A VETS has warned dog owners about a lethal disease after the death of two pets.

One dog died from a confirmed case of Alabama Rot late last month. Another has since been put to sleep after a suspected second case.

Both lived in the Southwater area and had been walking on the Downs Link from West Grinstead towards Henfield in the week before they became ill.

Both were treated at Hawthorn Veterinary Surgery, which has sites in Partridge Green and Henfield.

A spokesman for the vet said: “We are saddened to report that a patient of ours has died from a confirmed case of cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV) also known as Alabama Rot, and we now have a likely second case.

“The second dog was sadly put to sleep on and we are awaiting post-mortem results.”

The first sign of CRGV is often unexplained lesions or redness particularly but not exclusively on the legs or paws.

He added: “The first sign of CRGV is often unexplained lesions or redness particularly but not exclusively on the legs or paws.

“In some unfortunate cases these lesions can then lead to kidney failure.

“Whilst we recommend seeking veterinary advice if you discover any unexplained lesions on your dog, we wish to reassure our clients that there may be many causes such as a sting, wound or cut that are not related to CRGV.

“However, if your dog does have a lesion of unknown origin we will be recommending to do blood work to check kidney function and possibly repeating it 24-48hours later.

“Both dogs lived in the Southwater area and had been walking on the Downs Link from West Grinstead towards Henfield in the week before they became ill.

The cause of Alabam Rot is currently unknown and, as a result, the vet said it did not know if where the dogs had been walked was relevant to their death.