Dog owners have been warned to be alert for the symptoms of a rare disease after a case was found in Knaresborough.
Cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy, better known as Alabama rot, begins as skin lesions but can develop quickly and lead to kidney failure.
Specialist veterinary referral practice Anderson Moores, which leads research into the disease from it Winchester base, confirmed yesterday it had seen three new cases in the UK including one in Knaresborough. There have been 271 confirmed cases of the rare disease since it first emerged in the UK in 2012, with 20 since the beginning of this year.
Hannah Philipson, who runs The Harrogate Dog Walking and Pet Company, said while there was no need for alarm, dog owners should be aware of the symptoms of Alabama rot.
“It tends to be their feet and legs that are affected more, which is why they advise you wash your dog down when it’s muddy after a walk.
“It can be treated if it’s noticed early – it’s down to your vet and how quickly they act, whether they think it’s something else. It does tend to take hold in a couple of days, which is very fast.
“If it takes hold, it’s really unlikely a dog would survive.”
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When she posted about the Knaresborough case on Facebook, Hannah said some people were alarmed and said they would not walk their dogs in the area any more. However, there is no evidence that the disease can be transmitted by dogs being walked in the same place, and vets do not know how it is contracted.
Hannah said she has known families with two dogs, both cared for and walked together, where one has caught Alabama rot and the other has not.
She has spoken to fellow dog walkers to discuss what measures can be taken to minimise risk. Rather than trying to avoid it, she said the best thing to do is to be vigilant for the early signs and speak to a vet if there are any sores or swelling on the dog, particularly around the legs and paws, but also on the face, mouth and body.
She added that, with a rise in dog ownership during the pandemic, it was more important than ever to raise awareness of the rare disease.
“A lot of people don’t know about it and what to look for – they might think it’s just a sore and nothing to worry about.”
A paw lesion in a case of Alabama rot
David Walker, a specialist in small animal internal medicine, leads the team at Anderson Moores and is the UK’s foremost authority on Alabama rot. He said:
“Sadly, we find ourselves at the time of year when cases are most commonly identified. It is understandably a worrying time 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 was 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. If a dog becomes affected by CRGV, the best chance of recovery probably lies with early and intensive veterinary care which may be best provided at a specialist facility.”
Although around 90% of cases to prove to be fatal, he said the team had recently successfully treated a Labrador for the disease.
