Killer dog disease warning for North East pet owners

2 cases of a horrific dog disease have been recorded in Darlington and County Durham,

Now pet owners are advised to watch out for Alabama Rot - as vets attend a nationwide conference on how to stop the disease, which leaves dogs with painful sores, and can kill them within 3 days.

It is a big concern for pet owners.

So far, the disease has struck down almost a hundred dogs across the UK,

Jason Atherton is from Westway Vets, who have branches across the North East, he tells us it is a tricky condition to treat;

“As a Vet – we’re very worried about it, in that it’s not your classic condition – we know very little about it.

“When the case presents they can basically decline and die very very quickly and so it’s very challenging as a clinician.

“They don’t actually understand what the actual infectious agent is; there is a theory that it’s E.coli bacteria but it hasn’t been confirmed, there is a lot of research being done so now there’s a reporting system for vets.”

David Walker, from Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, the UK’s leading expert on the condition, announced the first Alabama Rot ‘conference’ will be held in May with scientists from human medicine, alongside vets from academia and private practice teaming up to discuss ways to learn more about the disease. 

 “It’s important that vets inform us of any suspected cases of Alabama Rot in the UK and Ireland, so we can continue to learn more about this dreadful disease.  “There have been a number of cases tentatively diagnosed by vets, but unless we carry out analysis of the tissues, we are not able to definitively diagnose the condition.

 “Only analysis of a kidney from a dog suspected to be suffering from the disease will give 100 per cent confirmation that we are dealing with Alabama rot.

“The first sign that is normally seen is a skin sore that isn’t caused by a known injury. Most commonly, these sores are found on the lower half of the leg and appear as a distinct swelling, a patch of red skin or are open and ulcer-like.

 “Any dog owners who are worried that their pet might have Alabama Rot should contact their veterinary practice immediately.”