WISCONSIN – A man lost both of his legs from something that seems so common -- being licked by a dog.
Just one month ago, Greg Manteufel of Wisconsin was a long way from a hospital bed. Then, he got sick from bacteria found in his dog's saliva.
Dawn Manteufel says her husband was perfectly healthy. But what they initially thought was the flu, landed Greg in the emergency room.
"It hit him with a vengeance. bruising all over him. looked like someone beat him up with a baseball bat," said Dawn.
She says life as they knew it changed forever.
Blood tests revealed an infection caused by the bacteria -- Capnocytophaga.
"It took a week and they were taking his legs," said Dawn
The infection very likely entered Greg's system by something so common: getting licked by a dog, probably his own.
"This infection in his blood triggered a very severe response in his body," said Silvia Munoz-Price, an infectious disease specialist with Froedtert & MCW.
That response caused Greg's blood pressure to drop, and the circulation in his limbs to decrease rapidly.
"Sometimes it decreases so much that the arms and legs just die," said Munoz-Price.
"We can't wrap our heads around it that all of the sudden, he's 48 years old and been around dogs all of his life and this happens," said Dawn.
Still, the Manteufels are looking at what wasn't taken away.
"He kept just saying, 'take what you need, but keep me alive.' and they did -- surprisingly enough, they did do it," said Dawn.
Doctors say Greg's case is simply a fluke.
"More than 99 percent of the people that have dogs will never have this issue. It's just chance," said Munoz-Price.
The family has raised more than $20,000 to help out with Greg's recovery.