12 Jan 2024
The latest infections have been recorded across six different counties and a senior vet believes they could be linked to recent high levels of rainfall.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Nine new cases of cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV) have been recorded in dogs across England, according to a new update released today (12 January).
Senior vets say the spate of new infections, which takes the total number of cases reported in the UK past 300, may be linked to recent bad weather.
The latest incidents of the disease, which is also known as Alabama rot, have been recorded at locations in Surrey, Kent, Cornwall, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Hampshire.
According to figures from Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists (AMVS) in Winchester, a total of 306 cases have now been recorded since records began in 2012, including 16 in 2023.
Josh Walker, who heads the AMVS research unit into the disease, said: “We have previously identified increasing mean maximum temperatures in winter, spring and autumn, along with increasing mean rainfall in winter and spring, as risk factors for new CRGV cases.
“Therefore, the very wet November may have impacted the relatively significant case numbers.
“We have also seen previous years with similar numbers so this highlights that the disease is very much still present. Disease awareness remains important.
“Although an environmental trigger has not been definitively proven, the seasonality of the disease makes it eminently possible.
“This disease is still rare, so we’re advising dog owners to remain calm but vigilant and seek advice from their local vet if their dog develops unexplained skin lesions.”
