Alabama rot 'devastating and comes out of nowhere'

The image shows Willow, a whippet, looking at the camera. She is at the vets. She has has grey and brown coloured fur. She has brown eyes. She is led down on the floor and you can see her back paws by the side of her. She has a yellow IV tube connected to her nose. This runs along the side of her head to her neck where it is tucked beneath a white bandage. The bandage goes all around her neck. She is also wearing a harness which is red. Shaun Reynolds

Willow, a whippet, died from Alabama rot when she was four-and-a-half years old

Jo Palmer
BBC South Investigations
Hannah Walsh
BBC South Investigations

"I wouldn't want anyone to go through what we went through. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

Pet owners who have lost their dogs to Alabama rot are warning others about the disease, as 90% of cases are reported between November and May.

Hannah Povey said before her cocker spaniel Betsy died from Alabama rot she had not spoken to anyone "who had heard of it".

The disease, which is also known as cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), is rare but often fatal in dogs, causing blood vessel damage that leads to skin sores and potential kidney failure.

Hannah is looking off to the left of the screen. She has blonde wavy hair that is pushed back behind her ears. She is wearing a blue and white striped shirt. Behind her the background is blurred. You can see the dining room table that has a blue runner down the middle. There is a window behind her and a blurred picture of her dog Betsy on the wall.

Hannah Povey's dog Betsy died after catching Alabama rot

Ms Povey, from Farringdon in Hampshire, said her two-year-old dog Betsy was usually highly energetic, but started limping, went off her food and had a sore on her paw a few days before her death.

Betsy was taken to Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists in Winchester, but three days later she had to be put down.

"I think the whole way through we just had the hope and that feeling that she would be coming home," she said.

"It was a little blip - she might be very poorly, and it make take some recovery, but she was always coming home. And then it was that realisation that she wasn't."

The image shows a picture of a Cocker Spaniel called Betsy. The picture is in black and white. The background is a black wall. In the centre of the photo is the dog. She is looking off to the left. Her mouth is slightly open and her tongue is sticking out. She has fluffly ears. Hannah Povey

Cocker spaniel Betsy started limping a few days before her death

The exact cause of Alabama rot is unknown, but most cases are reported in winter and spring, often in dogs walked in muddy, wooded areas.

Vets believe the disease could be caused by a bacteria or a toxin and, once a dog gets it, the chance of survival is only 10%.

Shaun Reynolds also lost his dog Willow, a four-and-a-half-year-old whippet, to the disease after walking in the countryside near Newbury.

"She had a very easy weekend of exercise. Woke up on the Monday morning with a limp, wouldn't bear any weight on it which to me just rung alarm bells," he said.

"Then the skin sore appeared, a few days after that she became sick, lethargic."

The picture shows a man named Shaun Reynolds pictured with two whippets. Shaun is sat to the right of the picture. He is wearing a white cap that is on his head backwards. He is also wearing a red and black tartan zip up jacket. His hands are resting on his knees and they are clasped together. He is smiling slightly. Behind him there is a grey brick wall. He is sat on a grey sofa. On top of the sofa is a duvet cover. It is beige with green, yellow and turquoise butterflies on it. Led on top of it is two whippets. They have grey fur. One has a red tartan dog coat the other is wearing a grey and white dog coat. The two dogs are sleeping.

Shaun says losing his dog Willow to Alabama rot was "devastating"

The last time Mr Reynolds saw Willow she was at the vets.

"She came in the room, and I've never seen a living thing look so ill. To think she went from being as fit as a flee to that in three weeks was just bonkers."

He added: "If Willow's legacy can be that there is one dog that doesn't go what she went through then brilliant."

Willow, a four-and-a-half-year-old whippet, died from the disease after walking in the countryside near Newbury

David Bennett, from the New Forest Dog Owners Group, said his previous dog, Topaz, survived after being treated by a vet.

He said: "When we drove away and left him, we didn't know if we would ever see Topaz again and that's so hard for a family, so devastating and it just comes out of nowhere.

"It sort of came in steps, it was layer after layer of bad news, and we felt awful because all we'd done is walk him. It was truly awful."

He added: "It's hugely unlikely that a dog will catch Alabama rot but the fear for owners is disproportionate because the effects are so devastating."

The image shows David crouched down on one knee. Next to him is his black and white dog Juke. He and his dog are in a garden. Behind them is a green bush. In front of the bush are a few plant pots and a garden bench. On the right, there is an orange brick structure with a white peaked roof. On the front of the structure, there is a blue panel that looks like a mini postbox. David is wearing a red and blue shirt, blue waterproof jacket and beige trousers. He is wearing glasses and smiling at the camera. His dog Juke is also looking at the camera. Juke has a yellow and black harness.

David and his dog, Duke, are trying to educate other owners about Alabama rot

Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialist have dealt with numerous cases across the south, including in Oxford, Dorset, Berkshire and Hampshire.

Joshua Walker, lead clinician in internal medicine, said: "The research at the moment is promising that we'll be able to identify a cause in the future.

"There is some work coming out of various universities that will help with that."

Joshua Walker is lead clinician in internal medicine at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists

Mr Walker said if a cause was identified, vets could use that information to develop a test and a treatment.

"Unfortunately, a lot of the time with humans with similar conditions, the treatments are incredibly challenging, incredibly expensive and may not be available for dogs," he said.

"But the more we understand, the more we can work out 'ok this small change might improve the outcome'."

The image is pink is colour. It shows a number of cell like structures under a microscope. The different structures are Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy, also known as Alabama rot. School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin

Cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV) under the microscope

The following are typical signs of Alabama rot:

  • Skin sores, visible swelling, red patches or skin defects not caused by a known injury. These skin lesions typically appear below the knee or elbow, and occasionally on the face or at the bottom of the chest or abdomen.

  • Changes in appetite - reduced appetite, drinking more, vomiting and lethargy are signs of acute kidney injury.

  • However, the majority of visible skin lesions will not be caused by Alabama rot disease, and most cases of kidney failure will be a result of another cause.

Source: Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.

Related topics

More on this story