One of the most innocent things in the world—a dog’s lick—may have had incredibly tragic consequences for 56-year-old UK resident Manjit Sangha. Doctors believe she possibly contracted a nearly fatal infection from her pet dog, one that led to a quadruple amputation.
The BBC reported on the unusual case over the weekend. Sangha developed a severe and rapidly progressing bout of sepsis last summer that left her in a coma. Though she did lose her limbs and spleen, she remarkably survived the ordeal and is hopeful about her recovery.
“I want to get walking,” Sangha told the BBC. “I want to get my prosthetics [and] to go back to work.”
A chance lick
According to Sangha’s husband, Kam Sangha, she began to feel sick soon after coming back from work on a Sunday afternoon in late July 2025. By Monday morning, she had become oxygen-deprived and unresponsive. She was rushed to the hospital and placed in the intensive care unit, where her heart stopped at least six times.
It was an acute case of septic shock—a life-threatening drop in blood pressure brought on by extreme, widespread inflammation throughout the body, better known as sepsis. An infection brought on the sepsis, which Sangha may have contracted from something as simple as her dog licking a small open wound or scratch, her doctors told the BBC.
Though doctors were able to stabilize her condition, Sangha experienced other complications, including pneumonia and gallstones. And even as she managed to escape death and gradually improve, the illness would later necessitate the removal of her spleen and a partial amputation of all four limbs.
Finally, however, after 32 weeks hospitalized, Sangha was discharged and returned back home last week.
“It’s difficult to explain the experience,” she said. “Losing your limbs and your hands in a short time period is a very big thing.”
Back on her feet
Though most infections never lead to sepsis, it’s a common and serious health issue. Globally, nearly 50 million people develop sepsis every year, according to the World Health Organization, while 11 million deaths annually are linked to it (roughly 20% of all yearly deaths).
The treatment of sepsis is costly, as is often the post-recovery care of people who survive it. Sangha estimates that it will take tens of thousands of dollars to obtain the advanced prosthetics that will allow her to walk and use her limbs with a high degree of mobility and independence again. To that end, her friends and family have organized a GoFundMe campaign to help rebuild her life, which is currently at £34,005 (around $45,000 USD).
Despite her terrible experience, Sangha is optimistic about the future.
“I’ve sat down in my chair and my bed enough. It’s time to walk now,” she told the BBC.
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