Imagine waking up to find your puppy chewing on your toe! This may sound like a nightmare, but for David Lindsay, it turned out to be a lifesaving wake-up call. David is the loving owner of Harley, a bulldog whose innocent looks belie his life-saving antics. One day, while David took a nap on the couch, Harley took a bite that would uncover a serious health issue.
David recounted the startling experience, saying, “I was asleep on the couch when my wife walked in and shouted, ‘Dave, the puppy’s chewing your toe!’ My puppy had near enough chewed my big toe off! It chewed down to the bone and cracked it.”
Surprisingly, David didn’t feel a thing during the incident, which was a red flag. “Because of all this, I discovered that my foot is completely numb, I can’t feel anything,” he shared. This alarming lack of sensation prompted him to rush to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where he was treated with intravenous antibiotics to prevent an infection from the bite spreading to his bone.
Further examination at the hospital, including CT scans, revealed that David had not one, but two blocked arteries in his leg. This explained the numbness and indicated a potentially grave risk of amputation if the blood circulation wasn’t restored promptly.
Despite the shocking nature of the event, David feels nothing but gratitude towards his mischievous pup. “He’s done [me] a favour,” David said. He has no intention of parting ways with Harley, affirming, “I’m waiting to find out if they can put stents in. I’ll be keeping the dog.” He even joked about his toe, “I’ll try to keep my toe too, but if not I told the doctor to cut it off and I can take it home for him!”
David’s unexpected ordeal led to more than a week in the hospital, but it ended with him going home to Harley, whose naughty nibble turned out to be a bizarre blessing in disguise. Harley’s chew not only potentially saved David’s leg but also deepened the bond between this man and his bulldog.