Hello all. My first post. I have come here hoping for any info / guidance or experience to help with my understanding of what happened. Sadly we have lost our 3 and half year old bitch to this appalling condition. We are bereft. We visited the Isle of Wight last week and having spent four days there, by the fifth day she had developed a slight limp. This gradually escalated into a ballooned front paw twice the size which started to bleed. The vet removed a lot of the infection but could not find anything that was causing the infection. By the time we were home in the next 48 hours arrangements were being made for an operation and state of the art imaging in Bristol. We never made it there because the emergency vet at the weekend diagnosed that there were problems with her kidneys and that she was clearly not responding to antibiotics. We saw her for the last time on Sunday evening complete with a waggy tail. She was obviously very poorly. She had refused to eat for days and was normally obsessed with food. The decline in her energy levels and well being was rapid and significant. She went from a bouncy dog jumping into water to a lethargic animal who did nothing but lie on the sofa. We still cannot believe how things have changed so quickly. We feel guilty and regret and think she has been cheated of her life. We miss our cherished friendship. I feel we have let her down. And now we only have memories and reminders. Apologies if this sounds dramatic but our lives have been turned upside down by such a devastating course of events. Since some of the info out there is vague about this condition, I cannot be sure that the Island is the guilty location. We live in Devon so it is possible she acquired something before we left but as I said there were no signs at all of it during those first 4 days. I have read that the incubation period can be anything from hours to 14 days. We shall never be sure where she picked it and how. All I can say is that the consequences are horrific. My wife said that from research it was stated that approx fifteen times the number of dogs are killed in road accidents compared to AFR so she is a very unlucky dog. I would be extremely grateful if anyone can offer any thoughts or comments. I know this condition affects all breeds. I wondered whether there were any aspects of a dog's make up which made them more susceptible to this condition. Should we have stopped her jumping into the river? Our minds are racing as you can imagine. Many thanks in anticipation.
Dear Peter, Welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry to read your story, and my heart goes out to both you and your wife. I'm afraid I don't know any more than you have already found out about Alabama Foot Rot. What shines out from your post though is that your girl was extremely well cared for by you and your wife, she enjoyed an idyllic life which would make any dog blissfully happy, and she received the best possible care in her last few days, because you sought it for her. There's nothing you could or should have done differently, and I hope that the memories of the years you had with her will bring you comfort in the future. Very best wishes, Sarah.
