PET owners have been warned of the deadly consequences of letting their pets lick them after a dad-of-two tragically died.
Craig Jones was rushed to hospital with a life-threatening condition he caught from his dog’s saliva.
The 49-year-old’s wife found him purple and cold before medics arrived.
After suffering six cardiac arrests, his body was unable to respond to treatment and he shockingly died of organ failure.
Subsequent tests have found that Mr Jones was suffering from a sepsis-related condition and linked the infection to one commonly carried by dogs.
The terrifying events unfolded shortly after his pet beagle licked an open wound on his leg in December 2022.
Mr Jones’ gash was a result of his severe psoriasis, a skin condition that often causes scaly patches, cuts and open sores.
The long-lasting diagnosis is caused by the body’s immune system attacking healthy skin cells.
When the “affectionate” dog’s tongue came into contact with Mr Jones, it is thought the lethal pathogen entered his bloodstream.
A coroner has since warned of the dangers that come with allowing a pet to lick wounds.
The inquest heard from a consultant microbiologist who revealed the “extremely rare” infection occurs in around one per million people.
Dr Eoghan O’Neill said: “It’s a very progressive bug which has a 33 per cent mortality rate once it enters the bloodstream.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Signs and symptoms of sepsis explained” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6349178932112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Mr Jones’ condition meant that his immune system may have been suppressed making him even more vulnerable to infection.
Aged 24, he had his spleen, an organ responsible for removing pathogens, removed.
However, his family described him as “fit as a fiddle” and a keen runner.
Coroner Cróna Gallagher found that the sepsis Mr Jones died from was a result of an infection which could have been transmitted by the family pet.
She went on to urge others to take care by observing “good hygiene” around animals.
It follows an inquest ruling the death of a teenage after an emergency call handler failed to spot the tell-tale signs of sepsis.
Cyrus Perry was just 17 when he waited eight hours for a call back from NHS 111.
After the tragedy, his mum Hayley had revealed she felt let down by the system. /im
