Dog owners in the wider Greater Manchester region are being urged to keep vigilant after a beloved pet has sadly died from Alabama Rot.
Otherwise known as Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy (CRGV), Alabama Rot is a disease that affects dogs by damaging the blood vessels in the skin and kidneys. This can cause small blood clots to form – resulting in blockages that may lead to tissue damage and visible ulceration in the skin.
When the kidney is affected, it can also lead to severe organ dysfunction, eventual kidney failure – and in a significant number of instances, death.
While the cause of Alabama Rot currently remains unknown, symptoms of the disease in dogs include unexplained redness, sores or swelling of the skin and vomiting, reduced appetite, and tiredness caused by kidney failure.
Alabama Rot has been a serious cause of concern for dog owners in Greater Manchester and the North West in previous years – and now it appears to have reared its ugly head once again over the border in Cheshire.
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Rebecca Fox and her husband James have decided to share their tragic experience with Alabama Rot – which happened while they were on holiday in the Delamere Forest with their dogs back in May – with Cheshire Live to raise awareness of the deadly disease.
After being on holiday for a week, the couple noticed that their Cocker Spaniel Millie was frantically licking her paw, limping and reluctant to put her weight on it, so they decided to get some antiseptic spray to see if that would help, but by the Sunday, Millie became “very lethargic”.
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They initially put that down to her being tired after an increase in activity level with being on holiday, but it soon became apparent that something more serious was wrong.
Rebecca told Cheshire Live: “We were predominantly in Delamere Forest because that is where we were staying and we walked round and in the forest.
“It was a very wet week and it was awful weather, so it was very muddy everywhere.
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“We had been there for a week, and so the next Friday we were all in the log cabin and Millie started frantically licking her front paw, so we thought it had got a bit infected [as] she was limping and holding it up as well by that point.
“It came on really suddenly.”
Rebecca and James Fox were on holiday with their dogs in the Delamere Forest / Credit: Google Maps
Rebecca said the Cocker Spaniel seemed uncharacteristically quiet on the way home and decided to take her to their local vets to treat the infected paw.
They were initially given an antiseptic bathing treatment for the paw, before Millie’s condition began to deteriorate further.
“Initially they sent us away saying it was a paw infection and gave us some antiseptic bathing stuff to put on her,” Rebecca continued.
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“By the Tuesday afternoon, she started being sick and that continued all day [and] then she couldn’t move much and couldn’t keep her limbs still, so we took her back at midnight and she stayed at our local vets all night.
“They rang us on the Wednesday to say her kidney numbers were rising dramatically [and] that they were failing basically.”
Despite the best efforts of the vets, Millie started to deteriorate further. The couple made the difficult and devastating decision that the “kindest thing” was to have Millie put down, with her sadly dying on 28 May.
Rebecca continued: “She was only six-years-old, a happy active spaniel [and] it was just how it took her. From finding the paw, to her dying was just seven days and she was a well and happy dog.
“This is why we want to raise awareness of this disease, because of how quickly it takes dogs when it gets hold of their kidneys.”
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Heard of #AlabamaRot in dogs? Little is known about it, but we suggest washing off mud after walks and speaking to a vet if you're worried.
Symptoms include: 🐶 Skin lesions (open sores or ulcers), esp. on legs 🐶 Signs of acute kidney injury (drinking more, vomiting, lethargy) pic.twitter.com/gHcFEvRxhK
— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA_official) March 27, 2018
Following the loss of their beloved pet, Rebecca and James have now set up a JustGiving page to not only raise awareness, but also to raise funds for research into the cause of the little-known but deadly disease.
The couple has warned dog owners that if they see their pet with an unexplained sore, to take them to the vet as soon as possible.
“We want to help other people recognise the signs,” Rebecca said.
“The disease at the minute is not very well-researched; they don’t have a lot about it at the moment unfortunately.
“We don’t want people to go through what we went through.”
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You can make a donation to Rebecca and James’ fight to find a cure for Alabama Rot via the JustGiving page here.
More information on Alabama Rot can be found via the RSPCA website here.
Featured Image – Rebecca Fox / Cheshire Live
UK News
Met Office explain ‘likely’ reason for ‘strange spiral’ seen in the sky over Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Anyone spot that strange out-of-this-world-looking spiral in the sky last night? Lots of us did here in Greater Manchester and, as it turns out, so did lots of people up and down the country.
In fact, it was sighted all over the world.
If you’re anything like us and guilty of being quick to overreact – most of us are just excitable big kids who still daydream about shooting off to a different planet – you’ll be forgiven for having quickly jumped to the conclusion that it was aliens or some other kind of fantastical phenomenon.
Come on, who wouldn’t see this and start to wonder?
However, we hate to spoil your fun but it wasn’t some kind of UFO or something from another universe – but is that what they want us to think?…
Just kidding; after countless people hopped on social media to question what on Earth (or rather not) was going on with the sky and post their own pictures of the strange spiral, one reason was quickly put forward by numerous users and news outlets.
It didn’t take long for those in the US, or who are at least privy to whatever random interstellar nonsense Elon Musk is up to at the minute, to point out that a SpaceX launch had just occurred.
On Monday, 24 March, the American aerospace company launched their Falcon 9 rocket just before 6pm GMT and the spiral-like shape, which was visible for several minutes before fading, is believed to have been caused by leftover fuel released by the rocket during the second phase of its launch.
With SpaceX having already shown off how their rockets can now return to Earth, the subsequent fuel plume, on the other hand, freezes instantly and the light transmitting through the atmosphere is the “likely” reason behind this strange spiral illusion, according to the Met Office and other experts.
We've received many reports of an illuminated swirl in the sky this evening 💫
This is likely to be caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier today. The rocket's frozen exhaust plume appears to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to… pic.twitter.com/4a9urgZceR
So whilst it may not be as sci-fi as your imaginations were hoping for, it is still a showcase of how far we’ve come in terms of technological advancements and creating visuals that would previously feel inexplicable and probably lead to the man on the street to tell his mates, ‘I saw something last night’.
Musk’s relationship with returning President Donald Trump is one that causes concern across large sections of the political landscape and as for his continued space-age innovation, many are deeply worried about the pollution and wider environmental impact caused by several of his companies.
But to circle back: no, it wasn’t some alien portal – just rocket fuel.
Incredible time-lapse.
Tonight, a glowing spiral appeared in the sky over the UK and Europe, likely caused by frozen fuel released from a SpaceX rocket’s second stage after launch. The pattern was visible for several minutes before fading.pic.twitter.com/jL7CXKmXCl
Section of the 2025 Manchester Marathon to be named after Jamie Laing following ultra fundraiser
Danny Jones
Comic Relief has a new hero and after his ultra-distance and ultra-hard fundraising feats, Jamie Laing looks set to have part of the 2025 Manchester Marathon named after him.
He’s come a long way from the days of McVitie’s fortune and Made in Chelsea moments.
The English TV personality turned presenter, podcaster and businessman embarked on an unbelievable ultra marathon challenge earlier this week, setting himself the task of running a total of 150 miles for Comic Relief. With no training…
Making his way from London all the way to Manchester and in Salford Quays, specifically, where the BBC coverage team and thousands of spectators met him with rapturous applause, he completed the unbelievable distance and was in tears at the finish. Here’s the moment he did it:
Full of emotion after not only having smashed the five ultra marathons in five days – who had never run anywhere near this distance before in his life – but after raising nearly £3 million for the cause and counting, there were hugs and plenty of tears all-round.
Laing described the experience as “the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life” and said that a big part of the journey was battling through and drawing attention to the issues surrounding mental health, admitting: “I have suffered, and I do suffer, and that’s OK.”
Now, while we don’t have that power at present, we’ll have to settle for the next best thing, which comes courtesy of the Adidas Manchester Marathon.
With Laing having officially completed his consecutive ultra marathon challenge, the organisers are now preparing to name a section of this year’s route through Greater Manchester in his honour.
Come on, how cool is that?
The moment Jamie Laing ran 150 miles and cemented himself in Comic Relief and Manchester Marathon history (Credit: The Manc Group)
While the exact details are still yet to be confirmed, Mancs taking on the biggest run of the year will run through ‘Laing Lane’ or ‘Jamie’s Junction’ when the Marathon rolls around on Sunday, 27 April.
The event team are still waiting to verify which portion of the 2025 route the 36-year-old, having passed through the likes of Stockport, Chorlton and other areas on his way to 0161, but there’s no question about what needs to happen – it’s just the name we need to settle on.
Andrew Smith, CEO of A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organisation) UK, the country’s leading mass participation events company, said of the achievement: “Jamie’s challenge is nothing short of heroic – five ultramarathons in five days is no easy feat!
“Not only has he crossed the finish line, but he’s also raised an incredible £2.7 million for Comic Relief. If he did pass through our 2025 route, we’ll be proud to name that stretch after him – a lasting tribute to his endurance, energy, and impact.”
We’re just over a month away from the 2025 race, the fourth-largest in all of Europe, and with a couple of members of The Manc team taking it on again this year, we for one cannot wait.
A new finish line has already been announced for this year’s route and while we can’t tell you exactly which part of the Manchester Marathon will be named after Jamie Laing just yet, we promise to give it an extra pump when we pass through wherever it is.
It’s also worth reminding that you can still donate to his incredible Red Nose Day fundraiser right HERE.
Greater Manchester’s running culture continues to flourish with more clubs, events and representation than ever. You love to see it.
Emily Sergeant -
14th June 2021 
