53-year-old woman dies of rare infection after getting bitten by German Shepherd

A 53-year woman in Australia died of a rare kidney and liver infection after she was bitten by a friend’s German Shepherd.

A Perth Now report said that the woman-identified as Tracy Ridout- was bitten by a young German Shepherd and on consulting a doctor, she was told that there was nothing to worry about. But a week later, the woman started to suffer from severe pain and needed to be hospitalised.

“It was not vicious or anything, she was playing with the dog and accidentally bit her finger instead of the toy. She didn’t think anything of it just bandaged it up,” Ridout’s daughter Sophie said.

After the woman was taken to the hospital, she was informed by the doctors that her infection-identified as Capnocytophaga canimorsus– had spread to her kidney and liver. Her condition eventually worsened and she was placed in an induced coma.

On August 25, the woman’s family was informed by the doctors that they could not anything more to improve her condition.

They also informed Ridout’s daughter that her mother could have been saved had they had hospitalised her earlier and given her the necessary treatment.

“This disease is apparently extremely rare, especially for it to get as bad as it did. One of the specialists said to us, it was the second time he’s ever seen it,” Sophie said.

Also read: 11-year-old girl diagnosed with world’s most painful disease: ‘Battle with her body’