The infamous “Alabama rot” is a disease that affects dogs — killing them at an alarmingly high rate, and very quickly. The disease was first identified in the 1980s in the United States, but is currently showing up in the United Kingdom.
The U.K. Express reported that the disease can kill in seven days and has killed 98 pets across the country since it was first documented in the U.K. in 2012.
The disease is characterized by horrific sores, then, shortly thereafter, kidney failure.
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Pictures of animals with this awful disease can be found in the video below (WARNING: Some viewers may find this video disturbing):
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David Walker of Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists explained the severity of the danger.
“The dogs get these awful skin sores and, at that point, they are generally quite well, but over the next three days, as an average, they develop signs of kidney failure,” he said, according to the Express.
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“From the point of onset from getting sores through to the time that the dogs are sadly being euthanized is only around seven days. So it’s really fast,” he continued.
Not only is the disease savage, but once a dog is found to be infected, its chances are not very good.
“One thing about this disease is, unfortunately, the mortality rate is incredibly high. Up to 80-85 percent of dogs are sadly not surviving the disease process,” Walker noted.
Even though veterinarians have no cure for Alabama rot, treatment as soon as possible is vital, Walker said.
“The sooner we can get dogs on treatment the better the outcome is likely to be, but we are still learning about this disease,” he told the Express.
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“At this stage, we don’t know what the trigger is so our management is very much focused around the intensive management of the kidney failure and there is no specific treatment for this disease process.
The only solace we have for now is the fact that the disease seems to only set in from November to May, according to The U.K. Telegraph, so it may be that the bulk of this year’s cases have already taken place.
There are some who believe the disease is caused by environmental situations, while another source, the U.K. Daily Mirror, reported that it is believed to be related to bacteria such as E. coli, although even that report acknowledged that there was no evidence to back up that theory.
Regardless, and even though Alabama rot now appears to be striking in Great Britain rather than the United States, pet owners everywhere must be vigilant in ensuring the welfare of their animal companions.
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