Every year with increasing temperatures (especially in spring and autumn) the pine processionary appears.
What is it, and how does it affect our pets?
It is a caterpillar that is found in pine forests and presents some risks to our and our pets health.
One of the biggest problems that these insects create, from the point of view of human health, is due to the fact that the larvae, from the third stage of development, have on the back of some folds or sacks where they hide, grouped, a lot of tiny orange stinging hairs.
When the larvae are disturbed or move, the sacs open, releasing thousands of stinging hairs into the atmosphere that, if they come into contact with the skin of people or animals, produce allergic reactions.
Our pets can ingest these caterpillars while walking through the forest or even in the home garden. The ingestion of these causes an inflammatory reaction in the tongue and oral mucosa that can finally end in necrosis of the tissues and even in the loss of some part of the tongue.
The severity of the injuries depends a lot on how long the caterpillar is in contact with the mucosa of the mouth. Therefore, it is recommended that in case of contact or suspicion you go to our center for a veterinary evaluation.
