Pine Processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea Pityocampa)
These caterpillars are very unpleasant and are found where there are many pine trees. Between the months of October and March there appears large silvery nests containing these caterpillars and in the early part of the year they leave the nests looking for new trees. They form long trains following each other, nose to tail, (this is where they get their name from).
The caterpillars are covered in very fine hairs which are poisonous to both dogs and cats (and even people, particularly young children). Even if the caterpillar is dead, the hairs continue to be dangerous.
The ground that the caterpillars have passed over will have shed hairs along its path and if your dog sniffs the ground then it will cause the hairs to go up its nose and/or go in its mouth. This is an emergency situation and a vet should be seen at once, the poison from the hairs causes necrosis (dying of the tissue) and can cause the pets to loose parts of their tongue, nose or lips. If swallowed they can cause death.
If a caterpillar falls from the tree onto you or your dog, under no circumstances try to brush it from you or your dog as all you will do is scatter the hairs all over. Try to pick the creature from you, with a gloved hand then seek medical help immediately.
If you find a nest in your property then the best way to deal with it is to first spray the nest thoroughly with hair spray to seal the nest and then cover the nest and its surrounding branch with a plastic bag. Remove the branch, bag and nest from the tree and burn it in a safe place
If you find a precession walking then probably the best way is to douse them with lighter fluid and set fire to them. Be very careful about this as you do not want to start a forest fire.
Heartworm (Dirofilaria)
What are heartworms?
Heartworms belong to the same class of worms as roundworms. In fact, they look a bit like roundworms, but that is where the similarity ends. Heartworms spend their adult life in the right side of the heart and the large blood vessels connecting the heart to the lungs.
Heartworms are found in cats, dogs, and ferrets. They also occur in wild animals such as sea lions and black bears. They have rarely been found in people.
How do dogs become infected with heartworms?
Adult heartworms lay very tiny larvae called microfilariae. The microfilariae can live for a 3 years. These microfilariae enter a mosquito when it sucks blood from an infected animal. In 2-3 weeks, the microfilariae develop into larger larvae in the mosquito and migrate to the mosquito’s mouth.
When the mosquito bites another animal, the larvae enter the animal’s skin. The larvae grow and after about three months finish their migration to the heart, where they grow into adults, sometimes reaching a length of 14 inches. The time from when an animal was bitten until adult heartworms develop, mate, and lay microfilariae is about 6-7 months.
Dogs can have up to several hundred heartworms in their hearts and vessel, the worms tend to live 5-7 years in dogs.
What damage do heartworms cause?
The adult worms can obstruct the different chambers of the heart and the various large blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs. First, the right pumping chamber (ventricle) of the heart and the large pulmonary artery leading from it to the lungs becomes enlarged as the worms take up space. If worms die, they may follow the flow of blood into smaller vessels in the lung and obstruct those vessels.
What is included in a good heartworm prevention program?
There are 2 things to be done to reduce the risk of heartworms:
- Reducing the exposure of a pet to mosquitoes can help prevent them from even being exposed to heartworm larvae.
- Preventative Tablets which need to be given every month. There is now a yearly injection available (Guardian).
Ehrlichiosis
Ehrlichiosis is a disease that is spread by ticks and has many common names including canine rickettsiosis, canine hemorrhagic fever, canine typhus, tracker dog disease, and tropical canine pancytopenia)
Dogs get ehrlichiosis from the brown dog tick, which passes an ehrlichia organism into the bloodstream when it bites. It is also possible for dogs to become infected through a blood transfusion from an infected dog.
There are 2 types of Ehrlichiosis, Platys and Canis; Canis is much easier to treat than Platys.
Symptoms
The acute stage of the disease, occurring most often in the spring and summer, begins one to three weeks after infection and lasts for two to four weeks. Clinical signs include a fever, petechiae, bleeding disorders, vasculitis, lymphadenopathy, discharge from the nose and eyes, and edema of the legs and scrotum. As the disease becomes more advanced, the kidneys and liver begin to shut down, eventually leading to death of infected dogs.
Although people can get ehrlichiosis, dogs do not transmit the bacteria to humans; rather, ticks pass on the ehrlichia organism.
Prevention
Tick control is the most effective method of prevention. There are many preventative measures that can be taken to prevent ticks, however the preferred methods are “spot” treatments.
Tetracycline at a lower dose can be given daily for 200 days during the tick season in endemic regions.dose can be given daily for 200 days during the tick season in endemic regions.
Leishmania
Leishmania is a disease caused by a small single-celled parasite. It is spread from dog to dog by the sandfly. The sandfly is like a very small mosquito.
Symptoms
These are many and varied but can include:
- Fever, persistent, long duration (weeks), may cycle irregularly
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Appetite loss
- Weight loss
- Runny nose
- Nosebleed
Prevention
There are 2 recomended methods, both have good effectiveness:
- A repellent collar which can last for around 6 months, this has the added benefit that it also protects against ticks.
- A “spot” treatment called Ex-spot, this is applied once a month to the back of the neck and protects against mosquitoes, fleas and ticks.
Insurance
If you are going to be living in Spain then it is probably a good idea to take out some form of pet insurance. See our article about pet insurance.