VETS are urging dog owners to remain vigilant after confirming two more cases of deadly Alabama Rot since the start of the year.

Veterinary referral centre Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists in Hampshire has been leading research into the devastating disease since 2012 and is collating information on all cases and reports of confirmed cases across the country.

Experts at the Linnaeus-owned animal hospital have now confirmed two new cases which have resulted in the death of dogs in Bristol and Kingston, Devon, taking the total since January one to five.

Anderson Moores, which is based in Winchester, has also recently launched a website dedicated to cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), more commonly known as Alabama Rot, which offers advice and information to pet owners, including a map of confirmed cases across the UK.

David Walker, American, RCVS and EBVS European specialist in small animal internal medicine, leads the team at Anderson Moores and is the UK’s foremost authority on the disease.

He said: “We’re very sad to confirm two further cases of CRGV. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in the time of year when cases are most commonly identified.

“It is understandably worrying for dog owners; however, I must stress this disease is still very rare.

“We’re advising dog owners across the country to remain calm but vigilant and to seek advice from their local vets if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions.”

The disease, which originally appeared in the late 1980s, was first detected in the UK in 2012. It affects the kidneys and has a 90 per cent mortality rate.

The two new confirmed cases follow 28 throughout 2021 and 47 in 2020, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the UK to 284.

While Alabama Rot is often fatal, Mr Walker said the best chance of recovery probably lies with early and intensive veterinary care which may be best provided at a specialist facility.

He said: “We have been at the forefront of research into CRGV for almost a decade and have witnessed first-hand the often-devastating effects of the disease.

“Treatment largely revolves around intensive management of the sudden onset kidney failure and, sadly, with our current understanding of the disease, is only successful in around 10 per cent of cases.”

Mr Walker said that he hoped Anderson Moores’ dedicated new CRGV website would be a useful tool in raising awareness of the disease among dog owners.

He said: “In launching this new website, we aim to give pet owners as much information as possible about CRGV.”

“We hope the confirmed case map will also prove useful. Although an environmental trigger has not been definitively proven, the seasonality of the disease makes it eminently possible and the map allows everyone to see the location of confirmed cases.”

Anderson Moores offers specialist care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, feline hyperthyroid clinic, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery.

To view Anderson Moores’ new dedicated CRGV website go to alabama-rot.co.uk.