Deadly dog disease alert
VETS URGE OWNERS TO BE VIGILANT AFTER ALABAMA ROT CASE CONFIRMED IN COUNTY
DOG owners have been warned to remain vigilant as more cases of Alabama Rot have been detected.
It comes after a case of the disease was discovered in Nuthall last month, which is one of 12 cases to be confirmed in the UK since the start of the year.
Now further cases have occurred in Maidenhead and Reading, Berkshire; two cases from Goring, Oxfordshire; Basingstoke and Alresford, Hampshire; and Beddau, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales.
Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists leads research into the potentially fatal cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), also known as Alabama Rot.
Experts at the Linnaeus-owned animal hospital have now confirmed the new cases, taking the total since January 1 to 12, more than 25 per- cen t of the entire number recor ded in 2020.
The Nottinghamshire case meant a family pet had to be put down after going for a walk in the New Farm Lan e area of Nuthall.
The disease, which originally appeared in the late 1980s, was first detected in the UK in 2012. It affects the kidneys and has a 90 percent mortality rate.
David Walker, American, RCVS and EBVS European specialist in small animal internal medicine, leads the team at Anderson Moores and is the UK’S foremost authority on the disease.
He said: “We’re very sad to confirm 12 new cases of CRGV already in 2021. We are also awaiting results of further suspected cases. Unfortunately, we find ourselves at the time of year when cases are most commonly identified.
“It is understandably a worrying time of year for dog owners with regard to CRGV; however, the disease remains rare.
“The disease seems to appear across many counties at this time of year. January and February are typically our highest case number months and sadly, this year is no different.
“We’re advising dog owners across the country to remain calm but vigilant and seek advice from their local vets if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions.”
The 12 confirmed cases this year come off the back of 47 during 2020, 29 cases in 2019 and 52 in 2018.