Could a simple dog lick trigger sepsis? A UK survivor’s quadruple amputation highlights how fast the condition can turn deadly.
A British woman who fell critically ill after what doctors believe was a routine lick from her pet dog has survived a 32-week hospital ordeal — but at the cost of losing all four limbs in a rare and devastating case of sepsis that has shocked the public and prompted fresh warnings about the condition’s rapid onset.
Sudden Collapse at Home Revealed Early Signs of Septic Shock
Manjit Sangha, a 56-year-old former pharmacy worker from the West Midlands, returned home from work in July 2025 feeling unwell. By the next day, her husband Kam found her unconscious on the sofa with blue lips and ice-cold hands and feet — classic signs of septic shock.
She was rushed to New Cross Hospital, where doctors placed her in a medically induced coma as her condition deteriorated at alarming speed. During her time in intensive care, her heart stopped six times and she developed multiple complications, including pneumonia and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a rare disorder that causes abnormal blood clotting and organ damage.
Clinicians believe bacteria entered Sangha’s bloodstream through a small cut or scratch that may have been licked by her dog. While such infections are extremely uncommon, animal saliva can carry organisms capable of causing life-threatening illness if they enter broken skin, particularly when sepsis develops.
Sepsis: A Rapid, Life-Threatening Immune Response That Can Escalate Within Hours
Sepsis () occurs when the body’s immune response to an infection becomes dysregulated, triggering widespread inflammation, organ failure and dangerously low blood pressure. It can progress within hours and is fatal if not treated quickly. Health authorities warn it is life-threatening and often difficult to recognize in its early stages.
According to the UK Sepsis Trust, sepsis is linked to around 50,000 deaths in the UK each year. In adults, possible warning signs include slurred or confused speech, intense shivering or severe muscle pain, shortness of breath, and skin that appears mottled, pale or discolored.
As the infection spread, blood flow to Sangha’s extremities was severely compromised. Surgeons were forced to amputate both legs below the knee and both hands to prevent the infection from killing her. Her spleen was also removed during the course of treatment.
Doctors initially warned her family she might only have days to live. Her husband later recalled the speed of the crisis: one day she was playing with the dog, the next she was in a coma.
Sangha spent more than seven months in hospital, much of it in intensive care, before being discharged earlier this month. She has little memory of the first weeks of her illness and is now undergoing rehabilitation as she adjusts to life with prosthetics.
Her family has launched a fundraising campaign to cover the cost of advanced prosthetic limbs, home adaptations and ongoing therapy.
Despite the trauma, Sangha says she is determined to walk again and return to work. She is also using her experience to raise awareness about sepsis, warning that the condition can escalate from seemingly minor infections.
Experts Urge Precautions While Emphasizing Pet-Related Sepsis Cases Are Rare
Health experts stress that such cases are rare and that pet ownership remains safe for the vast majority of people. However, they advise basic precautions: avoid allowing animals to lick open wounds, clean cuts promptly, and seek urgent medical care for symptoms such as fever, confusion, extreme shivering, breathlessness or mottled skin — all potential signs of sepsis.
The case has reignited public discussion in the UK about early recognition of sepsis, which kills tens of thousands of people annually and can progress rapidly even in previously healthy individuals.
For Sangha, the focus is now on rehabilitation and rebuilding independence. “Losing your limbs in a short time is a very big thing,” she said, adding that her goal is simple: to stand, walk and reclaim her life.
References:
- Sepsis: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prevention – (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12361-sepsis)
Source-Medindia