Crippling infection from a dog bite

Dog park visit ends with amputated fingers
Dog saliva bacteria infects some; without treatment septic shock can occur.
Jan. 4, 2013 8:26 a.m.
By DAVID WHITING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Petting Adrian Thomas' black-and-white terrier, Oreo, it's impossible to think this brown-eyed bundle of fur could have anything to do with trouble.
But when it comes to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls "emerging infectious diseases," it turns out that trouble hides in the mouths of our pets.

Six months ago, Thomas, 54, rode bikes and took Oreo on walks, sometimes to dog parks.
On May 26 at Irvine Dog Bark, Oreo was attacked by a bigger dog. Thomas tried to pry off the dog. He says the big dog bit his finger.
It was then that something common in animal saliva called "capnocytophaga canimorsus" silently started stealing Thomas' body.


http://www.ocregister.com/articles/thomas-382180-dog-says.html

Scary stuff. No mention is made if this was preventable had it been diagnosed sooner. I wonder.