AS CASES for Alabama Rot soar, data shows that a total of 11 locations across Dorset have been shared where the disease has been identified.
Alabama Rot was first found in the UK in 2012 and has mostly been reported by pet owners who walk their dogs in the countryside.
The disease damages the blood vessels in the skin and kidneys of dogs, which causes visible sores on the skin and can lead to severe organ dysfunction and kidney failure
Most cases are reported during winter and spring when the weather is typically colder and wetter, and it is generally much rarer in the summer months.
A map created by Vets4Pets shows cases of Alamaba Rot across the UK.
There are 11 areas of Dorset where there have been reports of Alabama Rot otherwise knowns CRGV (cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy.
The RSPCA recommends looking for the following symptoms:
- Skin sores, visible swelling, red patch or skin defects not caused by a known injury
- Changes in appetite, including reduced appetite, drinking more, vomiting and lethargy
Dorset locations where Alabama Rot has been identified:
West Chelborough, near Beaminster: January 2017
Shaftesbury: Two cases - one in February 2018 and another in January 2015
Shillingstone, near Sturminster Newton: March 2015
Upton: December 2012
Poole: February 2021
Wimborne: Two cases - April 2015 and June 2014
Bearwood, Poole: February 2017
Ensbury Park, Bournemouth: February 2017
Christchurch: Two cases- both in February 2014
Holmsley, near Christchurch: Two cases - Holmsley January and February 2014
Burbush Hill, near Christchurch: May 2014
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