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A dog has been diagnosed with Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy (CRGV or Alabama Rot) in Essex.
This is the first case confirmed in East Anglia, although the dog had recently been on holiday with her family in Gloucestershire, where previous cases had been confirmed. As is the case in over 85% of confirmed diagnoses with kidney failure, the disease proved fatal to the family pet.
The cause of the condition is still unknown and to help raise public awareness of what to look out for, ITV News Anglia interviewed Tom Forsyth, clinical director for Highcliff Vets in Brantham which is where the dog was diagnosed.
He said: “CRGV is a horrible disease that has a high fatality rate. It’s important to stay vigilant with your dogs and
know what to look for but, to also be aware that a skin lesion doesn’t automatically mean your dog has CRGV. It is a very, very rare disease with only 188 confirmed cases between now and 2012. However, if you are at all worried by a lesion that has appeared, we would always suggest you get it checked by your vet.”
What to look out for:
Owners should check for any unexplained redness, sores or swelling of the skin, particularly on the lower limbs and paws, but also the body, face, tongue or mouth. As Forsyth said, not all skin lesions mean the dog has contracted CRGV (Alabama Rot). However, lesions caused by CRGV can be difficult to distinguish from cuts, wounds, stings or bites so getting advice from a vet is a sensible course of action.
