Alabama rot does not appear to be contagious. There are no known cases of the disease spreading from one dog to another, and no evidence it can pass to humans, cats, or other animals. Dogs living in the same household as an affected dog have not developed the condition, and owners who care for sick dogs have remained healthy.
That said, Alabama rot remains a poorly understood disease, and the fact that it isn’t contagious raises its own set of questions. If dogs aren’t catching it from each other, what is causing it, and how can you protect your dog?
Why It’s Not Considered Contagious
Alabama rot, formally known as cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV), does not behave like an infectious disease. It doesn’t cluster in households the way a virus or bacterial infection would. When one dog in a multi-dog home is diagnosed, the others typically stay healthy. The disease also hasn’t been seen in any species other than dogs, which further suggests it isn’t caused by a pathogen that jumps between animals.
Instead, the pattern of cases points toward something environmental. Most affected dogs were walked in the countryside, particularly through muddy or woodland areas, and the vast majority of cases (92 percent) occur between November and May. This seasonal window, combined with the rural walking connection, has led researchers to suspect that whatever triggers the disease is something dogs encounter in wet, muddy conditions rather than something they pass to each other.
What Actually Causes Alabama Rot
The honest answer is that nobody knows yet. Despite over a decade of cases in the UK (more than 318 confirmed since 2012), the specific cause remains unidentified. Researchers have investigated soil-borne bacteria, toxins in waterlogged ground, and environmental organisms, but none have been definitively linked to the disease.
What is understood is the damage it does inside the body. The disease attacks the lining of small blood vessels, causing inflammation and tiny blood clots to form throughout the affected tissue. In the skin, this produces ulcers or sores, most often on the paws, legs, or lower body, though some dogs develop lesions on the face, belly, or tongue. In severe cases, the same process hits the kidneys, where clots block the tiny filtering structures and cause acute kidney failure.
How the Disease Looks and Progresses
The first sign is usually a skin lesion that appears without any obvious injury. These sores most commonly show up on the paws, pads, or lower legs, and they can look deceptively minor: a small red patch, what seems like a cut pad, or a mark you might mistake for a sting or bruise. Some dogs develop sores on the muzzle, tongue, or belly instead.
Most dogs with skin lesions alone recover without complications. The danger comes when the disease progresses to the kidneys, which typically happens within one to nine days of the first skin sore appearing. Signs of kidney involvement include lethargy, vomiting, reduced appetite, and decreased urination. Once kidney failure develops, the prognosis is grim. The reported mortality rate for dogs with kidney involvement is around 94 percent, though researchers note this figure may overestimate the true death rate because surviving dogs often can’t be confirmed as CRGV cases without kidney tissue analysis.
Diagnosis Is Difficult
There is no single test that confirms Alabama rot in a living dog. Vets diagnose it based on a combination of factors: unexplained skin lesions, blood work showing declining kidney function, and a drop in platelet count (the blood cells involved in clotting). If your vet suspects CRGV, they’ll likely run blood tests every 24 to 48 hours to watch for early signs of kidney trouble, giving the best chance at catching deterioration before it becomes irreversible.
Definitive confirmation requires microscopic examination of kidney tissue, which in most cases is only possible after death. There have been more than 15 suspected survivors who showed both skin lesions and kidney problems but recovered. Because their kidney tissue was never analyzed, they can’t be formally counted as confirmed cases.
Which Dogs Are at Risk
No specific breed has been identified as more susceptible. Alabama rot has been diagnosed across a wide range of breeds, sizes, and ages. The common thread among cases is environmental exposure rather than genetics: dogs walked regularly through muddy countryside, especially woodland, during the colder months face the highest risk.
Geographically, confirmed cases have been reported across England, with locations including Surrey, Berkshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Staffordshire, Buckinghamshire, Herefordshire, and London. The number of regions reporting cases has increased over the years, though it’s unclear whether this reflects a true spread or simply better awareness and reporting.
What You Can Do to Reduce Risk
Because the cause is unknown, prevention advice is limited. The RSPCA recommends washing all mud off your dog after wet or muddy walks, particularly those through woodland. This won’t guarantee protection, but given the strong association between muddy environments and disease onset, it’s the most practical step available. Pay close attention to your dog’s paws, legs, and belly in the days following muddy walks. Any unexplained sore, red patch, or ulcer that wasn’t caused by an obvious injury warrants a vet visit, especially between November and May when cases peak.
You don’t need to avoid walking your dog altogether. The disease remains rare, with roughly 10 confirmed cases across the entire UK in early 2024. But staying alert to skin changes, especially after wet countryside walks, gives you the best chance of catching it early, when monitoring and supportive care can make the most difference.