Vets’ warning as killer disease strikes 52 dogs

AT least 52 dogs have died after being struck down by a serious kidney disease, vets have warned.

In the first recorded outbreak of Alabama rot in Britain, dogs have fallen ill and died up and down the country.

Owners have been warned to look out for lesions on their dogs’ legs as vets continue to search for the cause of the disease.

Alabama rot, which attacks blood vessels in the skin and kidneys, has affected dogs in the US as long ago as the 1980s.

But the disease was unknown in this country until November 2012, when reports started emerging of dogs dying mysteriously in the New Forest, Hampshire.

The results of an investigation into the outbreak were published last night in the journal Veterinary Record. Incidents have since been confirmed across England and Wales, from Somerset in the South West to County Durham in the North East.

Unlike the US cases, which only affected greyhounds, the British outbreak has hit a variety of different breeds including English springer spaniels, flat-coated retrievers, whippets and labradors.