If you haven’t heard about Alabama Rot you must have been hiding under a rock for the last few months.

A lot of my clients have approached me about this with understandable concern and worry about the disease. For that reason, I thought I should do some more extensive research on the matter so I could correctly inform them (as best I could).

First off, what is Alabama Rot?

Alabama Rot, otherwise known as cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy is a disease that causes damage to a dogs blood vessels and kidney. It first originated in greyhounds in Alabama, USA back in 1980 and cases here seemed to dwindle significantly so little research was done on the disease.

But what are the symptoms?

The first sign of the disease is sores/ulcers mainly found around the knee, elbow, stomach and sometimes on the face. Initially, there will be hair loss in the area and the dog will lick the area profusely. After a period of between two and seven days, kidney failure symptoms will become obvious; loss of appetite, fatigue and/or vomiting.

So is there any treatment?

If the disease is caught early and the dog receives veterinary attention at this stage, there is a chance the infected dog can recover from the disease.

Ok, so what causes it?

This is the bad bit, we don’t know! As the percentage of dogs affected is actually ridiculously low, there has been little research into it to discover what the cause is. It is suspected, but most definitely not confirmed, that it is commonly picked up from muddy water and related to E. Coli. Despite this, the leading veterinary specialist looking into the case has said it could even be genetic. Another interesting read was from a fish vet specialist who is aware of a disease causing similar symptoms in farmed fish, this could be the link with water! Yes, that little is known about it, making it all the more daunting for dog owners.

Are we able to prevent it?

Prevent, no, but we can try to avoid it. As the disease has seasonal links to winter and spring (hence why it has been a large topic of conversation recently), the advice is to keep your dog away from particularly muddy areas, hmmm difficult! As this is largely unavoidable after our spell of A LOT of rain, it has been suggested to give your dogs feet and stomachs a good wash off after walks through any water or mud.

Out of the 8.5 million dogs in the UK, only 132 cases have been found since 2012, with 12 cases in 2018. So please, try not to panic too much, just be cautious.

Alabama Rot

Harriet Birch

RECENT POSTS

Treat Your Pooch

Keep Me Cool

Canine Coats

Shampooches

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Time to Get Cosy

Winter is Upon Us

Barkhumbug

Play Time :)