Alabama Rot strikes sacriston family dog

Alabama Rot is awful, to say the least. First appearing in England in 2012, it causes lesions on the skin which can be ulcerous or open wounds and can eventually lead to kidney failure. It has claimed over 120 dogs' lives and, at this present moment in time, has not got a cure leading to 70-80% of cases being fatal. However if it is spotted early, your dog has a higher chance of recovery. 

As the cause of Alabama Rot is still unknown, there is no known way to prevent your dog from contracting the disease, however, it is thought that the disease is picked up on the paws and legs when on a muddy walk, especially muddy woodland walks. 

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Jessica Burnip, from Sacriston (County Durham), lost her three-year-old whippet Boomer to Alabama Rot back in December. He was put down just a week after Jessica spotted an unexplained red sore on his stomach the day after they went for a walk in a woodland near their family home.Despite multiple treatments, his condition continued to deteriorate, undiagnosed by the several vets he had seen as Alabama Rot is not usually this far up north. However, the UK's leading experts in disease have recently confirmed that Boomer did indeed die of Alabama Rot.

Jessica stated:

"It was an open wound and looked like an ulcer, at first the size of a 10p coin, all red around it. There was nothing we could put it down to. At first, we thought it may be off the new coat he had just started wearing when he was out. We can only think it might have been something he picked up from walking in the woods behind Heugh Edge, which we call Daisy Hill Woods."

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Whilst preventing Alabama Rot, may currently not extend beyond immediately washing off any mud that your dog has picked up along the walk, Knowing the signs and acting quickly will increase your dog's chance of survival if they do contract Alabama Rot.

1.  Skin Lesions - Patch of red skin which is open or ulcerous, which has occurred with no known cause.
2.  Sore Skin -  Skin sores not caused by any known injury that is usually found below the elbow or the knee.
3.  Kidney - Within 2-7 days outward signs of kidney failure; vomiting, reduced hunger and unusual tiredness

IF YOU NOTICE 1 OR MORE OF THESE SYMPTOMS, SEEK MEDICAL AID IMMEDIATELY 

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To check on cases of Alabama Rot in your Area use Vets4Pets Alabama Rot Map, which shows where cases of Alabama Rot have been reported and when.