Roughly a week after a man said he’d had his hands and legs amputated because of a bacterial infection linked to a dog’s saliva, a Wisconsin woman’s family has come forward with a similar story. They say she developed the same infection and it killed her.
The woman’s husband told WTMJ-TV’s Katie Crowther he’s still in shock after his wife’s sudden death.
Sharon Larson died at the end of June after their new puppy “Bo” nipped at her, causing a small cut.
Her husband Dan Larson said she developed severe flu-like systems and died in hospital two days later, WTMJ-TV reports.
She was just 58 years old.
Doctors said she had tested positive for Capnocytophaga.
“I was told she could get struck by lightning four times and live, win the lottery twice,” Dan told Crowther. “That’s how rare this is supposed to be.”
WATCH: Should you let your dog lick your face?
Capnocytophaga is a bacteria that dogs or cats can spread to humans through close contact – such as a bite or lick.
Illness is rare, but when it occurs, symptoms will show up within three to five days, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Long-term side effects can include gangrene, heart attack and kidney failure. In some cases, as with Larsen, an infection can even be deadly.
Dan said doctors put his wife on antibiotics, but they “didn’t do anything.”
“I feel like I got robbed. Lost my right arm. My best friend,” he told WTMJ-TV.
Earlier this month, Wisconsin man Greg Manteufel told reporters he developed Capnocytophaga from a dog’s lick. Manteufel said a week after his diagnosis, doctors had to amputate both his hands and legs.
Larson’s family is urging people to be cautious around their pets.
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