Owner explained how bulldog puppy ‘saved his life’ after chewing his toe to the bone while he was asleep

A lot of people would be livid if their afternoon nap was disturbed by their new dog gnawing on their big toe.

But this bloke’s bulldog puppy really did him a favour when he sunk his teeth into one of his digits, as the animal inadvertently saved his life.

Dave Lindsay, 65, explained he was having a little snooze on the sofa in his living room when his wife burst in the room and began screaming.

The retired builder was still half-asleep at this point and hadn’t noticed that anything was awry, until his other half urged him to look down at his feet.

He then realised that his pup, named Harley, had been munching on his toes – to the point that they were covered in blood and one had been fractured.

Dave, from Cambridge, explained: “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.”

Dave Lindsay’s dog inadvertently saved his life by chewing on his big toe (SWNS)

You would think that this level of pain might have stirred the father-of-five from his slumber, however, he didn’t feel a thing.

After rushing himself to Addenbrooke’s Hospital following the incident in 2023, medics broke some shocking news to the dad.

Dave explained: “Because of all this, I discovered that my foot is completely numb, I can’t feel anything.”

He was given intravenous antibiotics to stop any potential infection from the dog bite spreading to his bone, before he then underwent CT scans to assess the damage to his fractured toe.

Doctors then discovered that Dave had two blocked arteries in his leg, which is why it had gone numb.

According to the NHS, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common condition ‘where a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries restricts blood supply to leg muscles’.

A lot of people who suffer from PAD display no symptoms, however, some can experience a painful ache in their legs when they walk which usually fades away after a few minutes.

The puppy, named Harley, was hailed as a hero (SWNS)

Other symptoms include hair loss on your lower body, numbness or weakness in the legs, brittle, slow-growing toenails, muscle wastage and ulcers which do not heal.

Dave was informed that he risked losing his leg if the blood supply was not returned – so Harley’s timing for the toe chewing was spot on.

Specialists hoped that the pet owner could have stents fitted, which would open up the arteries and allow the blood flow to return to his leg.

Speaking of his heroic dog, who was just seven-months-old at the time, the former construction worker said: “You’ve got to laugh about it. He’s done me a favour by chewing my toe.

“So I’m waiting to find out if they can put stents in.

“I’ll be keeping the dog. 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 [Harley]!”

Dave remained in hospital for over a week before he was discharged and allowed to head home to his heroic dog.

I guess Harley’s bite was bigger than his bark in this case, eh?