West Bend man's legs and hands amputated, possibly due to contact with dog

WEST BEND, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A man’s medical mystery leads to several amputations, and doctors tell the family it may have started because of contact with a dog.

Greg Manteufel of West Bend lost both legs and both hands last month.

His wife, Dawn, says he appeared to have a simple flu, but his symptoms worsened. He had severe bruising and swelling.

Doctors told them Manteufel was having complications from an infection that was later discovered to have come from a bacteria called capnocytophaga found in dog saliva.

Dawn says what happened to her husband was a fluke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, capnocytophaga rarely will be spread to humans through bites, scratches or close contact and cause illness. The CDC says most people who have contact with dogs will not become sick, but those with weakened immune systems who have difficulty fighting infection are at greater risk.

“[Greg] doesn’t want anybody to think he doesn’t love dogs anymore,” Dawn said. “ He loves his dog. He wants to see his dog. It’s not the dog's fault. It was just some crazy thing that happened.”

Manteufel remains in the hospital recovering from multiple surgeries.

Dawn says they hope with prosthetic technology, Greg will be able to ride his motorcycle again.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Manteufels. If you’d like to help, click here.