A Dog can Lead You To Death Also

Robin Sullins, 48, has spent nearly a month in intensive care since she contracted a rare infection from a small dog bite on Christmas Day.

Sullins, a mother-of-four, was infected with capnocytophaga canimorsus. The bacteria, found is about a third of cats and dogs, rarely harms humans.

Sullins’ loving family has been by her bedside nearly everyday. Some family members have even stopped working to be with her, Angi Sullins said.

A Texas mother-of-four is fighting for her life after she contracted a rare infection that required the amputation of her legs and fingers from a small dog bite.

Robin Sullins, 48, has spent nearly a month in intensive care since she was bitten on the finger trying to break up a spat between her family's dogs on Christmas Day.

Two days after the incident, the avid dog lover was rushed to the emergency room with a high fever, vomiting and chills.

"She immediately went down hard," Sullins' sister, Angi Sullins, told the Daily News. "Her body started turning black and blue. Her kidneys shut down. All of her vitals plummeted."

She was quickly transferred to the University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin, where doctors struggled to determine why Robin had fallen so dangerously ill.

"They knew there was this unusual bacteria in her bloodstream," Dr. Kristin Mondy, an infectious disease specialist who is treating Robin, told MyFoxAustin.com. "The lab had trouble identifying it."

Doctors eventually determined that Robin was infected with capnocytophaga canimorsus, a usually harmless bacteria found in about a third of dogs and cats.

Robin's infection was so severe that doctors were forced to amputate both her legs and many of her fingers to curb its spread.

She has been on and off of life support ever since and in intense pain, Angi told the News, adding that the last few weeks have been "touch-and-go."

Doctors have not been able to provide a concrete prognosis. They have also not said whether she will regain use of her kidneys.

"They're taking it day by day and playing their cards close to their chest," Angi said.

The family, meanwhile, has been by Robin's bedside every day. They have also created a website to raise money for the cost of her medical care as Robin was out of work when she was bitten.

"The family is full of hope," Angi said. "We believe in her spirit. We believe in her heart. And that is what is going to carry her through."