Last thursday evening, as is usual, I took our new 4 month old pup' for his pre-supper walk; when I returned, I found him to be listless rather than his usual ravenous self. I imagined that he'd eaten something that disagreed with him. About 20 minutes later my friend Craig arrived and instantly diagnosed his having chewed (or even just licked) a Processionary Caterpillar..... NIGHTMARE!
We drove directly to the vet's, where he was given various jabs, and I was able to see the extent of his injuries. His tongue was swollen and blistered, resembling a battered blue-ish raw steak; he was obviously extremely distressed.
The next morning he couldn't eat or drink (he still can't), and had already begun to look thin; frankly I was was relieved to see that he was still alive. As instructed, I returned to the vet's as soon as they were open, and they kept him there for surveillance and rehydration.
These bloody caterpillars are common in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece; in fact anywhere warm where there are pine trees, and each year a number of dogs die from contact with them. Monty will no doubt lose part of his tongue, apart from which, I'm just hoping he'll make a full recovery.
So, be very very vigilant. This year I have still to find any, but certain dogs will have no problem searching them out. These creatures can be almost anywhere, not just in their traditional long lines across the road; and for a Labrador pup', like ours, they appear to be just another unmissable gastronomic tit-bit!
For the moment Monty is still very distressed, and he's lost a lot of weight through his inability to eat properly. I'm sure all his normal functions will return quite soon, and he'll again be the lovely pup' he was before his horrible experience. I'll let you know.
So sad to hear about poor Monty. You must be very upset and worried. Hope he makes a rapid recovery.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue. As you say, very upsetting for everyone; especially Lady M who's away in London.... he's her baby!
ReplyDeleteHello:
ReplyDeleteThis is a very distressing and sad making post. We do hope that Monty will recover fully, but it is obviously going to take some time. What a particularly nasty caterpillar.
they are a bloody worry.....
ReplyDeletehoping he perks up today
good job you acted quickly!
I thought they had all gone. I will have to check. Our trees are full of their nests. They have killed 5 of our beautiful conifirs. I think they wil have to be destroyed next year.
ReplyDeleteHope your dog is OK.
My old girl was bitten by a snake a couple of weeks ago, thankfully she is Ok but it was very scary to see her suffering
Sue
I follow another blog in the south of France, and I recall that they had problems with the caterpillars last year. Taking down a couple of trees that had them was quite a job. But one of their dogs also, thankfully, survived an encounter with them. I'll certainly keep Monty in my prayers that his health and energy are restored and he's back to his puppy antics very soon!
ReplyDeletePoor Monty. A couple of years ago, I was staying at a friend's house in the mountains of Spain when I came home to find about 15 of these things going round and round the top of an oil-drum which they use for burning rubbish. Not knowing what they were, I almost took them off to safety in case they got torched, but actually they had just finished burning out a massive nest of them, and these were the survivors! Thank God I didn't touch them - they can blind humans too by spraying out their poisonous spines straight into your eyes. Get well soon, Monty.
ReplyDeletePoor Monty. May he mend quickly. Those things sound horrible. I don't think we have anything like those awful things here.
ReplyDeleteGeez, Cro........is there an antidote? I keep Benadryl on hand for poisonous snake bites with the dogs.
ReplyDeleteHow did we ever survive to the 21st century,eh?
Cortisone, Grouch. And a few other things. He's quite perky today.
ReplyDeletePoor baby...and poor you too, must be quite a worry.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of these things...will definitely keep an eye out while digging in garden from here on in. Thanks for the heads-up.
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about Monty being sick like this! Poor thing! I see from your last comment that he's feeling better. Thank goodness for that. Wishing all of you well with this, I know how upsetting it is to have a sick 'friend'. xxxx
ReplyDeleteCro, I am so sorry to hear that and hope Monty will be back to health soon. I have never heard of these caterpillars around here, but I will check now. Most pets are truly part of the family and seeing them in distress pierces our hearts.
ReplyDeleteMy old cat Martian is dying from old age and although we are trying everything to keep him alive, we know it is just a matter of time.
Pets add so much to our lives.
Poor little Monty. Those caterpillars sound vicious.
ReplyDeleteIt's 9pm on Monday 25th, and he's just eaten a few 'Frolic' croquettes. My spirits are lifted!
ReplyDeleteThank goodness. Tomorrow will be even better.
ReplyDeleteThose are not like our caterpillars. Those are the devil! Hope 'monty recovers quickly!!
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