A DOG in Taunton has died from the flesh eating condition Alabama Rot.

The case of the disease that can cause gruesome death in dogs has been confirmed in this month.

It is among a total of 12 confirmed cases of the disease reported in the UK so far this year and 132 nationwide since 2012 - with 22 cases in the past two months.

Alabama Rot is the common name for cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy.

The flesh of dogs with the condition starts to fester and rot, leading to kidney failure, loss of appetite, tiredness and vomiting. 

Without rapid treatment, the dog can develop a fever and die. 

The cause of the disease is unknown.

Other symptoms include skin lesions usually on legs or paws - although they can also appear on faces, mouths, tongues, the bottom of their chest or abdomen - which might look like a swelling, a patch of red skin or similar to an ulcer.

If your dog develops a skin lesion, take it to the vet immediately.

David Walker, the UK’s leading expert on the condition, from Anderson Moores, said: "Unfortunately Alabama Rot cannot currently be diagnosed on the basis of blood tests.

"A higher level of suspicion for the disease may arise following analysis of a skin lesion sample. However, at the moment we can only provide 100 per cent confirmation of the disease following analysis of kidney tissue.

"This tissue is usually obtained after an animal has died, due to the risks associated with kidney sampling in unwell dogs suspected of having the condition.

"Unless samples of both skin and kidney are analysed, we can’t confirm if a dog has had Alabama Rot and the case will remain suspected and not show on our map.”