An urgent alert has been put out to dog owners as two cases of Alabama Rot have been confirmed by vets since the start of the year. The condition is a life-threatening disease for dogs with no known cause or cure.
Dog owners have been warned to look out for symptoms, which include a skin lesion or sore, with vomiting, no appetite or tiredness, which will followed by kidney failure. Veterinary specialist Anderson Moores, which confirmed the two cases this year, said the lesion commonly appears on the elbow, knee or paw.
The full name for Alabama Rot is CRGV, cutaneous and renal glomerula vasculopathy and is a rare disease with 287 confirmed cases since 2012 and eight recorded in 2022, including several near Bristol. Anderson Moores, which has spent 10 years researching CRGV, said the effects of the disease were often devastating and fatal.
It has alerted dog owners, saying: “We’re advising owners to remain calm but vigilant and seek advice from their local vets if their dog develops any unexplained skin lesions.” Dog breeds which tend to be affected are Labradors, spaniels and Hungarian vizslas, but all breeds are at risk.
Anderson Moores said treatment focuses on the sudden onset of kidney failure, but will only be successful in an estimated 10 per cent of cases. The disease is referred to as Alabama Rot as the first reported cases in the 1980s were connected to a dog racing park in Alabama, with all cases in the US affecting greyhounds.
While the cause of the disease is not yet known, Anderson Moores said diagnosing it is “very difficult”. Research has shown that the CRGV is more common in the winter and spring and with dogs who have been in wooded and muddy areas.
Read next: Bristol Dragons' Den reject Trunki to be sold for millions of pounds
Owners are advised to wash their dogs down with cold water if they have been walking in such areas. If you suspect your dog has Alabama Rot, you should contact your vet immediately.
What is Alabama Rot and what are the symptoms?
The Anderson Moores website says: "Alabama rot is a very rare, potentially life-threatening disease in dogs, causing damage to the blood vessels in the skin and sometimes the kidney. Tiny blood clots form in the blood vessels which blocks them, and in the skin it causes ulceration, but in the kidney, it can lead to severe organ dysfunction (kidney failure).
"Some dogs develop skin sores only, whilst others develop skin sores and kidney failure. Recovery is expected in the former group; however, sadly many dogs that develop kidney failure do not survive because of this disease."
Vets4Pets states there are three common symptoms of CRGV. One of these is skin lesions; appearing as a distinct swelling, a patch of red skin, or open and ulcer like. The second is sore skin, where sores are "not caused by any known injury, commonly found below the elbow or knee".
The last common symptom is kidney failure. Vets4Pets say: "Within two to seven days [there are] outward signs of kidney failure; vomiting, reduced hunger and unusual tiredness."
Read next:
"I paid £160 for Heathrow's secure car park and came back to find my vehicle written off"
"My 'eccentric' aunt duped our whole family for years until she suddenly became ill"
Terrified staff at Bristol Tesco branch 'in tears' after incidents
Castle Park View's affordable housing residents excluded from its 'show-stopping' extras
