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
30 years ago, the IRA detonated a 1,500kg lorry bomb on Corporation Street in the heart of Manchester – here’s the story
Georgina Pellant
Today marks three whole decades since an explosion from the inside of a lorry parked on Corporation Street shattered windows and destroyed buildings across the city centre.
Causing an evisceration that stretched for miles, when the 1,500 kilogram IRA bomb went off in 1996, it was the biggest detonation in Great Britain since the Second World War.
Following the explosion, the city fell silent – leaving rack, rubble and ruin in its wake. Famously, one red post box was left standing – today fitted with a memorial plaque in remembrance of the tragedy.
It seems scary to think that back then, most people could only stand there, watch on and worry.
The bomb caused an estimated £700 million worth of damage to Manchester’s infrastructure and economy, and over a quarter of a century later, locals still tell the stories of where they were when it went off – and of the devastation it left behind.
Notably, one resident of the Cromford Court maisonettes on top of the Arndale – a 77-year-old RAF veteran suffering from the flu – didn’t even bother to get up when the telephone warning to evacuate hit, considering himself to have survived much worse feats during his time in military service.
Having been a rear gunner in a Lancaster in the war, he reportedly told police and authorities “he was buggered if he was going to let a small bomb affect him.”
In subsequent years, Danny O’Neill has become a part of an urban legend surrounding the bomb as his staggering story has been told time and time again.
Around 90 minutes prior to the detonation, the Provisional Irish Republican Army had telephoned in warnings – meaning that around 75,000 people were able to be evacuated from the area before the bomb went off from the back of a van.
However, the bomb squad were unable to defuse it in time, leading to over 200 injuries from people still left in the area.
Thankfully, despite those injuries, there were no fatalities, and many of those reported traumas came from the shattering of thousands of windows and other damage to buildings in which unsuspecting people were getting on with their days.
Several buildings near the explosion were damaged beyond repair and had to be demolished, while many more were closed for months for structural repairs, and this prompted the biggest regeneration of Manchester city centre ever – something that is still continuing to this day, arguably at a more rapid rate than ever.
The city lay dormant for days after the explosion, as people came to terms with what had happened and kept their distance. Many moved out of the centre for a period of time, while many more simply decided not to visit for fear of another incident.
It was a desolate place, eerily quiet, and in need of some serious TLC.
According to Home Office statistics, an estimated 400 businesses within half a mile (0.8 km) of the 1996 blast were affected, 40% of which did not recover.
Credit: Manchester Libraries
Market Street – near the explosion and at that time the second-busiest shopping street in the UK – was considered by some a “fearful” place, and one that was to be “avoided like the plague”.
The prospect of pulling Manchester’s bustling city centre out of its darkest depression was not casually approached by those in charge.
It was acknowledged as a mammoth task from the get-go, but Greater Manchester has never let anything get in its way. Despite how steep the hill is that we’re standing at the base of, we always manage to reach the peak, ready to go again.
Disney On Ice is returning to Manchester this winter on latest UK arena tour
Danny Jones
Whether you’re looking for something to give your children a thrill, or you’re a fully fledged ‘Disney adult’ yourself, you’ll be glad to hear that the smash-hit Disney On Ice show is coming back to Manchester city centre later this year.
Returning globally for its 45th anniversary and celebrating over three and a half decades here in the UK, Disney On Ice is set for its 16th edition here in Manchester this winter.
Bringing iconic characters, storylines and scenes to life with incredible choreographed ice-skating routines, as well as all-singing-all-dancing musical numbers, you won’t find many more spectacular family-friendly live shows than this one.
Well and truly a staple of the annual entertainment calendar around the globe, these performances attract millions every year, and now thousands more will get to watch the latest version at the AO Arena.
As written on the social media post confirming the next batch of dates, the venue wrote: “Follow the quest for Tinker Bell through the dazzling worlds of Coco, Moana, Frozen, and Beauty and the Beast.
“Experience thrilling skating and memorable moments from Aladdin, Toy Story, and The Little Mermaid. Watch Stitch crash the action with mischievous surprises. It’s non-stop fun for the whole family!”
Dubbed ‘Discover The Magic’, this upcoming iteration of the Disney format is said to be all about “celebrating love and bravery”; expect more than 170 dazzling costumes made by over 100 artisans using thousands of yards of fabric, adorned with hundreds of thousands of hand-set Swarovski crystals.
One of the most impressive parts about these performers – besides their obvious gifts for music and movement – is how quickly they change outfits, transforming in under 30 seconds before stepping back out onto the impressively designed stage, which is estimated to weigh in excess of 12,000 pounds.
You can take a glance at the scenes from their most recent spring tour of a similar name down below.
Such an impressive display all-round.
You can find the full list of UK shows here – we’ve highlighted all the Northern ones for you:
Disney On Ice UK tour dates – winter 2026/27
Birmingham bp pulse LIVE: Oct 28 – Nov 8, 2026
Newcastle Utilita Arena: Nov 11 – Nov 15, 2026
Nottingham Motorpoint Arena: Nov 19 – Nov 22, 2026
Aberdeen P&J Live: Nov 26 – Nov 29, 2026
Belfast SSE: Dec 3 – Dec 6, 2026
Sheffield Utilita Arena: Dec 9 – Dec 13, 2026
Manchester AO Arena: Dec 16 – Dec 20, 2026
London The O2: Dec 24 – Jan 3, 2027
With the likes of other big Disney Concerts and the Entertainment group productions coming to Manchester over the next year or so, including the recently announced Worlds Collide UK crossover tour, there are plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in all kinds of classic movie magic.
The pre-sale opens from 10am this Friday, 12 June, which you can prepare for now; as for general admission, tickets will be available from the same time on the last Friday of the month (26 June).
All-new VIP magical passes have also been added for the very first time this year, meaning guests of all ages can enjoy all the glitz and glamour possible.
Whatever package you and/or the kids fancy, you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
For anyone interested in seeing other animated and digital favourites brought to life in the flesh right here in the city centre, this one might interest you, too…
Calling all self-declared otakus, cinephiles and gamers – this one looks right up your street. 🎼
Emily Sergeant -
14th June 2021 
