Pet health risks in Spain: leishmaniasis, ticks, heat and more

Key rules

• Processionary season: Processionary caterpillars are most dangerous from February to May, and contact is always an emergency.
• Heatstroke: Every suspected case of heatstroke is an emergency, even if your pet seems to recover.
• Cats and ticks: Never use permethrin tick products meant for dogs on a cat.
• Leishmaniasis: It is usually managed rather than cured, so prevention and a yearly blood test matter.
• Local vet: Your local vet sets the prevention schedule, because risk and timing vary by area.

The short version

Spain has diseases and hazards that many newcomers' pets have never met. Dogs face the most risk. Talk to a local vet in your first weeks and agree a yearly prevention plan. Risk and timing vary by area, so the local vet decides the exact schedule.

Leishmaniasis (sand flies)

Leishmaniasis is spread by the bite of sand flies, which are active from dusk to dawn. It occurs across Spain, especially on the Mediterranean coast, the Balearics, Andalusia, Extremadura, Madrid and the Ebro and Tagus valleys. Cats can catch it too, but less often.

Prevent it by combining several steps:

• Use a repellent collar, spot-on or spray made for dogs.
• Keep your dog indoors at night.
• Ask your vet about the vaccine. It is a first course, then a yearly booster.
• Have a blood test before vaccination and then every year.

Watch for: weight loss, hair loss and skin sores around the eyes and ears, dandruff, overgrown nails, nosebleeds, lameness and swollen lymph nodes. Kidney failure can follow. The disease can be treated and managed with long-term medication, but it is not usually cured. Early testing makes a big difference.

Heartworm (mosquitoes)

Heartworm is spread by mosquitoes and is a risk in much of Spain. The highest risk is in the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean coast and Balearics, Andalusia, Extremadura, the Ebro valley and areas near rivers and wetlands. Risk is lower in cold, dry, high-altitude inland areas. Cats are vulnerable too.

Mosquito season runs roughly April or May to November, and longer in the Canaries and the south. Prevention is a monthly tablet or spot-on, or a long-acting injection from your vet, plus mosquito repellent. The vet will test an unprotected adult dog before starting prevention.

Ticks

Ticks carry several diseases in Spain, including ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and Mediterranean spotted fever, which can also affect people. Lyme disease is found mainly in the north. The brown dog tick is the main culprit in most of the country.

• Use a tick collar, spot-on or tablet suited to your pet's species.
• Never use dog products containing permethrin on a cat. They are toxic to cats.
• Check your pet after every walk.
• To remove a tick, grip it close to the skin with tweezers or a tick hook and pull steadily out. Don't squeeze the body, and don't use oil, alcohol or heat.
• Disinfect the bite. See a vet if fever, tiredness or loss of appetite follows.

Processionary caterpillars

These caterpillars live in pine trees and are most dangerous from February to May, and contact is always an emergency. They come down the trees in nose-to-tail lines, and in warm areas sometimes from January. Look for white silky nests in pines across most of the mainland and the Balearics.

Their hairs carry a toxin. A dog that sniffs or licks them may drool, paw at its mouth, vomit and develop a swollen tongue. Tissue in the tongue or mouth can die.

• Don't touch them with bare hands.
• Rinse the mouth and face with plenty of cool running water. Don't let your dog swallow the water, and don't rub.
• Go to a vet immediately.

Keep your dog on a lead near pines in season.

Heatstroke

Summers are hot, and heatstroke can kill. Flat-faced breeds, overweight and old animals, and thick-coated pets are at higher risk.

Signs: heavy panting, a lot of drooling, very red or pale gums, weakness, stumbling, vomiting or diarrhoea, collapse, seizures, and a temperature above about 40 °C.

What to do:

1. Move your pet to shade or a cool room.
2. Wet it with cool, not ice-cold, water, especially the belly, paws and armpits, and fan it.
3. Offer small amounts of water.
4. Call the vet and travel with the air conditioning on while you keep cooling.

Skip ice baths and wet towels wrapped around the body. Treat every suspected case as an emergency, even if your pet seems fine afterwards, because organ damage can show up later. Never leave an animal in a parked car.

Other local hazards

• Snakes: vipers live in scrub and rocky ground from spring to autumn. Keep your dog calm and go to a vet at once. Don't cut or suck the bite.
• Grass seeds (espigas): in late spring and summer they lodge in ears, nose, eyes and between toes. A vet must remove them. Brush and check your dog after walks.
• Toxic plants: oleander (adelfa), sago palm, Easter-season plants, and lilies for cats.
• Blue-green algae: found in warm, still reservoirs and lakes in summer. It can be fatal, so keep your dog out of the water.
• Poison baits (veneno): laid illegally in some rural areas and parks. Keep your dog on a lead in those places and consider muzzle training.
• Toads: avoid letting your dog mouth them.

Any suspected poisoning needs a vet visit straight away.

Timeline and deadlines

• Test your dog with a yearly antigen test, and before starting prevention if an adult dog is unprotected: once a year

• Start mosquito season prevention: monthly tablets or spot-on, plus mosquito repellent: from April or May to November, longer in the Canary Islands and the south

• Or use a long-acting moxidectin injection from your vet: every 6 or 12 months

Checklist

• Ask your vet about leishmaniasis vaccination and a yearly blood test, and use a repellent collar or spot-on against sand flies.

• Keep your dog indoors from dusk to dawn, when sand flies bite.

• Ask your vet which heartworm prevention suits your area and have your dog tested once a year.

• Check your pet for ticks after every walk and use a tick product made for your species.

• Keep your dog on a lead and away from pine trees with white silky nests.

• Rinse your dog's mouth and face with cool running water and go straight to a vet if it touches processionary caterpillars.

• Move an overheated pet to shade, wet it with cool water and call the vet at once.

• Brush your dog and check ears, nose, eyes and paws for grass seeds after walks.

• Keep your dog out of warm, still water in summer and away from oleander and other toxic plants.

Spanish summer dangers for pets

• Heatstroke: Heavy panting, heavy drooling, bright red or pale gums, weakness, stumbling, vomiting, collapse or seizures can mean heatstroke. A body temperature above about 40 °C is a danger sign. Flat-faced, overweight, old and thick-coated animals are at higher risk. Heat risk runs from June to September, and heat waves can start in May and last into October in the south. Move the animal to shade or a cool place at once. Wet it with cool, not ice-cold, water, especially the belly, paws and armpits, and fan it. Offer small amounts of water. Avoid ice baths and wet towels wrapped around the body. Call the vet and travel with the air conditioning on while you keep cooling. Treat every suspected case as an emergency, even if the pet seems to recover. Never leave a pet in a parked car.

• Hot pavement burns: Asphalt in summer sun can reach 50 to 70 °C when the air is only 30 to 35 °C, and it can burn paws in a minute or less. Limping, licking the paws, blisters and red pads are signs of burns. Hold the back of your hand on the ground for 5 seconds. If it is too hot for your hand, it is too hot for paws. Walk early in the morning or late in the evening, avoid roughly 11:00 to 18:00, choose grass or shade, keep walks short and carry water.

• Processionary caterpillars: Pine processionary caterpillars are most dangerous from February to May, and contact is always an emergency. They walk down pine trees in nose-to-tail lines. Their hairs carry a toxin that causes drooling, a swollen tongue, pawing at the mouth, vomiting and tissue death in the tongue or mouth. Keep dogs on a lead and away from pines with white silky nests. After contact, do not touch the animal with bare hands and do not rub. Rinse the mouth and face with plenty of cool running water without letting it swallow, then go to a vet straight away.

• Sand flies, mosquitoes and ticks: Sand flies are active roughly from May or June to October or November, and longer in the south and islands. Mosquitoes that carry heartworm are active roughly from April to November, nearly all year in the Canaries. Ticks are mostly active from spring to autumn, with peaks in spring and autumn, and the brown dog tick is active almost all year in mild areas. Ask your vet about parasite protection. Vets in Mediterranean regions often recommend protection all year round.

Frequently asked questions

Can leishmaniasis in dogs be cured?

No, leishmaniasis is treatable and manageable but not usually curable. Medicines such as allopurinol, miltefosine or meglumine antimoniate keep the disease under control. Your vet will repeat blood tests to follow how your dog is doing.

Are cats at risk from heartworm and ticks in Spain?

Yes, cats can catch heartworm from mosquitoes and are also bitten by ticks in Spain. Never use permethrin tick products on a cat, because they are toxic to cats. Ask your vet for a product made for cats.

What should I do if my dog is bitten by a snake?

Keep your dog calm and go to the vet at once. Do not cut the bite or try to suck out the venom.

How can I protect my dog from poison baits and toxic algae?

Keep your dog on the lead in parks and rural areas where illegal poison baits are laid, and consider muzzle training for risk zones. In summer, do not let your dog swim in warm, still reservoirs or lakes, because blue-green algae can be fatal. Any suspected poisoning needs an immediate vet visit.

How long can a dog be tested for heartworm each year?

Your dog needs an antigen test once a year. An unprotected adult dog should be tested before starting prevention. Your local vet sets the schedule for your area.