A DOG OWNER in Radcliffe has spoken of her relief after discovering that her black Labrador has not contracted a deadly dog disease.

After her nine-year-old dog Holly was behaving unusually, a worried Linda Patison decided to take her to the vet as a precautionary measure.

But after initial tests had taken place, she was told that Holly may have contracted Alabama Rot.

The condition, which begins with ulcers on the dog’s skin and lower legs before a rapid onset of kidney failure, is believed to be caused by parasites or toxins produced by E. coli.

Mrs Patison, aged 53, of Kingsmoor Avenue, said she was told that bringing Holly into the vets at the first sign of a problem, could have saved her life.

She said: “Holly started showing symptoms on Monday last week so I took her straight to the vets.

“She had lesions in her paws and was really lethargic and just not herself.

“By Tuesday she had got much worse so they admitted her and put her on a drip. They said that they were treating it as a case of Alabama Rot.”

However after four days of observations and with Holly showing clear signs of recovery, vets were satisfied that she had not contracted the condition.

Mrs Patison added: “Holly is fine now and the vet said that it may have been because they treated her early.

“I am just so glad that I didn’t hesitate and took her straight in.”

The total number of confirmed cases of Alabama Rot in the UK has now passed 100 since 2012 but the cause of the disease is still unknown.

Katie Beech, from Beech House Veterinary Surgery, Radcliffe, said: “Because Holly is an older dog we didn’t want to conduct a biopsy to confirm if it was Alabama Rot, therefore it was only suspected.

“Mrs Patison did the right thing in bringing her in straight away however, and I would advise other worried dog owners to do the same.”

She also urged people not to become frightened and to remain vigilant.

“The best thing to do is to not panic,” she said. “This is not an epidemic but there are some simple precautions that people could take. It is advisable to keep your dog out of boggy areas and waterways and to wash their paws when you get home if they do get wet. Also look out for sores on the lower parts of your dog’s body and check for open sores and any abnormalities.”

A guide with useful information about how to look for signs of Alabama Rot can be found at www.vets4pets.com/stop-alabama-rot/