# Alabama Rot (disease in dogs of unknown cause)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-rot-disease-in-dogs-of-unknown-cause/999710>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 1, 2024, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-rot-disease-in-dogs-of-unknown-cause/999710 "2024-04-01T22:19:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-rot-disease-in-dogs-of-unknown-cause/999710/1 "2024-04-01T22:19:12Z")

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There have been some news articles recently about reported cases of Alabama Rot in my locality lately; it’s a rare, but typically fatal disease, first reported in the 1980s, affecting dogs that manifests as sores - often starting on the paws and spreading up the legs, then progresses to kidney failure and death.

Apparently, the cause is unknown; it is believed to be associated with wet and muddy woodland environments but no pathogen or toxin has been identified - it seems really strange to me that a disease that has been known for 40 years could still be a complete mystery in terms of cause.

Is it likely that this is just because the comparative rarity of the disease means there is insufficient funding resource or impetus to research it fully? Is it possible that there is some completely novel type of pathogen that is hiding in plain sight and is not a fungus or protist or bacterium or virus or prion, but something else altogether?

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**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-rot-disease-in-dogs-of-unknown-cause/999710/2 "2024-04-01T22:41:09Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> Is it possible that there is some completely novel type of pathogen that is hiding in plain sight and is not a fungus or protist or bacterium or virus or prion, but something else altogether?

Sure, anything is possible, but it’s more likely a very uncommon pathogen that for some reason is impacting dogs in a particular part of the country. Is there a university nearby that has a veterinary program? If there is, I would ask them since they would be the most knowledgeable of unusual disease pathogens in your area.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-rot-disease-in-dogs-of-unknown-cause/999710/3 "2024-04-01T22:49:00Z")

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It’s been reported in my locality; it is anything but a local phenomenon.

> **[Alabama rot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_rot)**
>
> Alabama rot, Greenetrack disease, or cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV) is an often fatal condition in dogs. It was first identified in the US in the 1980s in greyhounds. The high number of affected dogs at the Greenetrack Racing Park, Alabama, led to the initial pseudonyms of Greenetrack Disease and Alabama Rot. The initial symptoms are skin lesions on the legs, chest and abdomen followed by renal involvement.
> In November 2012 the first cases were suspected in the UK. In January...