• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Woman who had arms and legs amputated after dog licked her speaks out about ‘challenging’ time

Home> News> US News

Published 14:20 1 Sep 2024 GMT+1

Woman who had arms and legs amputated after dog licked her speaks out about ‘challenging’ time

Marie Trainer had her arms and legs amputated after contracting a rare infection found in dog saliva

Kit Roberts

Kit Roberts

Being licked by a dog might be a common occurrence for pet owners, but for one woman it had dire consequences.

Marie Trainer from Stark County, Ohio had just returned home from a vacation in 2019 with a small cut on her hand.

Marie had to have all four limbs amputated (Marie Trainer)
Marie had to have all four limbs amputated (Marie Trainer)

She didn't think anything of it when her dog welcomed her home with kisses, but things soon took a turn for the worse when she fell sick.

Advert

Marie continued to get worse, telling FOX: “Four days later I wasn’t feeling well and just got sicker and sicker."

Believing it was a severe case of the flu, her husband Matt Trainer rushed her to hospital.

Medics were left at a loss as Marie entered a coma, and realised that it was not flu at all.

Eventually, Marie was diagnosed with a condition called capnocytophaga canimorsus.

Advert

This is a bacteria which is found in the saliva of dogs and cats and which triggers a severe immune response in the body.

The condition made Marie's limbs necrotise (Marie Trainer)
The condition made Marie's limbs necrotise (Marie Trainer)

That can lead to serious blood clots which then cut off circulation to the limbs calling them to become necrotic.

This is where the tissue simply starts dying on the body, and often means that amputation is urgently required to prevent the condition spreading.

Advert

In Marie's case, it required all four of her limbs to be amputated to contain the infection.

Since then, Marie has been undergoing rehabilitative therapy, including the use of prosthetic limbs.

She said: “It’s been challenging. Learning how to walk was the hardest thing, but I’m good, I’m doing good.”

Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Ajay Seth praised the progress that Marie has made since she became ill.

Advert

Marie has since been undergoing rehabilitative therapy (Marie Trainer)
Marie has since been undergoing rehabilitative therapy (Marie Trainer)

He said: “To see the progress she’s made in five years it’s like miraculous, it’s unbelievable how far she’s come.

“And every time I see her she’s got that smile, not many people could do that.”

Matt has also been blown away by her progress, saying: “When I see her walk it’s like, ‘Oh my God this is amazing.

Advert

“We see the light at the end of the tunnel, we just adjust what we have to do, it just takes more planning when we want to do something.”

In addition to prosthetic legs, Marie has also been fitted for myoelectric protheses, which allow her to pick up and grip things with a thought.

And she had priorities when it came to using her new hands, saying: “So, the first thing I did was held Matts hand because I hadn’t done that in a while."

She went on to say how many people had been there for her over the years, saying: “Especially my husband, Oh gosh I don’t know what I would do without him. I love him more and more every day!”

Featured Image Credit: Marie Trainer

Topics: Health, News, US News, Science, Technology

Kit Roberts
Kit Roberts

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
9 hours ago
10 hours ago
11 hours ago
  • 6 hours ago

    Amazon Prime series with near-perfect RT score is labeled 'one of the best' by Stephen King

    The series starring Titus Welliver has been branded 'one of the most underrated TV shows'

    Film & TV
  • 9 hours ago

    People horrified after hearing tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s ‘sociopathic’ response about the future of humanity

    People have been creeped out by how he answered a simple question

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Doctor issues warning over hidden symptoms of Lyme disease as tick bites near record highs in US states

    Parts of the US have seen a sudden uptick in tick bites

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    ‘World’s top couple’s therapist’ reveals the one surprising behavior in people’s relationships that ‘scares her’

    The psychologist said this one thing in other couples doesn't seem real

    News
  • Man had his arms and legs amputated after routine operation took life-threatening turn
  • Man had both legs amputated after burning thumb on skillet during camping trip
  • Friend who found Idaho murder victims’ bodies speaks out for the first time
  • Woman had to have all four limbs amputated after eating common fish