NEWS & INFORMATION
Alabama Rot
British dog owners are growing increasingly worried by the rise in a frightening and potentially fatal canine disease called Alabama Rot.
What is Alabama Rot?
Alabama Rot is the common name for diopathic renal glomerular vasculopathy and is believed to be caused by a rare form of E.coli.
It was first identified in the US in the 1980, and can lead to the dog literally starting to fester and rot, resulting in kidney failure, loss of appetite, tiredness and vomiting.
Alabama rot symptoms include:
Skin lesions – sometimes circular and about the size of a five pence piece, and often with defect in the skin like an ulcer.
- They are often on the lower leg, below the knee and elbow.
- Kidney (renal) failure – vomiting, tiredness and not eating.
- These are very vague symptoms and can represent a number of other conditions.
The average time from showing skin lesions to signs of kidney failure is three days but can be anywhere from 10 days to simultaneous presentation.
It is not known how the rare disease is caused or how it can be prevented, but it is thought to be picked up on paws and legs on muddy walks, and lesions are the first sign a dog could have it.
David Walker, head of internal medicines at Anderson Moores in Winchester, who has been closely involved in many of the cases, said Although this is a serious disease, it is not invariably fatal and we do not want people to panic. The signs to look out for are often little lesions below the knee or elbow and circular or like an ulcer. The hair will fall off which will get the dog’s attention and they may start licking it. However, the difficulty is not all the lesions will look the same. Be vigilant and if people are worried they should go to their local vets. There is a suggestion that there is an environmental factor although there is no clear evidence to back that up, but it can’t not help to wash down your dog after a walk.”
The above information was taken from a post from the Daily Mirror to see the full article please click on this link..http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/what-alabama-rot-everything-you-7097104