Deadly dog disease '˜may have spread to Crawley'

Other cases of the disease - Alabama Rot - have already been reported at various sites across Sussex.

Now Vets4Pets - based inside Pets at Home in County Oak, Crawley - has reported its first suspected case.

The practicse says that the disease, which leads to kidney failure and usually proves fatal “in nine out of 10 cases,” is the first case it has had.

The cause of Alabama Rot - cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy - is still unknown and there is no known way to prevent dogs from contracting the disease.

There have been 11 confirmed cases within a 20-mile radius of Crawley, including one at West Chiltington, south of Horsham, earlier this year.

The mysterious illness first appeared in the late 1980s affecting greyhounds in America.

Vets4Pets say that anyon who wants advice on the disease can contact them on 01293 517246.