Just 30 minutes.

That’s how long a dog suspected of dying from Alabama Rot was covered in the mud her owner thinks may have killed her.

Nichola Barber spent Saturday sobbing in her boyfriend’s arms after vets put three-year-old Betty to sleep.

“She was one of the most loving dogs ever and full of life,” said the emotional Marske mum.

“I think I’ve cried all the tears I can cry - I’m heartbroken.”

She thinks the family pet caught Alabama Rot while walking in Errington Woods with her 13-year-old daughter, who had received Betty as a birthday present.

Nichola Barber's family dog, Betty
Nichola Barber's family dog, Betty

While Alabama Rot’s cause is unknown, it’s strongly suspected of being caught from muddy woodland.

The Labrador cross had got caked in mud playing in bushes about a fortnight ago, with Nichola adding: “After that walk, she started getting little sores.”

“I tried treating it with Savlon, but about four days ago she started throwing up constantly, even though she wasn’t eating.”

Experts say vomiting, weight loss and bladder problems are key symptoms of Alabama Rot.

But tragically, Nichola had never heard of the disease.

“At first, the vets thought it was an infection.

“But they did blood tests which revealed her kidneys had completely failed within three days.

“Because they had failed she was lethargic and dying in front of our eyes.”

Errington Woods
Errington Woods

The family now want to raise awareness of the disease Nichola fears could claim more dog’s lives.

Since the first UK case in 2012, around 100 dogs are suspected of dying from Alabama Rot.

Now Nichola is urging dog owners to be extra cautious about where they walk their pets.

“We had been up the woods loads of times, but there has never been a problem,” she said.

“Now if we had known about this we would never have gone.

“On that trip, she came back black so we bathed and cleaned her within 30 minutes, but obviously that was too late.”

While there is no known way of preventing Alabama Rot, dog owners are being advised to clean muddy dogs as quickly as possible to minimise the risk.

Now Nichola’s daughter is fundraising to try and aid research into what causes it.

But for now, the family is grieving for the loss of “beautiful” Betty after her suffering was ended at Marske Vets on Saturday.

Vet Filip Jaszczak, from the practice, insists Alabama Rot is “a rare condition”, which proves fatal as it can cause kidney failure.

And Nichola has urged anybody who owns a dog with the symptoms to get it checked immediately.

“Losing her was such an awful thing, and we just spent the day crying into each other’s arms,” said Nichola.

“The messages I’ve had have been overwhelming, but people need to be careful where they are taking their dogs.

“They need to be washed immediately, and people need to act as quickly as they can as within days, we lost her.”