Family told to prepare for Baldivis mother's death after contracting rare infection from dog bite

A Baldivis mother is in an induced coma after contracting an extremely rare bacterial infection from a dog bite.

Tracy Ridout, 53, was looking after a friend's German Shepard when it accidently bit her on the finger instead of a toy they were playing with.

After a week of continuous pain she drove herself to Rockingham Hospital on August 18 where doctors told her she had contracted Capnocytophaga canimorsus and the infection had spread to her kidneys, liver and blood. 

Ms Ridout was then transferred to Fiona Stanley Hospital where she rapidly deteriorated and was placed in an induced coma.

“Because she’s waited a long period of time as she did not know about the dog bite causing this, it has also put her in septic shock – so mostly all of her body has gotten infected at this point," Ms Ridout's daughter Sophie Ridout told 9News.

Seven days later, doctors told the family there was nothing else they could do and they will "make her comfortable" until they are ready to "let her go". 

"I've gone through shock, um I've just broken down crying, I've also just thought no this isn't happening this isn't real," Sophie told 9News.

Sophie has created a GoFundMe page to help pay for her mother's funeral costs and medical bills.

Doctors are urging anyone who receives a dog or cat bite to get it looked at as soon as possible.