Colchester man has legs amputated after bite from dog

Last month the Gazette revealed how Mark Day, 61, had been in hospital since August after being bitten by the dog.

Mark’s wife Pauline said the Japanese Akita, called Ted, tore her family’s life apart after her brother bought him as a pet for £1,500.

The family had no idea that Ted - who resembled a “giant teddy bear” - was a silent killer with deadly bacteria crawling inside his mouth.

But in July, Pauline’s brother Barry Harris, 46, died at his home three days after Ted snapped at his arm, causing an infection and sending him into cardiac arrest.

And just a month later Ted bit Pauline’s husband Mark, 61, as he walked the dog on the day of Barry’s funeral.

Horrific - Mark’s injuries

Mark has had all his left-hand fingers amputated and has now had both legs amputated due to sepsis caused by Ted’s toxic mouth.

Read more >> 'A dog bite killed my brother... now another means my husband's legs need amputating'

Pauline, from Colchester, said: “They weren’t even attacked. Ted literally just broke the skin on my husband and my brother.

“It was the softest dog, but it had food issues. Whenever it was near food, it was so aggressive.

“We think it was mistreated as a puppy.”

Mark has now returned home following the operation. Picture: SWNS

Doctors told Pauline that Mark’s condition was “100 per cent” due to a bacterial infection from a dog.

Mark, a builder, was left needing months of treatment in hospital.

Pauline said: “It’s like something out of a nightmare. You just don’t believe this has happened.

“The shock of my brother was one thing and then my husband. It’s just surreal.”

Pauline had Ted put down on the same day that doctors said that Mark’s condition was due to bacteria from a dog.

She also checked the paperwork that Ted’s owner gave to Barry when he bought the dog earlier this year and found that he had no vaccination history.