A healthy man was licked by his dog. He was dead within weeks.

[Zorro]

A 63-year-old German man showed up in the hospital with a burning sensation in his left leg and muscle pain in both. His flulike symptoms were severe, with labored breathing for three days. He had petechiae, or rounds spots on the skin that look like rashes as a result of bleeding capillaries, which made his legs look discolored.

The patient’s heartbeat was stable, doctors said, even though he was running a temperature of 102. His labored breathing caused an inadequate supply of oxygen to his tissue. His failing kidneys were not producing urine, researchers wrote.

But doctors had no idea what was wrong with him. He had not recently been in the hospital. They suspected some kind of bacteria, but he didn’t have any open wounds and he didn’t have meningitis.

It wasn’t until his fourth day in the hospital that a blood test revealed the man had a type of bacteria found in the saliva of healthy dogs and cats. It’s a kind of bacteria that’s usually only transmitted to humans if they are bitten.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/11/26/healthy-man-was-licked-by-his-dog-he-was-dead-within-weeks/

[Boxerfan]

1. Well I'm doomed....

My rescue Chiweenie is always giving sloppy kisses before I can stop her. I'm ok with doggie kisses but she goes bonkers.

[Botany]

2. I'm a dead man walking

11 month old female yellow lab pup in the house

[lagomorph777]

4. 10 dogs, all obsessed with licking me. Not quite dead yet.

And it's been 35 years like this.



Actually, I think all that affection is what keeps me alive.

[Botany]

6. We got to go sometime

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. how about a drooling, head-shaking, 250lb mastiff?

Drool can be propelled 15 ft or more.

When I had a yellow lab pup, I had to dodge the tongue just to pet her head. That continued all through her adulthood, too.

We're both doomed.

[Botany]

16. The females are kind of different then the males ... the big males I have had were much more like ..

... they would come and say "hi" to you but then would lay back down somewhere close to you,
'cept when it was cold and then you were their hot water bottle but this girl is much more hands
on.

* BTW once they had been out to stud discipline was all but over ... still very smart and liked to
work but many times I would give them a command and they would look @ me with a, "is food
and or sex involved?" face.


"We're both doomed." Yup! We are all on the trip to the same place and as for me might as well
have some dogs a long the way.

[NightWatcher]

3. Worth the risk.

[LuckyCharms]

5. Shit. I'm a goner.

[mr_lebowski]

7. I'm thinking this still involves a favorable reward/risk ratio ...

Given the billions of people engaged in the 'risky behavior' vs the death of ... one person as an apparent result ... you gotta like your chances.

Come to think of it, this is even dumber than the 'killer vaping' scare ...

[hlthe2b]

8. Just a little perspective for those who might get freaked by this...

The organism, Capnocytophaga canimorsus is part of natural flora in dogs, which says two things, given how incredibly rare are such infections. Those of us with pets are likely exposed sufficiently to be immune or the organism remains harmless except in the rare case of a mutation of the organism and perhaps developed ability to produce a toxin (thus far there are not enough cases to allow for such intense comparison of infective strains). As has been shown in all other cases, the ill individual is typically immunocompromised in some way (including having had a splenectomy). While they have not yet determined the latter in this case, the investigation will continue and I'd be willing to bet they identify some immunocompromising factor.

Remember there has never been a case among veterinarians or other professional animal caretakers, who presumedly are exposed nearly continuously to the ubiquitous organism. Not to mention the countless millions of dog owners.

I felt compelled to post because my neighbor almost freaked out after hearing about this and my own sweet dog was literally 10 feet away.


I'd also add that the organism is fully susceptible to common FIRST LINE antibiotics including the penicillin/ampicillin group with or without the addition of a beta-lactam inhibitor (e.g., clavulanate, Augmentin) or trimethoprim sulfisoxazole and has shown no antibiotic resistance.

Sadly it appears these patients who suffered severe outcomes or death are not unlike those with so-called flesh-eating bacteria (Necrotizing Fasciitis) in not seeking early care.

I hope we can all help others in putting this into perspective. I'd hate to see another round of articles bemoaning the risk of allowing children to sleep with, or even be licked by a dog.

[emmaverybo]

10. Thank you.

[Ms. Toad]

14. I'd also be willing to bet there was a skin break

that allowed the bacteria more direct access than intact skin.

(And it makes medical sense not to permit your dog, cat, other humans, (anything with a tongue) to lick open sores. Mouths, of all sorts, are a hotbed of bacteria.)

[jpak]

9. It was nice knowing ya fellas

[in2herbs]

11. Four days in a hospital to test blood and get results of bloodwork!! Somebody messed up IMO. nt

[ismnotwasm]

13. I have a almost 12 week old German Shepard puppy

Licks are better than chewing on me, but I’d rather she did neither.

She owns all of my heart right now

[wishstar]

15. A friend of mine was severely bitten in hand by her dog

She bled profusely and had to have stitches. A close neighbor thankfully was able to respond and take her to emergency room. However she was afraid to tell doctor what had happened and made up story about having accident with a serrated knife, because doctors are required to notify Animal Control authorities in our county. Doctor did not give her antibiotics. When she called me about the incident that evening I emphatically explained to her that she needed to get on antibiotics immediately and thankfully she had a bottle of unused antibiotics left from a dental procedure that she had not used and her meds were the exact type of antibiotic recommended for a dog bite and she recovered nicely.