At least 52 dogs have died after being struck down by an horrific kidney disease , vets have warned . In the first recorded outbreak of Alabama rot to be reported in Britain , dogs have fallen ill and died up and down the country . Pet owners are warned to look out for lesions on their dogs ' legs as vets continue to search for the cause of the disease . The disease was unknown in this country until November 2012 , when reports started emerging of dogs dying mysteriously in the New Forest , Hampshire . Outbreaks of Alabama rot , which attacks blood vessels in the skin and kidneys , have affected dogs in the US as long ago as the 1980s . But the disease was unknown in this country until November 2012 , when reports started emerging of dogs dying mysteriously in the New Forest , Hampshire . The results of an investigation into the outbreak , published last night in the journal Veterinary Record , reveal the full horror of the disease . Although the initial cases were reported in Hampshire , incidents have since been confirmed across England and Wales , from Somerset in the South West to County Durham in the North East . Unlike the US cases , which have only affected greyhounds , the British outbreak has caused problems to a wide variety of different breeds . It has affected English springer spaniels , flat coated retrievers , whippets , Labradors - dogs of all shapes and sizes from a cocker spaniel to a Doberman . There have been 103 suspected incidents reported by vets , lead researcher David Walker told the Daily Mail last night , although only 52 of those have been confirmed by postmortem examinations . All those dogs died - either killed by the disease or put down by their vets . Unlike the US cases , which have only affected greyhounds , the British outbreak has caused problems to a wide variety of different breeds , including this retriever Erin who died from the disease . Mr Walker , a vet who practises in Hampshire , said the team 's investigation had not established why the disease had so suddenly sprung up , how it had arrived in Britain , or why certain dogs had been affected . But he warned pet owners to remain alert to symptoms . 'The main message is that we are still seeing cases spring up . Although the numbers are relatively small , continued vigilance is the best thing . People should look out for skin lesions when the dog has n't obviously been cut on something . ' He admitted much remains unknown about the problem . 'We do n't know whether this is a condition that has been in the UK for a while , but just was unrecognised , or whether it had recently emerged , ' he said . One of the many dogs struck down the disease was Tegan , a three-year-old fox terrier cross , who died in February 2014 after walking near Ashurst in the New Forest . The scientists are still investigating whether the disease was caused by environmental factors such as a bacteria or virus , or whether the problem was genetic - this spaniel , Jess , died of the disease . Her owner Sarah Thairs , of North Baddesley , Hampshire , took her to the vet but her condition worsened and Tegan died soon afterwards . She said at the time : 'My poor little girl had been through so much . 'Tests showed the disease had gone to her pancreas . I had to make the decision to put her down , which is heartbreaking . ' The investigation found no obvious link between any of the dogs - even those who became ill within a few days in the New Forest . Mr Walker said : 'When we looked at all their walking routes and other factors , we could find nothing in common . ' The results rule out early theories that the dogs had been poisoned by contaminated food . They also ruled out a link to the E.coli shiga toxin , another early theory . The scientists are still investigating whether the disease was caused by environmental factors such as a bacteria or virus , or whether the problem was genetic . They are comparing it to a similar human disease of the kidneys , called Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome , which is genetic but can be caused by exposure to certain medications , to see whether it can offer any clues .
At least 52 dogs have died after being struck down by Alabama rot . Disease , unknown in US till 2012 , attacks blood vessels in skin and kidneys . Known to affect dogs in the UK but only occasionally seen outside country .