Pine Tree Larvae

[Teresa]

I have been posting about this, but after the talk I had with my Vet today, I decided to add a discussion too, as I can only imagine that you will like to be informed about this, specially if you and your dogs might be at risk of having the same problem as Romã did.

 

Those of you who have pine trees in places you take your dogs, if you suspect there is or were pine tree that is or was infected with the larvae, beware!!!!

Last wednesday my mother found Romã shivering, drooling and barely breathing, because her tongue was so swollen. She took of to the Vet immediately. The Vet told her that she had touched or licked a pine tree larvae and that she was having the consequent allergic reaction.

 

Within minutes, the tongue beggins to get bigger and bigger. The major risk is that tongue tissue starts to die. If there is too much dead tongue, the dog (cat/horse,....) will not be able to eat and will have to be put down.

It is a medical emergency and you must take your dog to the vet right away. If you can, wash the mouth with large amounts of water to remove the toxin, as this helps to ease the allergic reaction. All animals WILL have a reaction, so don't wait to see what happens.

 

My girl is comming home tomorrow, but she will have to be on a special diet for a while because her tongue still very damaged (fortunately there was no dead tissue on her case, due to the rapid assitance she recieved) and because her kidneys and liver have been under a lot of pressure due to the medicaation that saved her life.

 

If you happen to touch one of these larvae, you should also wash the contact area with warm water and soap, and see a doctor soon. 

 

 

[Val Martin]

Poor Roma....that must have been very, very distressing for her.  I sincerely hope she makes a full recovery.

[Catherine Carter]

Thank you for posting this....I must say until I read your blog last week, I had never heard of Pine Tree Larvae and yet my parents live in the South of France where there are many pine trees and had a dog there for many years. What does this larvae look like? And is it normal for a dog to want to eat it? Are their taste particularly attractive to a dog? I suppose the question sounds stupid but.....I was wondering.....

[lyn hathaway]

cornelia this is a very interesting read thanks

[Teresa]

I guess Cornelia did "my" homework...

That's exactly it, and from what I was told, it's not that atractive, but some dogs may just be curious about it, and at this time of year they are lying on the floor, where they can survive a hole year!

[Catherine Carter]

Thank you very much, Cornelia.....I know exactly what they are now....and I did see them in North Africa where I was growing up and indeed we were always told as children never to touch them or even the hairs on them!

[lyn hathaway]

thank you teresa hope roma continues to make full recovery

[silvia]

I think we know what they are.. We call them "processionarie" in Italy, since they walk in line.. I know they dont look attractive, but I never realized they are so dangerous, thanks a lot  for posting and best of luck with Roma!! I believe they are more a concern in  spring, when the larvae are around, while during the summer months they should be less common, does this make sense? 

Teresa: I just read this morning your posts about Roma and Pitanga.. quite a difficult time, I am so sorry for the beautiful girls.... I really hope they will be better soon , and at home with you :(

[Teresa]

Well, at least the discussion is doing what I wished it would - tell all you guys about this to avoid any of your dogs getting in trouble. I just picked Romã up and brought her home and the vet told me again how lucky she was trough all this, as there are not many dogs that come out of it with so little damage as she did. There will be some permanent damage, we don't know how much yet, but she is already fully functional, so that's as much as I could ask!

[Teresa]

Well, in this case, the best thing you can do really is washing the area that made contact with the caterpillar with saline. Since people normally don't keep bags of saline in their pockets water will do just fine. In this case, when the mouth and tongue are affect, don't try too hard to get the dog drinking, just wash it as well as you can, and NEVER, never try to scrub it away! Friction will set the toxin loose and make it even worse. 

Make sure you just pour down generous amounts of saline or water (without choking your dog) and rush to the vet, to get your dog medication as soon as possible. It may also be important to warn your vet about the danger of the caterpillar, if this is not common in your area, as it may be the first time your vet witnesses it!

 

[Teresa]

I'll check it out with my teacher and get back to you on that - don't want to be feeding you false information. I'll try to get as much info as I can on first aid basis in this situation!

[Sherry Miller]

I noticed in the article that Cornelia put up that France and Spain seem to be countries in the article but Cornelia has seen some in Sweden and they do look similar to what I believe is called gypsy moth invasion of trees here in USA.....now has me really thinking here so guess will see what I can find out if they are common here in USA.....thank you Cornelia and Teresa for starting and answering questions for all of us,  Hope Roma is continueing to improve .....and especially hoping she will wake you up one night soon with a wee little bark!

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[Sherry Miller]

Cornelia I am sorry....must have had a brain freeze moment as I know full well where Miss Joy is walking across ( see what happens when I work and then check up on here....I forget what I know I knew !).  This whole subject I think has got so much good information and is a real learning experience for all of us....and I am just amazed how quickly you came up with answers for us.  Thankyou.