She Fell Asleep on Her Sofa, Woke Up With No Arms, Legs

Ohio woman contracted serious infection believed to have come from dog lick
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 1, 2019 9:15 AM CDT
She Fell Asleep on Her Sofa, Woke Up With No Arms, Legs
Marie Trainer is seen in this GoFundMe photo.   (GoFundMe)

A small cut on an Ohio woman's arm and a friendly lick from her dog led to what a GoFundMe campaign calls a "perfect storm"—and to the amputation of all her limbs. Stark County salon owner Marie Trainer's ordeal began May 10, when WJW reports Trainer didn't feel well and went to lie down on the couch. She woke up from a coma 10 days later with both of her arms and both of her legs partially amputated. Her family initially suspected she had the flu, but when her temperature started wildly fluctuating, Trainer was rushed to the hospital. Despite aggressive treatment, she started developing sepsis and her limbs developed gangrene. To save her life, doctors were forced to amputate all of her limbs.

Hospital tests soon pinpointed the issue: capnocytophaga, a bacteria found in the saliva of dogs and cats that doesn't adversely affect the animals but can, in rare cases, spread to humans. The family thinks one of its two dogs must have licked Trainer's arm, where she had a tiny scrape. Trainer spent a total of 80 days in the hospital, and her son tells the Alliance Review his mom is "ready to get moving forward with therapy and the new process of being able to try to walk again with prosthetics." The family says it has no intention of getting rid of the dogs, and the CDC stresses "most people who have contact with a dog or cat do not become sick." Just be on the lookout for any redness or infection after playing with an animal or being bit by one, and go on antibiotics if you suffer a bite. The GoFundMe campaign has brought in $10,000 as of Thursday morning. (More infection stories.)

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