When a cute and cuddly dog jumps up onto you and innocently licks your face, fear of losing an arm or leg is the last thing on your mind. Ohio resident Marie Trainer is one of the unlucky few that this rare, unfortunate event happened to. She woke up from a 10-day medically induced coma in complete shock upon realizing that her legs and arms had been partially amputated. The last thing that she remembered before the incident occurred was feeling ill and then laying on the couch. She stated, “When I opened my eyes I didn’t know where I was. It was very hard to find out that they had to remove my legs and my arms…very hard to cope with”. (1)
How Did The Events Occur?
Marie and her husband had just arrived back from a trip to the Caribbean. She started to feel nauseated and was experiencing back pain. Just like many would, she thought it might be the flu. That was until her body temperature started to rapidly rise and fall. Her husband, Mathew Trainer, said, “Her temperature went up then went down to about 93 degrees, that’s when we rushed her to the hospital”. (1) Marie was treated instantly upon arrival to the hospital, but her body went into sepsis shortly after. It was at this point that she was then put into a medically induced coma. Her limbs started to experience gangrene, which is a condition that occurs when body tissue dies. (2)
What Was Her Diagnosis?
Doctors at first weren’t sure what was causing all of these drastic events, including liver and kidney failure. The doctors conferred with colleagues and after getting a second opinion, they finally figured it out. She had capnocytophaga. Capnocytophaga is a bacterial pathogen found in the saliva of healthy dogs and cats and is transmitted to humans – usually through dog bites. (3) Marie and her husband believe that the infection may have spread through a small cut on Marie’s arm. Doctors stated that if they had not gone through with the amputations, she would have died. She also developed blood clots throughout her body that required aggressive treatment before they got worse. (4)
How Is Marie Now?
Marie has gone through eight surgeries so far, but she still may require more in the future. Despite the events, she is maintaining a good attitude towards life. There was a fundraiser set up to assist Marie with the medical bills involved and has raised over $30,000. (5) According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people don’t become sick after being exposed to dogs or cats. The people more at risk are the ones with weakened immune systems. These include cancer/HIV patients, people who drink excessively, and those who had had their spleens removed. (6) Symptoms can occur within 3 to 5 days but can occur up to 14 days after exposure. Three out of every 10 people who develop this severe infection will die. The speed of infections can range from 24 to 72 hours after symptoms begin. (7) The CDC recommends those who have been bitten by a dog or cat immediately wash the bite area with soap and water, and call your doctor, even if you don’t feel sick.
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