A deadly disease called Alabama Rot is sweeping across the United Kingdom killing dogs at an alarming rate. Commonly called ‘black death’ dog disease, it’s usually fatal and residents are on high alert protecting their dogs from the affects of this terrible disease.
What is Alabama Rot?
Alabama Rot is commonly called cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy or CRGV for short. It was first identified in the United States in the 1980’s in greyhounds. Initial symptoms of CRGV include skin lesions on the legs, chest and abdomen. These lesions are then followed by lesions on the renal area.
These lesions resemble bites, sores, wounds or stings and some dogs go on to develop life-threatening kidney failure after contracting the disease.
CRGV causes tiny blood clots to form in the blood vessels which then block the vessels. When the clots are formed they cause damage to the affected tissue. The clots cause ulcers and act in the same manner as a flesh eating bacteria might act.
When CRGV attacks the kidneys it can lead to organ failure and if untreated, dogs develop a fever and eventually they will die as a result of the disease. The disease is fatal in nine out of ten dogs and the disease does not discriminate. It affects dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds which means no dog is immune.
Symptoms of Alabama Rot
The first symptoms of Alabama Rot include skin lesions, ulcers or possibly even sores. When these lesions appear, there is no sudden appearance of injury in the dog that has been affected which means owners are often unaware that their dog is ill.
A dog my start to lick its’ foot or leg and it might not be apparent to the owner or even the veterinarian that the issue lies beneath the fur of the dog.
Over the course of up to nine days dogs may develop symptoms of kidney injury. Symptoms include vomiting, lack of appetite, or tiredness that cannot be explained.
A small number of sick dogs display symptoms of jaundice, fever, diarrhea, seizures or even blood in the stool. The cause of the disease is not known but it’s suspected that it comes from water that is infected with by a parasite.
While there are no current cases of CRGV in the United States, it has been known to manifest itself as E-Coli. These toxins have not been found in dogs in the United Kingdom as of Wednesday, February 21, 2018.
The parasite that causes CRGV multiplies in wet, warm weather, especially in bogs and in the woods. The puddles develop a slimy, blue green algae that is perfect for hosting the bacteria that dogs consume when they drink the water.
How to protect your dog
There are no current cases of Alabama Rot in the United States so don’t panic just yet. The exact cause of the disease is not known at this time and it’s not clear on how to treat it but there are preventive measures that dog owners can take in order to protect their dogs from the disease.
Dog owners are encouraged to bathe their dogs after they become muddy or wet while out on a walk. There is no evidence, however, to suggest that will prevent your dog from developing the disease.
If you do happen to notice lesions or sores on your dog that cannot be explained it might be a good idea to give your veterinarian a call just to make sure all is well with your dog. Your veterinarian may suggest taking blood or urine samples to determine whether or not your dog really does have Alabama Rot or if it’s possibly something else. Lesions or sores can then be treated with antibiotics or the sores can be covered to allow time for them to heal.
If the disease has progressed and your dog is in kidney failure, he will need to see a specialist in order to be treated. If caught in enough time, recovery is possible.
First Cases in the UK
CRGV was first identified in the United Kingdom in November 2012. By January 2014 the disease was thought to be the same strain of disease that affected greyhounds in the United States but test results from the UK were lacking e-coli.
Four dogs recently died from Alabama Rot bringing the total to 126 dogs since the disease was first detected in 2012.
Today we would like to thank www.thesun.co.uk for helping us with this post.
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