For Gary Daltrey, a West Highland Terrier called Billy is more than just a pet – he’s his “best mate”. But in May 2024, a harmless game of fetch with the dog he named after Billy Idol nearly cost him his life…
He’s sharing his story now to help raise awareness about the importance of getting antibiotics if you get bitten by a pet, and not simply relying on having a Tetanus jab.
The bite incident happened on 9th May 2024. “It wasn’t a vicious bite,” Gary explained. “We were playing ball and went for a tennis ball at the same time, and he just caught the back of my hand. I put Germolene on it and thought nothing more of it.”
The next day, Gary went to work as usual, driving around for his job as a security systems engineer. But by the 11th May, he was seriously unwell. “I had diarrhoea, sickness, projectile vomiting… my wife said I was screaming and calling for help,” he recalled.
When he woke on the morning of 12th May covered in purple blotches, his wife, Susan Coker, insisted they go to hospital.
“I could hardly stand, but I told her it was just a bug,” Gary said. “I’ll never forget that she was the one who said, ‘No, you’re going to hospital.’”
“We were always close, but this made us stronger. I’m just grateful my wife got me to hospital in time. If she hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” he added.
After going through A&E, Gary was taken straight into resuscitation before being admitted to intensive care. He remembers nothing from the next two to three days.
He was transferred to a second hospital, where he received further treatment.
“When I came round, I was on kidney dialysis,” he said. “That’s when they told me I had sepsis. They called it an infection of the blood.”
The gravity of his illness only became clear to him later.
“The Sunday I went into hospital, the doctors told my wife they didn’t think I was going to make it. By the 14th May, they said to prepare herself for the worst.”
Although Gary pulled through, sepsis left lasting damage.
“They said I was going to lose my hands,” he said. “Luckily enough, I only lost half of my fingers and some of my toes.”
On 18th July 2024, surgeons amputated the three middle fingers on his left hand to the middle knuckle, leaving him with his thumb and little finger. Then, a second operation on 10th August 2024 removed the three middle fingers from his right hand to the middle knuckle, along with his right big toe, and he lost several toenails as well. He now has phantom limb pain, describing the sensation “like my hands are in buckets of ice”, though it lessens when he’s busy at work.
“I felt paranoid at first when my fingers went black – it was like frostbite. I didn’t want people looking at me,” he said. “But now I’ve adapted to everything. I can still use drills, I’ve had my motorbike modified so I can reach the clutch, and I still do my job – people say I’m an inspiration.”
Gary admits he had never heard of sepsis before. “One of my friends’ wives had it, but I never took any notice or read up on it,” he said.
In terms of his message to others, Gary says: “If you ever get bitten by a dog, go to hospital and get antibiotics – don’t rely on a tetanus jab.”
And as for Billy?
“All the doctors and nurses asked if I was going to get rid of him, but no – I wasn’t. He’s my best mate. When I get back from working away, he’s all over me. I just don’t let him lick me anymore,” Gary laughed.
