Pet owners are being warned to spot the signs of Alabama Rot after the deadly disease took the life of Marnie the six-year-old Hungarian Vizsla in Berkshire. Also known as cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), Alabama Rot is an extremely rare disease which claims the lives of 90 percent of infected dogs.
The caution comes after a three-year-old Labrador sadly died last month, marking two deaths already in 2023. Marnie's owner, Sabina Richardson, wants to highlight the early symptoms of the canine disease, including sores on paws, to ensure other pet parents are fully aware of the warning signs of CRGV.
Sabina told the Mirror: "Marnie's first symptoms were sores on her paws which then began to spread onto her legs. She also stopped eating and started to vomit.
"We took her to local vets who gave her antibiotics but she couldn't keep the tablets down and continued to deteriorate.
"By this point, we were very concerned and visited another vets, who said they feared it was Alabama Rot.
"They gave Marnie an injection of antibiotics and took blood tests which confirmed her kidneys were failing.
"That was such a shock and it was really tough when we finally had to make the heart-breaking decision to put her to sleep."
The anguish was all the more acute as a dog belonging to Sabina's partner, a two-year-old whippet called Goose, had shown similar symptoms but, thankfully, survived.
Sabina added: "Goose had very similar sores that were oozing puss and had the same sort of treatment but he survived and is absolutely fine now.
"It's so hard to understand. We keep going over it all and trying to identify where they could have come in touch with such a rare disease.
"We have re-traced our walks and can't think of anywhere we went that was unusual.
"Everyone in the village tends to walk their dogs in the same spots so it's baffling how there haven't been more cases."
Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists has been leading research since 2012 and confirmed the latest case, which is the second in the county in the past six weeks.
Josh Walker, from Anderson Moores, told the Mirror: "There were 11 cases recorded across the UK in 2022, so to report two deaths in Berkshire in a six-week period is unusual.
"However, I must emphasise this is a very rare disease and we're advising dog owners to remain calm but vigilant and seek advice from their vet if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions.
"Treatment largely revolves around management of the sudden onset kidney failure and is only successful in around 10 per cent of cases."
Josh advises pet owners to use the veterinary specialists' bespoke online map to see the exact location of confirmed cases in the UK.
Do you have a dog story to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
