56-year-old U.K. woman Manjit Sangha shared a scary but important reminder after finally being released from the hospital following a 32-week stay. Her message: don’t let your dog give you kisses.
Sangha went from playing with her dog, Simba, to being found unconscious just a few days later. As she explained to the BBC, doctors diagnosed her with septic shock and had to amputate her legs and hands. As shocking as it sounds, they suspected that the serious medical complications that brought her to the brink of death were actually caused by Simba doing something every dog does.
Doctors think that Sangha developed sepsis after her dog licked a scratch on her body.
According to a GoFundMe organized by her family, Sangha’s husband, Kam, found her unconscious on the couch on July 14, 2025. Recalling the horrifying ordeal, Kam said, “One minute on a Saturday she’s playing with the dog, Sunday she’s gone to work, Monday night she’s in a coma.”
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Doctors had their work cut out for them with Sangha. While being treated in the ICU, she went into cardiac arrest six different times. Eventually, her condition became so severe that her care team had no choice other than to amputate both of her legs below the knees, as well as her hands. They removed her spleen as well.
Naturally, everyone wanted to know how Sangha had ended up in such a bad state. The only explanation doctors could find was that Simba must have licked a small scratch she had at some point, which is how the sepsis began.
The woman’s doctors weren’t sure she would survive, but she made a miraculous recovery.
Kam said that it’s been hard to watch his wife go through so much, but he’s grateful that she pulled through. “She’s so strong,” he said. “Every day was like ‘she’s going to go today,’ but she proved us wrong every single day with what she’s been through.”
Sangha revealed that she doesn’t actually remember anything that happened during the first month she was hospitalized. When asked about the challenges she faced, she said, “It’s difficult to explain the experience. Losing your limbs and your hands in a short time period is a very big thing. It’s very serious and not to be taken lightly.”
With the seemingly innocuous way she developed sepsis, Sangha warned that “it could happen to anybody.” Now, her family is raising money to help with her recovery. With a £90,000 fundraising goal on their GoFundMe, they hope to secure the funds to allow her to get advanced prosthetics that would give her more independence. So far, they have raised £36,390.
Sepsis is serious, but how can someone possibly get it from a dog?
According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, sepsis “occurs when an infection triggers an extreme chain reaction throughout the body, leading to tissue damage, organ failure, and even death if not treated quickly.” Usually, sepsis stems from an infection like pneumonia or the flu. Obviously, it is not typically caused by dogs.
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The CDC noted that the majority of people who spend time with dogs or cats are not going to get seriously ill, but it isn’t completely impossible. Apparently, these pets carry a group of bacteria in their mouths called Capnocytophaga. This could create an infection if someone was bitten by the animal or its saliva got into an open wound on their body. Though not common, it’s especially problematic for people who have a weakened immune system.
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases estimated that about 1.7 million adults develop sepsis annually in the U.S., and about 350,000 do not survive. This is a dangerous and deadly disease, but it’s one that’s far from most people’s minds. Unless you’ve had a direct experience with sepsis, you’re probably not actively thinking about it.
Sangha’s story demonstrates just how easy it is to become violently ill. This isn’t the norm, and we shouldn’t all give up our dogs because of it, but it is a sobering thought.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
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