It is that time of year again when danger can take you unaware. Unfortunately, that is exactly what has happened to us today.
When we lived in the Campo we were vigilant and always on the lookout for the appearance of the nests of the Pine Processionary Moth. We were vigilant because there were pine trees all around us. As soon as we spotted the nests appearing we knew we had to walk our dog well away from their nesting places.
The Caterpillar of the Pine Processionary Moth has fine hairs along each side of its body. These hairs are poisonous to humans and can be lethal to your pets.
If someone gets any of these hairs on their skin they will develop a rash like the one gotten from stinging nettles. The discomfort is also like the sting of a nettle but more persistent and the effects will last for much longer.
If it is your dog that sniffs the caterpillars or even sniffs or walks where the caterpillars have been, then the situation is much more serious. The hairs of these little caterpillars can kill your dog if immediate action is not taken.
We were walking our dog in the town this afternoon and because there are very few Pine trees in the town we don't have much trouble with the caterpillars. We don't get to see many of these pesky and dangerous little critters or their nests where we normally walk our dog, and we were not expecting to see any around town today.
But on our walk this afternoon we came across just a few of these caterpillars on the pavement. Unfortunately, we didn't spot the caterpillars before our puppy Bosun did. Bosun investigated the caterpillars with his nose, sniffing round the caterpillars. Fortunately my husband noticed immediately that our little puppy had sniffed the poisonous caterpillars.
We picked Bosun up and took him immediately to our Vet's surgery. It was siesta time so the vet was not there but we rang the emergency number and told him what had happened.
The vet said he would come immediately so within fifteen minutes of it happening Bosun was seen and treatment started.
Within ten minutes of it happening the puppy was already drooling and feeling sorry for himself. The vet washed out our puppies mouth and flushed out his nose. The vet gave Bosun three injections, and hopefully we have caught it in time for our lovely little puppy to recover.
It is clear that our puppy Bosun's mouth is very tender and painful. Our vet suggested that we try to give Bosun some cold yoghurt to help bring the swelling down.
We tried, but unfortunately, the pain and discomfort from Bosun's swollen and inflamed tongue has made it impossible for him to lap up the yoghurt.
The vet told us not to try and feed Bosun anything solid as it would be too painful for him. We all feel so helpless and it is so distressing to see him whimpering and drooling and in such a sorry state.
Bosun is just four months old and so he is still only a baby, and just like a baby he has no idea what is happening to him and he is very distressed. It is very distressing for all of us, the vet has done all he can for little Bosun, now we just have to wait until the pain and the swelling goes away. I hope that it does not take long.
Please, please be very vigilant and look out for these dangerous critters. Please, don't let your pets get anywhere near where they are or where they have been. These hairs remain dangerous even after the caterpillars have shed them.