An unidentified disease that causes kidney failure in dogs may be the cause of thirteen dog deaths in the UK. The disease, which begins with small skin ulcers on dogs' legs, has been fatal in all except three cases. Because the disease can only be confirmed by studying kidney tissue, officials are asking veterinarians to take tissue samples from for further investigation. The mystery disease appears to be similar to an illness called Alabama rot, which spread throughout the United States in the 1980s, however, the cause is not yet known. While E coli was considered a possible cause, tests on samples from dogs that died from the disease did not show any evidence of the bacteria.

The disease first appears as small ulcers usually on a dog's legs, with kidney failure developing two to seven days later. Veterinarians are recommending that pet owners be on the lookout for the skin ulcers and a signs of kidney failure, which include lethargy, vomiting and excessive thirst. The disease does not appear to be communicable to other dogs. "You can even have two dogs from the same household and one is affected and the other is not," said Dr. David Walker, head of internal medicine at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists in the UK. While skin ulcers can appear for many reasons and are often benign, Walker adds, "if you see a wound on your dog and don't know why it's happened, it's best to get it checked over by your veterinarian."