DOG owners are urged to remain vigilant after a vets confirmed the eighth case of deadly Alabama Rot this year – and the first of the autumn.
This confirmed case follows 28 throughout 2021 and is the eighth this year, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the UK to 287.
Specialist-led veterinary referral centre Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists near Winchester has been leading research into the devastating disease since 2012 and is collating information on all cases and reports of confirmed cases across the country.
Read more: Alabama Rot: what symptoms to look out for and other things to know
Experts at the hospital have now confirmed the new case of Alabama Rot in Godstone, Surrey.
According to a nationwide map of the total cases confirmed on the Anderson Moores website, no cases have been confirmed in Dorset since 2021.
Josh Walker, who leads the CRGV research at Anderson Moores with David Walker, said: “We’re very sad to confirm a new case of CRGV and the first of the autumn.
"Unfortunately, we now find ourselves at the time of year when cases are most commonly identified.
“It is understandably worrying for dog owners; however, I must stress this disease is still very rare.
“We’re advising dog owners across the country to remain calm but vigilant and to seek advice from their local vets if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions.”
The disease, which originally appeared in the late 1980s, was first detected in the UK in 2012.
It predominantly affects the kidneys and has a mortality rate of around 90 per cent.
The latest victim was Molly, a seven-year-old Labradoodle belonging to a family in Godstone, Surrey, who said the speed in which the disease took hold of Molly was 'shocking'.
Molly initially went off her food, had a lack of energy, was less keen on going for walks and started to drink more.
Days later she started to gnaw at wounds under her fur and developed new lesions.
While Alabama Rot is often fatal, Mr Walker said the best chance of recovery probably lies with early and intensive veterinary care, which may be best provided at a specialist facility.
He said: “We have been at the forefront of research into CRGV for almost a decade and have witnessed first-hand the often-devastating effects of the disease.
“Treatment largely revolves around management of the sudden onset kidney failure and, sadly, with our current understanding of the disease, is only successful in around 10 per cent of cases.”
To view Anderson Moores’ dedicated CRGV website, which includes a nationwide map of cases, visit https://www.alabama-rot.co.uk/
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