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Watch Out For Alabama Rot This Christmas

Earlier in the year, we wrote a post on Alabama Rot and what you need to know about it. Recently, it’s come to our attention that the deadly disease seems to be slowly spreading, and so we thought it was important to bring this back to peoples’ attention and warn owners to take precautions when walking their dogs. Although the cause of Alabama Rot is still unknown, it is always worth washing off woodland mud after a walk and checking for signs of the disease.

Alabama Rot is an incurable disease that causes sores on the skin and kidney failure. 3 new cases have been found in Devon, Cumbria and Monmouthshire. Neither Devon or Cumbria have reported an incident of Alabama Rot before, so it seems to be spreading. 17 cases have now been found in 2016 alone.

Dr. Huw Stacey, Director of Clinical Services at Vets4Pets said: “The first sign that is normally seen is a skin sore that isn’t caused by a known injury. Most commonly these sores are found below the elbow or knee and appear as a distinct swelling, a patch of red skin or are open and ulcer-like.

“If a dog becomes affected, the best outcome will probably come from early and intensive veterinary care, which has resulted in some dogs successfully recovering … treatment is supportive, but is only successful in 20-30% of cases.

“Any dog owners who are worried that their pet might have Alabama Rot should contact their veterinary practice immediately.”

Fri Dec 16 2016