Sepsis From Dog Lick Leads to Quadruple Amputation, Woman Issues Warning

Warning: this article contains images some readers might find upsetting. Manjit Sangha says her case began after what doctors believe may have been a lick from her dog on a small cut or scratch, a sequence she describes as an instance of sepsis from dog lick that left her with life-changing injuries.

Sepsis From Dog Lick warning

Doctors believe the 56-year-old's sepsis might have been caused by something as innocent as a lick from her dog on a small cut or scratch. Manjit Sangha, who worked seven days a week before her illness, has said she wants to warn others about the danger, believing "it could happen to anybody".

Return home and early timeline

Manjit returned home on a Sunday afternoon in July last year feeling unwell. By the following morning she was unconscious: her hands and feet were ice-cold, her lips had turned purple and she was struggling to breathe. Her husband, Kam Sangha, said, "Your mind is all over the place, " and added, "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. '"

Hospital stays and cardiac arrests

She spent 32 weeks in hospital and suffered several cardiac arrests during that time. Her heart stopped six times while she was in intensive care at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. Medics thought the 56-year-old would almost certainly die.

Surgeries and amputations

Surgeons at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley later had to amputate both of her legs below the knee, as well as both of her hands, because of the spread of the condition. The treatment left her with a quadruple amputation. She also lost her spleen, battled pneumonia and developed gallstones that she was told might require further surgery.

What sepsis is and symptoms

Sepsis is a rare but serious medical condition that occurs when the body's immune system, which is meant to fight disease and infection, starts to attack the body's own tissues and organs. The NHS describes it as life-threatening and hard to spot, and the UK Sepsis Trust 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.

Recovery, reaction and message

After leaving Ward 9 at Moseley Hall in Birmingham on Wednesday, Manjit received a hero's welcome from her family in Penn, on the Wolverhampton/Staffordshire border. She has described the experience as bewildering: "It's difficult to explain the experience, " she said. "Losing your limbs and your hands in a short time period is a very big thing. It's very serious and not to be taken lightly. " She added, "I didn't know what was happening, " and, "The first month I do not remember anything. "

Manjit has returned home and is beginning to rebuild her life while urging others to be alert to the signs of sepsis. Her case—linked by doctors to a possible dog lick on a small cut or scratch—underlines her belief that it could happen to anybody.