A Manchester man lost both of his legs and all of the fingers on one of his hands after a tiny cut he sustained whilst playing with his dog became infected.
Jaco Nel was messing around with his dog, Harvey, when the dog nicked him and gave him a small cut.
At the time he didn't think anything of it and washed his hands shortly afterwards, but then he started to develop worrying symptoms a few weeks later.
He had been infected with bacteria from his dog's spit and eventually developed sepsis, which led to him losing his legs and fingers.
He said: "It was my own dog, we had been playing a bit rough and he nicked my hand. It was tiny. I cleaned it and forgot about it.
"It was never infected locally or anything like that."
Jaco continued to go about his job as a psychiatrist, but some weeks later developed flu like symptoms and was forced to go home to his bed.
He continued: "I started to feel hot and cold. I was shivering yet I could not get warm.
"My whole body was aching. I thought it was the flu so I went home to bed. I texted my partner and said I had the flu and was going to bed.
"The next day I was very ill and confused. I wasn't able to ring work and that's when my secretary started to worry.
"I don't even remember the phone ringing. When my partner Michael got home after work I couldn't stand up, my hands didn't work properly and I struggled to speak.
"That's when he called the paramedics and I was taken to hospital."
When the ambulance arrived they spotted that Jaco was covered in red blotches - a key indicator of sepsis. They rushed him to the hospital and gave him a course of antibiotics immediately.
He was in such a bad way that he collapsed and was put into an induced coma at the hospital. It turned out that he had gone into septic shock, which has around a 20% chance of survival.
His kidneys began to fail and he developed gangrene. His legs also began to turn black.
He added: "I was lying there in hospital looking at my black, gangrenous legs and fingers. Looking down I knew I was going to lose everything. I could tell the tissue was dead.
"Even though the doctors had played it down, I knew how severe it was."
Several months later he had his legs and fingers amputated. He has also had to undergo facial reconstructive surgery as a result of the gangrene.
He still lives independently and has learnt to walk again on his prosthetic legs. However, he is still struggling to come to terms with his facial disfigurement.
He said: "I am very reluctant to go out because I am so self-conscious,
"While it hasn't stopped me completely from living independently, it has damaged my confidence.
"The hardest part has been accepting that I am now disfigured and that there is nothing I can do about it."
Harvey the dog was found to have dangerous bacteria in his mouth. This meant that he unfortunately had to be put down.
"It was very sad but we were worried about the dog infecting someone else,
"Luckily he was an older dog and was coming towards the end of his life.
"There were times when I was very angry and I blamed him, but it was still very sad for us. The bacteria was just bad luck."
Despite his setbacks, he remains positive about his situation.
He says: "My friendships have become much stronger as a result of what happened to me.
"To see how much my friends and family cared for me was a positive. I have realised I have a lot of inner strength because of what I have been through.
"I think I have a lot more to give to my patients in terms of empathy and understanding. I know what it's like to be close to death and to have a disability.
"There's something in me that I need to share and help people. I hope to eventually show people it is possible to overcome so much in life."
Featured Image Credit: MEN MediaTopics: bite, Dog, UK News, Animal, Manchester, Animals