Alabama Rot. New cases confirmed.

Up in NW Lancashire, sadly and worryingly, there has just been a fatal case of CRVG in a dog that rarely, if ever, got wet or muddy or left the premises. The sudden and shocking loss has left devastated owners bewildered and feeling 'negligent' they didn't do more than seek the usual vet attention because what seemed to be a minor cut on a paw, was being licked constantly and not being given chance to heal. They were given a cone-collar and antibiotics, but it took just 3 days to take their dog despite IV drugs after 48 hours... They'd never heard of CRVG/Alabama Rot so wouldn't have suspected it. I have, but until today might not have jumped directly to that conclusion. Awful disease.
 
I don’t have a dog but a conscientious owner has pinned signs to gate posts in this area saying their dog who was walked around here has been diagnosed. South Oxon/west Berkshire.
 
Does anyone change their walking routes/times because of the risk? There are high rates of dog theft round here with dogs being snatched from walkers, and our only non-muddy route is along the busy main road where there have been several attempted thefts in the last two weeks.

Normally I’d drive to the beach to walk but that’s not allowed under Welsh lockdown rules :(. At the moment we’re managing by playing in the largeish back garden and doing scent work but my dog is starting to get fed up and bored.
 
DirectorFury said:
Does anyone change their walking routes/times because of the risk? There are high rates of dog theft round here with dogs being snatched from walkers, and our only non-muddy route is along the busy main road where there have been several attempted thefts in the last two weeks.

Normally I’d drive to the beach to walk but that’s not allowed under Welsh lockdown rules :(. At the moment we’re managing by playing in the largeish back garden and doing scent work but my dog is starting to get fed up and bored.
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I'm not a dog owner but could you put like boots on them? That might be a really stupid idea!
 
I am thankful that I've not had to deal with it, but if I was in an area where there had been a case the dog would get a hibiscrub bath after a walk, at least on legs and belly.
 
We have had a fatal case in the next village to us :( (not particularly publicised). The dog was only walked in their own field but the local vets have put out some advice which is interesting. Their advice was that 75% of dogs contracting the disease only get skin lesions which don't progress to organ failure. However, for the significant minority that do get the progressive disease the outlook is grim. I have been washing Red IT after walks - not with hibiscrub as that can be pretty drying and I would panic if I found a particularly dry/scaly spot which may or may not be Rot or Hibiscrub related! So he has had a warm shower after walks and I have been avoiding wooded, muddy areas as much as possible. Very blooming difficult tbh!! :( We haven't had any other cases at all locally so far thankfully. It is incredibly difficult to know exactly what to do for the best really. If it weren't for lockdown I may be tempted to drive to places that were further away from the local case but that isn't terrifically acceptable at the moment and our daily walks are necessarily from home anyway so I am just washing with warm water and keeping a close eye on my chap. It is worrying...
 
I just carry on as normal. There was a case where I walk my dogs a year or two back. Hundreds of dogs get walked there each week. I still walk there.

I just think that the chances are so very tiny that you can't live your life afraid.
 
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