There have been many cases of Alabama Rot this year, which is a potentially fatal disease (I know as my wife is a Vet Nurse and she has seen a couple of instances of it in her practice).
Cutaneous & Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy, otherwise known as Alabama Rot.
ALWAYS thoroughly wash your dogs paws after a walk in the woods. Get right in there and get rid of all the mud and make sure the paws are completely dry after.
Alabama rot is dangerous and can kill your dog.
I walked my Samoyed (Solomon) today around the Angmering Park Estate along the South Downs, and to be safe I washed him well after the walk.
Although we have not heard of any Alabama Rot along this pathway, there has been some in close-by woods, such as Patching.
Just be aware, it is rare yes, but why take the risk? It is avoidable, wash and dry your dogs paws!
Solomon was a good boy today, I started by drying his paws so the mud would brush out, then I washed them and dried them again.
I don't make a habit of taking him to the woods when it is wet, but he managed to find the only puddle on the walk and dive straight into it.
I won't avoid the woods completely either, unless I know of a case of Alabama Rot there.
He loves the woods so much so I don't want to deny him the change of scenery from the beach.
When the mud is wet your dog is more likely to get it in an affected area, so be sure to dry the paws properly if you are walking in an area that has had some cases of it.
What exactly is Alabama Rot?
Alabama Rot often manifests as "skin lesions". Often there will be a scrape or ulcer to an area, often feet. There could be red areas with black centres often found on the legs.
This disease process can go on to affect the kidneys and cause kidney failure with a high probability of fatality. There is no telling which dogs will be affected and whether if they develop skin lesions they will go on to develop kidney failure.
Gudrun Ravetz, President of the British Veterinary Association, said: “Although there have been reported cases of Alabama Rot in the last few years, and dog owners may understandably feel anxious, the risk is low with only a small proportion of dogs having been affected".
"Owners should make sure they are aware of the signs and symptoms, such as skin sores on the limb extremities, and contact their local vet immediately if they have any concerns.”
According to the Vet for Pet’s Report 2016 there have been 78 confirmed cases of Alabama Rot in the UK.
What are the symptoms? How do I notice it?
These sores are most commonly found on a dog’s paws or lower legs, but they can also be found on a dog’s face, mouth or tongue, or on their lower body. - Signs of kidney failure include loss of appetite, tiredness and vomiting.
If your dog is showing signs of sore skin or ulcers on an area of their body that is close to the floor (and you know these have not been caused by an injury) it’s a good idea to contact your vet.
On average, dogs suffer from kidney failure about three days after lesions begin to show on the skin, however the time between sores appearing and kidney failure can be between one and 10 days.
The earlier this disease is caught and treated by a vet, the higher the chances of recovery.
This image is from the Derbyshire Times:
Here is a list of known affected areas in the UK:
Confirmed Cases of Alabama Rot in:
Hampshire
Greater Manchester
Dorset
Surrey
Monmouthshire
Worcestershire
Cheshire
East Sussex
West Sussex
London
Wiltshire
Berkshire
County Durham
Kent
Lancashire
Nottinghamshire
Somerset
Staffordshire
West Yorkshire
Cornwall
Dumfries & Galloway
Northhamptonshire
Shropshire
Wrexham
New affected areas:
Devon
Cumbria
Lincolnshire
Warwickshire
Stay safe out there puppies x
#dogsofsteemit #dailypetphotography 
#Samoyed #Samoyedfans #Solomonthesamoyed #Solomonsamoyed #Puppy #Cutepuppy #Life #Travel #Adventure #Solomon #Samoyeds #Dog #Dogs #Puppies #makingfriends #bestfriend #puppyvideo #love #friends #puppies #bestfriendsforever #art #photography #animalphotography #family #pets #watson #funny #cute #samoyedlovers #samoyedclub #samoyedoftheday #sammie #smilingsammie #cloud #clouds #fluff #fluffy #alabamarot #sussex #southdowns #westsussex #southdownssussex #sussexdogwalking #sussexdogwalk #angmeringparkestate #angmering