THE UK has now seen 216 confirmed cases of Alabama Rot across 44 counties, since 2012.

The latest case of the deadly dog disease is in Seaham, in County Durham.

But, what is Alabama Rot?

  • Alabama Rot first appeared in the late 1980s affecting greyhounds in America.
  • The cause of Alabama Rot, clinically known as idiopathic cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), is still unknown and sadly there is no known way to prevent a dog from contracting the disease.
  • The first sign of the disease that is normally seen is a skin sore that isn’t caused by a known injury. Most commonly these sores are found on the lower half of the leg and appear as a distinct swelling, a patch of red skin or are open and ulcer-like.
  • Research, undertaken by the Royal Veterinary College and Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, revealed almost 95% of confirmed cases of Alabama Rot, have occurred between November and May.
  • It also found most of the cases have been confirmed in western and southern parts of England; far fewer cases have been reported from the eastern half of the country and East Anglia in particular.
  • The disease has been reported in a wide range of breeds (35 in total) but, due to the small number of cases, it is not yet possible to say with any certainty whether a specific breed has an inherently increased or decreased risk of the disease. 
  • The highest number of cases have been seen in West Sussex, Dorset, southern Hampshire, Greater Manchester and Monmouthshire.
  • February has seen the highest number of cases, with December to March having 70.50% of overall confirmed cases.
  • There have been cases of dogs walked with other dogs, in the same place every day, developing the disease, while the other dogs remained completely unaffected.

Dog owners can also find out more information about the disease and whether there have been any cases in their local area on this site - www.vets4pets.com/pet-health-advice/alabama-rot/