Dog owners have been urged to "stay vigilant" in a warning from vets about the deadly Alabama Rot disease as more cases are recorded across the country.
Veterinary Specialists at Anderson Moores have told owners to seek advice from their local vets if their dogs develop "unexplained skin lesions".
The warning comes after a couple in Berkshire were left heartbroken when their beloved dog died after contracting the disease — which is also known as cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV)
Three-year-old Grace was "fit" and "powerful" before she rapidly deteriorated after owners Simone and Sara Meloni found a lump on her chest.
Simone told BerkshireLive: “Grace was like a daughter to us, so it isn’t easy to accept she’s gone and gone so suddenly and tragically. She was young, only three years old, she was fit and she was powerful but this is such a dangerous disease and everything happens so fast.
“One morning she was a little bit lame and while we were brushing and combing her we discovered a lump on her chest which was very sore.
"We took her straight to our local vets and they gave her pain relief and antibiotics, but the lump grew bigger and she started to decline very quickly."
The concerned owners took Grace to the vet three times after she began eating less and vomiting, it was on the third visit they were told that it could be a case of Alabama Rot.
Simone added: "We were shocked but wanted to try everything to try to save her, so they referred us to Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists in Winchester but sadly Grace didn’t pull through.
“We keep asking ourselves ‘Why Grace?’. We live on a cottage on a farm working with racehorses and there must be 20 other dogs running and playing in the same fields. All the other dogs are OK and only Grace was affected, which is so hard to understand.
“We don’t want any other dog lovers to be left feeling that same sense of loss and pain. That’s why we’re telling our story, in the hope owners and vets across the country are alerted to the dangers.”
Alabama Rot was first detected in the UK in 2012 and has a mortality rate of 90%.
There have since been 287 confirmed cases across the country, eight of which were recorded last year.
Veterinary clinic Anderson Moores has been leading research into the devastating disease.
Anderson Moores veterinarian Josh Walker said: "We're incredibly sorry to have to confirm Grace was a victim of CRGV.
"We have been at the forefront of research into CRGV for almost a decade and have witnessed first-hand the often-devastating effects of the disease.
"Treatment largely revolves around management of the sudden onset of kidney failure and, sadly, with our current understanding of the disease, is only successful in around 10 per cent of cases."
"We're advising owners across the country to remain calm but vigilant and seek advice from their local vets if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions."
He added: “We aim to give pet owners as much information as possible via our bespoke website. We hope the map of confirmed cases will also prove useful.
"Although an environmental trigger has not been definitively proven, the seasonality of the disease makes it eminently possible and our map allows anyone who visits the website to see the location of confirmed cases.”
The map shows that cases have been recorded up and down the UK, with the majority found towards the south of the country.
Vet Fiona MacDonald, previously told The Sunday Times: "Walking dogs on muddy ground seems to be the common factor.
"Owners who have been in such areas should hose their dogs down with cold water after every such walk.
"They won't like it, but it might save them.
"There is currently no known cure for Alabama Rot, but the best chance for survival is if the condition is diagnosed early."
