DOG owners in the Wellington area are being warned about a gruesome disease which kills their animals.

A case of the flesh-eating condition Alabama Rot has been confirmed in Taunton.

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.

Anyone whose dog develops a skin lesion should take it to a vet immediately.