparently minor contact with a pet can be followed by a catastrophic deterioration.
Aftermath and Next Steps
Manjit Sangha has described the experience as difficult to explain and said losing limbs and hands in a short time period has been a very big and very serious event. Her recovery will involve adapting to life after quadruple amputation and facing potential further surgery for gallstones. Her return home was marked by family support in Penn and the start of a long rehabilitation and adjustment period.
Details around the origin of the infection are being presented as a medical assessment that doctors believe a dog lick on a small cut or scratch might have been the initial cause. The full clinical picture and any further follow-up remain unclear in the provided context; details may evolve as care continues and more information becomes available.
