This page will be of
particular importance to you if you have pets that remain in
Spain for any length of time.

Visit the Pets in Spain web
site: www.petsinspain.info
Importing a pet to
Spain
British Embassy info on
pets
DOGS FOR
ADOPTION
HORSE
&
HOUSE
CATS AND
KITTENS
Finca Lucendum
Paws
animal rescue
TOXIC PLANTS ON THE COSTA
BLANCA THAT CAN KILL
PETS
PETZ4EVER web
site
Click here to add your name to a petition objecting
to animal cruelty

Click the following link to visit the web site of
the animal sanctuary in Alicante. This is a very well run
establishment. If you find an abandoned animal and you cannot
home it you can take it there: SOCIEDAD PROTECTORA DE ANIMALES Y
PLANTAS If you
need directions please email us at lamarina@lamarina.info and
we will forward instructions on how to get there.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION IF
YOU KEEP A DOG IN SPAIN
Leishmania: The
chance of a dog catching Leishmania in Spain is extremely high, many
veterinary surgeons put it as high as 30 to 35 percent. In reality,
the figure is much higher because there are many stray dogs with the
disease and the figure given applies only to dogs registered with a
veterinary surgeon. It is an incurable disease and one that has been
widely publicised here in Spain yet many people hear of it for the
first time when they arrive in Spain from other parts of Europe.
However, there are still many dog owners who are not aware of this
disease. Dr. David Hart, Lecturer in Parasitology at King’s College
London calls it- "One of the most underrated diseases in the
world".
Leishmania was discovered in 1900 by Scottish
bacteriologist, Sir William Boog Leishman, while serving as a
colonel with the British Army in India. This disease is classed
as a tropical disease. Cats cannot contract
it.
Over the years the disease has spread to
other countries, sometimes under other names, the Sandfly disease
being the most common. This name is misleading because the
disease has nothing to do with
sand or flies. I never let my dog go on the beach because of
the sandflies is an often heard remark. The beach has nothing to do
with it. Your dog is equally at risk in town, country, woodland or
wherever. Mediterranean disease is another name, even though it is
found as far north as Lyon in France.
Leishmania is an immuno suppressive disease, which means that
it breaks down the natural ability of the body to fight off
diseases. In this way it is vaguely similar to AIDS in
humans. There are two types of Leishmania: Cutaneous and
Visceral. Cutaneous affects the skin and Visceral attacks the
internal organs. The best person to advise you about which kind your
dog has is your vet. Each case is different, and so is the form the
treatment will take.
Newcomers to Spain are surprised when they learn about
Leishmania. They have rarely heard about it (if at all) in
their own country. Visitors from Northern Europe who bring their dog
with them for a holiday often comment that they wish they had not -
and rightly so if, in their ignorance of the disease, they subjected
their dogs to the possibility of contracting
it.
Any dog can catch Leishmania but there
is evidence to indicate that shorthaired dogs are more susceptible
as obviously the offending mosquito can more easily penetrate the
skin. Bear in mind two very important facts: there is no cure and
there is no vaccination against the disease. However there are
treatments which can afford an affected dog long periods of
remission, often reminiscent of a cure. A dog with Leishmania in a
mild degree can live to a very ripe old age.
What are the
symptoms? Watch out for prolonged nail growth,
ulceration of the ear tips, thick dandruff, bald patches on the
skin, sunglasses effect around the eyes, getting thin although
eating well (in this latter case, check firstly for worms),
whiteness of the cornea of the eyes. These are all warning signs
that your dog could have Leishmania. The only way to make
absolutely sure is to visit your vet who will analyse a blood sample
and you will have the results within a day or so. It is indeed a
relief when the results prove negative. We all want to care for our
dogs to the best of our ability and care means preventing your dog
from getting this ultimately fatal disease and it can certainly be
prevented.
You can do a lot to
ensure that your dog does not get Leishmania.The disease is carried
by a certain type of mosquito, so small that it is virtually
invisible to the human eye. The creature flies at dusk and at
night whenever the temperature is over 20 degrees Celsius. In the
south of Spain, especially, this can occur in the middle of winter.
There is a belief that the mosquitoes are very low flying and
therefore dogs in a high building are safer. This is true only to a
very limited degree. A strong wind can carry mosquitoes to great
heights.
To maximise protection for your dog
you should never let him sleep out at night. Of course, it would
like to sleep out on your terrace or balcony on those hot summer
nights, but you are its guardian and you make any decisions in its
best interests. Your dog should be indoors as soon as darkness falls
and temperatures are 20 degrees Celsius or higher. The room in which
it sleeps should also be protected. Open windows, if a necessity
during summer nights should be covered with mosquito netting, which
you can buy cheaply at any hardware store. If stretched on a
wooden frame it does not obscure your views and has the added bonus
that it also keeps wasps and other nasty insects out.
There is a very special insect repellent
collar called Scalibor that is highly recommended
by all vets, which will protect your dog from bites from this
mosquito and also from fleas and ticks and, unlike the tick and flea
collar, lasts for 6 months as opposed to 3 months. There is
also a lotion called X Spot which comes in ampulets and as an
alternative to the Scalibur collar should be
applied to the back of the neck and rump of your dog. This will take
either one or two ampulets, depending on the size of your
dog. An extra protection is to use those small mosquito gadgets
sold in many shops that use tables or liquid and plug into
electricity points. This all sounds very extreme but, with
something as serious as this, it is necessary to take extreme
measures.
There are also those of us who have so many
dogs that it would be impossible for them all to be indoors after
dusk but X Spot and Scalibor collars will protect your dogs from
bites if they live outside in the open.
For other important
information visit these web sites:
Dogs:
www.leishmaniasis.info
PotentiallyDangerous
dogs:
www.mapausa.org/Viaje/Animal/danger.htm
Cats:
www.felineleukemia.org/felvfaq.html
Dog Fostering Register:
The
La Marina Web team is creating a register of dog
fosterers. This will be a register of people on
the Costa Blanca that are willing to devote just
a little of their time and offer assistance when animals
are lost or in desperate circumstances and need the kind
of help that only human intervention can provide. If you
are an animal lover and would like to be listed on our register we
will be happy to include you. Our aim is to have a long list of
people that can foster a dog for a short period. Also, If
you have a particular expertise, we would like to be able to contact
you for advice or assistance to help animals
and frantic animal owners. If you can be called
upon to help search for a lost pet in your area, or join in
with a team of others to assist in an animal rescue attempt
like the team that came together to rescue this
dog from a canal,
please register. If you are a member of a club or
group maybe you can organise a collection of bric-a-brac
etc, this can be sold at boot fairs to raise funds for
abandoned animals, please
register.
The
actions of just a few people working together to
assist animals in distress can have a life saving impact
on their life and sometimes lead to a happy union with
a loving companion that can last a lifetime. These are just a
few of the ways that people on the
the dog fostering register can get involved. If you would
like us to record your name on the register please complete the
on line form Here

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