You may remember Greg Manteufel as the man who lost all his limbs after he developed a strange infectious disease. In late June this year, he was admitted to the hospital after he developed strange flu-like symptoms. He was immediately put in intensive care after doctors detected a rare bacterium in his bloodstream. Greg lost both his arms and legs and part of his nose due to the infection. And the cause was a seemingly simple lick from his pet dog. But despite the devastating loss, Greg’s love for dogs is unwavering. In an interview, he admitted that he will always love dogs.

The 48-year-old Wisconsin man had contracted Capnocytophaga canimorus, a bacteria found in the saliva of dogs and cats, which can have deadly consequences on humans. It can enter the human body through bites and scratches of the animals. After being licked on the leg by his pet dog, Greg started experiencing serious symptoms such as fever and delirium. Woman Scratched By Cat on Breast Develops Rare Flesh-Eating Disease Called Pyoderma Gangrenosum.

The doctors brought back Greg from the brink of death, but couldn’t manage to save his limbs. In an interview he gave CNN after his scary ordeal, he explains what we went through. "My face was all red and blue, and it started going down the rest of my body," he said. "My arms, my chest, everything was changing colours."

What he thought was just flu, turned out to be a blood infection. While the infection was controlled with the antibiotics, Greg’s body had an unusual response to the infection, which shut down circulation to his limbs and caused gangrene. The surgeons had to amputate parts of his nose and limbs to save his life. US Woman Dies After Being Nipped At By Her New Puppy; Here’s What You Should Know About Capnocytophaga.

Normally, Capnocytophaga is commonly found in the saliva of cats and dogs, but rarely does it lead to such an infection. Dr Silvia Munoz-Price, the doctor who treated Greg, said that usually, the infection takes such devastating proportions only if the person contracted it from another human and rarely from a dog.

Greg recalled telling doctors at Froedtert Hospital: “Just do whatever you have to do to save my life.” But despite his bad experience, Greg holds no ill will towards his pet. “I can’t just stop liking dogs because this happened. I will always love dogs,” he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2018 04:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).