A man nearly lost his leg after he caught blood poisoning and a flesh-eating infection from a tiny scratch – caused by his PUPPY.
Chris Longley, 29, was playing with six-month-old pet Wolfie in the park when the pooch accidentally scraped his claw along his shin.
The dog lover didn’t even notice the little scratch until he got home, but after just 24 hours it started to ache and his leg muscle started to spasm.
Just a day later he was admitted to hospital with a severe skin infection and septicaemia after bacteria in the scratch caused NECROSIS of the tissue in his leg.
Doctors warned that any further delay in seeking medical attention could have resulted in him losing his leg – or even DYING from severe blood poisoning.
Married Chris, who was off work for a month thanks to his German Shepherd pup, said: “I ended up being in hospital for a week and off work for a month – and all for a little scratch from a lovely puppy.
“At first I felt a bit silly, but the doctors took it very seriously.
“They said if I hadn’t come into hospital when I did it could have been very, very serious.
“Worst case scenario could have been death due to the blood poisoning and necrosis, but ultimately losing a leg was quite a likely outcome if I had left it for a week.
“It could very easily got gangrenous and I could have lost the bottom of my leg.”
Software development manager Chris and his wife Jen, 32, from Reading, got Wolfie in June and he scratched him on his left shin while taking a Sunday walk in October.
Chris didn’t even realise until he got home and spotted a four-inch red line on his leg, which he thought nothing more of.
But a day later it started to ache and he was sent home from work on Monday when his leg started to spasm and he felt week.
NHS walk-in centre staff directed him towards the accident and emergency department at Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Chris – who by this time was finding it difficult to stay awake due to the poison travelling through his blood – was given super-strength antibiotics.
But after two days the infection had started to spread and tissue at the scratch site on his left leg turned BLACK as the cells started to die.
Surgeons – who were worried it would reach the bone – rushed him in for emergency surgery to cut the flesh from his leg.
But during surgery Chris had a bad reaction to the anaesthetic and his blood pressure dropped dangerously low.
Thankfully he pulled through, and was kept in hospital for a week, before three more weeks of rest at home.
Relieved Chris said: “I was wearing shorts because it was nice out and we were just playing around and he just caught me with his front law.
“It was a bit red when I got back, but I didn’t think anything of it.
“A day later it started to get redder but I thought it would just got better on its own.
“But at work they sent me home at lunch to get it looked at.
“It was red and angry and it was getting hot and my calf was quite tough, but at that point I still thought it would be fine.
“Once I got to A and E I wasn’t responding very well.
“I was very feverish and very quiet and I was getting tired.
“I was put on two IV antibiotics and admitted, but after two days they decided I should have an operation to get ride of the necrotising tissue.
“It’s quite disgusting – they had to cut an extra two or three millimetres around the black bits and then they had to cut down to get into it.”
Chris’ skin had also started to “bubble” and they had to lift the skin to clean underneath.
He returned home on strong painkillers and antibiotics to see Wolfie, who was unaware of the damage he had caused.
Chris, who has been left with a big scar, said: “I don’t blame Wolfie – he didn’t even know what he was doing – but things might have been a bit different had a lost a leg!”
