A dog bite recently infected a Texas woman with rare bacteria, which required doctors to amputate her fingers and legs. The woman is presently in an Austin hospital’s intensive care unit. The woman, who is a dog lover and a mother of four children, intervened in a scuffle between two family dogs during Christmas, which led to the bites. She suffered minor cuts on her leg and hand and became very ill. She was then transferred to University Medical Center Brackenridge when her condition quickly got worse. The incident will be of interest to Austin premises liability attorneys as it may affect future dog bite claims.
The bacteria that had led to the infection is called Capnocytophaga canimorsus and is present in the mouths of about one-third of all healthy dogs and cats. According to the doctors, it is not usually dangerous. However, the infection that developed was so severe that the doctors were forced to amputate all the woman’s fingers except the thumb and both legs below the knees.
