Healthy man, 63, was licked by his dog and died within weeks

The 63-year-old man showed up in the hospital with a burning sensation in his left leg and muscle pain in both. His flu-like symptoms were severe, with labored breathing for three days. He had petechiae, or rounds spots on the skin that look like rashes as a result of bleeding capillaries, which made his legs look discolored.

The patient’s heartbeat was stable, doctors said, even though he had a temperature of 102. His belabored breathing caused inadequate oxygen supply. His failing kidneys were not producing urine. But doctors had no idea whatwas wrongwith him. They suspected some kind of bacteria, but he didn’t have open wounds.

It wasn’t until his fourth day in the hospital that a blood test revealed the man had a type of bacteria found in the saliva of healthy dogs and cats, usually only transmitted to humans if they are bitten. But the German man died after 16 days of care, doctors said, because his dog licked him.

A paper published in the European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine details how an otherwise healthy man lost his life within weeks of being infected by bacteria found in his dog’s saliva.

Researchers noted that C. canimorsus infections are rare with a range of symptoms. Most patients who have had severe or fatal infections from the bacteria have had immune, spleen or alcohol abuse issues, they wrote. But this patient’s medical history didn’t indicate any such ailments.

Researchers warn dog and cat owners who experience flu-like symptoms to quickly find medical care when symptoms surpass what’s normal of a viral infection. About 25% of people with C. canimorsus die, the paper said.