Firstly Happy New Year to all Waterside Chiropractic Clients! The days are starting to get longer and we are looking forward to Summer. Not that we are wishing the days away, but after all the recent rain which has turned most places into muddy quagmires, we are definitely seeking some sun and decent weather! It has been very mild over the recent ‘Winter’ months, which may be a contributing factor to the number of incidences of Canine Alabama Rot or CRGV which have been reported recently, including a suspected case in Portsmouth in early January. The following link will take you to a map showing all the suspected, confirmed and unconfirmed cases that have been reported in the UK……OPEN LINK.
Dogs with cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV or ‘Alabama Rot’) initially show signs of skin lesions over their legs, stomach or face. Up to ten days later, dogs develop acute kidney injury (AKI). For further information about what exactly is Alabama Rot, click here.
It is difficult for vets to make an early diagnosis of CRGV because skin lesions can arise from many causes.
A Veterinary Record letter published recently (16th January 2016) from David Walker at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists (near Winchester, Hampshire) and Rosanne Jepson at the Royal Veterinary College offer vets a free glomerular filtration rate (GFR) kidney test for dogs with skin lesions.
The test detects high levels of nitrogen compounds which indicate early kidney damage. Test results are known within 24 hours allowing vets to make an early CRGV diagnose. This will allow more dogs to be treated early on before AKI develops – hopefully this will meant that fewer dogs will die of Alabama Rot.
Although CRGV can be very serious, the number of dogs affected with skin lesions and kidney failure remains low (56 confirmed cases across the UK between November 2012 and May 2015). There have been a number of cases reported suspected and confirmed since this date.
Dog owners are advised to be extra vigilant when walking their dogs and to look out for lesions or wounds that may appear on the limbs, belly or face of their dogs. Lesions can be anything from the size of a 5p piece to a 50p piece. Affected dogs may develop signs of severe depression, loss of appetite, vomiting and could suffer kidney failure within a few days. If you are at all worried you should speak with your Vet ASAP.
Below are images of the lesions that have been found on dogs with Alabama Rot.
Images courtesy of www.alabamarot.co.uk
The following is the article that was published in the Veterinary Record on January 16th, 2016.
Lots of further information can be found on www.alabamarot.co.uk, thanks to Chris Street, which is an excellent resource of up-to-date information on the disease.