Pet owners are being warned to look out for signs of a deadly disease which has taken the lives of two dogs in the UK.
Alabama Rot, also known as cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), has killed Marnie, a six-year-old Hungarian Vizsla, and a three-year-old labrador, this year.
Both dogs lived with their owners in Berkshire, but non-fatal cases have also been suspected across the country.
Sabina Richardson, who owned Marnie, said the dog had sores on her paws and that these spread to her legs. She also stopped eating and started to vomit.
Speaking from the family home in Stanford Dingley, Sabina said: “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.”
A dog belonging to Sabina’s partner, a two-year-old whippet called Goose, had shown similar symptoms but, thankfully, survived, Mirror reports.
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 into Alabama Rot since 2012 and confirmed the latest case.
Josh Walker, from the vets, said: “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.
The first British family whose dog was confirmed to have died of the disease are from Lambourn, Berkshire, around 20 miles west of Stanford Dingley.
