Alabama Rot MYSTERY: Disease hits 169 dogs across UK as vets search for CURE

VETS say they are making progress in unravelling the mysteries of deadly Alabama Rot which has struck 169 dogs. Yet they warn it will take time to discover the exact cause and a potential cure for the deadly disease that has hit record levels this year.

Signs to look out for fatal Alabama Rot disease

Research released today from the Royal Veterinary College and Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists shows how 95 per cent of all 169 confirmed cases have occurred between November and May.

It also reveals how most cases have been in the western and southern parts of England, with far fewer reports in eastern areas, particularly East Anglia.

With 2018 already registering 46 cases, compared to 40 throughout the whole of last year and 19 in 2016, the onset of winter will leave dog owners fearing a new wave of the deadly disease in coming months.

Vets say pet lovers should keep calm and carry on walking their animals but remain vigilant about the disease.

Alabama Rot has become one of the most feared dog diseases since it first emerged in the UK six years ago, affecting 35 different breeds and across 38 counties.

Alabama Rot leaves dog covered in sores (Image: PA)

Ugly lesions first clue to Alabama Rot infection (Image: Anderson Moores)

Known clinically as idiopathic cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), the first signs of infection leave a dog with open sores and lesions on the paws and legs before developing into a devastating kidney disease with a high mortality rate.

Research funded by the New Forest Dog Owners Group, one of the worst affected parts of the country,  and the charity Alabama Rot Research Fund has allowed vets to have new insights into the illness.

Anderson Moores’ David Walker, the UK’s leading expert on the condition and co-author of the study, says the research has been looking for geographical patterns as well as environmental and climate risk factors and is providing a platform for the next stage of the investigation.

“A distinct seasonal pattern is suggested, with the vast majority of cases occurring between November and March, and limited cases over the summer months – just 6.5 per cent of cases have been confirmed from June to October,” he explained today.

“In the scientific world a lot of research is not earth-shattering, but it all builds together and little by little we make progress. This information is good in terms of how we manage the next stage of research, however we need to be careful and not jump to any conclusions at this point.”

The highest number have occurred in West Sussex, Dorset, southern Hampshire, Greater Manchester and Monmouthshire. Time wise, February has witnessed the most cases, with the winter months of December through to March recording more than 70 per cent of all confirmed incidents.

Seasonal graph of Alabama Rot Cases (Image: Vets4Pets)

Vets stress the disease is rare and dog owners should continue exercising their pets in the countryside.

“Of course dog owners, particularly those in the areas with higher numbers of cases, may be nervous about Alabama Rot, but it’s still an extremely rare disease and we’d encourage owners to continue exercising their pet as normal,” added Mr Walker.

“We’ve seen cases of dogs walked with other dogs, in the same place every day, developing the disease, while the other dogs remained completely unaffected.

“This will help build knowledge about the disease and also give a dog the best chance of survival. Research will continue and, in time, we all hope the cause will be identified.”

Veterinary professionals have been working hard to discover more about Alabama Rot since a conference was held in spring last year. The disease gets its name after it struck greyhounds in the USA in the mid-1980s.

Dr Huw Stacey, vet and director of clinical services at Vets4Pets, has been supporting research on the condition for a number of years and says the latest findings may help provide a “stepping stone” to unravelling the cause of the disease.

He said: “We know how the disease presents and how it affects dogs internally, and this research adds some interesting information that may help to increase vets’ index of the suspicion for the disease. The information on climate and ground type will help us further explore possible triggers for the disease, but at the moment we can’t say if any breeds are more likely to develop the disease.

“However, this disease is still very rare, so we’re advising dog owners to remain calm but vigilant, and seek advice from their local vet if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions.

“While this research may be a stepping stone to finding the cause of Alabama Rot, there is currently no known way to prevent a dog from contracting the disease.”

Anyone concerned about the disease should visit www.vets4pets.com/stop-alabama-rot/ for advice and a map of confirmed cases.”

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