Alabama Rot warning as Yorkshire dog among 11 recent deaths from flesh-eating disease

Veterinary experts have issued a nationwide alert for the deadly disease, as 11 fatalities were confirmed in the final two months of 2023.

This is compared to just five Alabama Rot-related deaths in the rest of the year, according to Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists.

Jo Farrow, of Malton in North Yorkshire, said she’d never heard of Alabama Rot before her six-year-old dog Ruby contracted and died from the disease before Christmas. 

She said: “I’m now telling everyone I see in the local community, especially dog owners, that I’ve just lost my dog to Alabama Rot. 

“It’s so important to raise awareness because this disease attacks so fast and there’s no time to waste. 

“I can’t bring Ruby back but hopefully I can share her story and help prevent someone else’s dog suffering in the same way. 

“The first signs were that she was lethargic, breathless and walking in an odd manner, almost as if she was walking on her toes. 

“The vets prescribed two lots of tablets but unfortunately we couldn’t get the tablets into her, no matter what we tried. We went back the next day and they took blood tests and tried to encourage her to eat and drink. 

“Then I saw something on her chest just under her chin. It started scabbing and got worse and worse. 

“We took her back to the vets but by this time she was pretty immobile and we could hardly lift her and she was in so much pain. 

“There was no mention of Alabama Rot until the following day and, unfortunately, there was very little that could be done by then. Incredibly, Ruby had deteriorated and died in just one week and one day.” 

Other recent deaths include Terry Burton's dog Molly in Cornwall and 10-year-old Pickles, owned by Emily Baun in Surrey. Emily's second dog, Scooter, survived a similar infection.

She said: "Scooter was hospitalised and hydrated and then put on antibiotics. Happily, he recovered which shows dogs can survive if the symptoms are spotted and acted upon quickly."

Josh Walker, an internal medicine specialist at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists in Winchester, Hampshire, researches the disease, which is known as Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy (CRGV).

Anderson Moores has a website that offers CRGV advice and a live map of confirmed cases. The map shows three cases in Leeds in recent years - near the city centre in 2014, in Guiseley in 2017 and in Otley in 2020.

A fourth case was reported by Vets4Pets in Colton in 2019.

Josh said: “I would stress that this disease is still very rare in the UK and we’re advising dog owners to remain calm while also being extra vigilant. 

“The key advice is for them to seek immediate advice from their local vet if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions as CRGV develops extremely rapidly. 

“Treatment largely revolves around management of sudden onset kidney failure and, sadly, with our limited understanding of the disease, it is only successful in around 10 per cent of cases. That’s why prompt action and diagnosis is so important.”