Both a grandad’s legs had to be amputated after his dog bit him and caused sepsis – a month after killing his brother-in-law the same way.
Mark Day, 62, took in American akita Ted after brother-in-law Barry Harris died of a cardiac arrest.
He had no idea a bite from the dog had killed Barry, 46, brother of his wife Pauline, 62.
Ted bit Mark on a walk on the morning of Barry’s funeral.
Mark’s legs soon felt like “blocks of ice” and his temperature hit 39C.
He suffered multiple organ failure. Blood tests confirmed the sepsis had been caused by bacteria from Ted.
The dog was put down that day, on a doctor’s orders.
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It was only then that the family made the connection between Ted biting Barry and his death three days later.
The ground worker had bought the 15-month-old dog via Facebook from a London seller seven weeks beforehand. After the bite, inflicted as Barry tried to prise a bone out of Ted’s mouth, he fell ill with cold sweats and headaches. He died at home.
Builder Mark awoke in hospital after a 10-day coma to a horrifying sight.
He said: “My feet were black almost a third of the way up. I didn’t know whether it was going to keep coming up my body.”
A six-hour amputation on November 2 left him with 8in stumps.
He also lost all of the digits on his left hand and two fingers from his right.
He was discharged last week after 82 days in hospital and is hoping to get his first prosthetic legs within six months.
Mark, of Colchester, Essex, said: “I’m fairly pragmatic. It is what it is.
“There are things I want to do still. I want to take my granddaughter for a walk and... go fishing.”
Mark plans to get a puppy – and says he will make sure it gets all necessary injections.
