Let’s talk about ticks

Las garrapatas son bastante pequeñas y a veces apenas visibles para el ojo humano. Se parecen a las arañas en que son arácnidos y tienen ocho patas. Varían en tamaño y, como adultas, van de los 2mm a los 10mm de largo. El cuerpo de la garrapata suele tener forma de lágrima, pero puede abultarse considerablemente al alimentarse. Dependiendo de la especie de garrapata también puede variar su color, con la mayoría siendo de color marrón a marrónrojizo. Las garrapatas son endémicas de zonas rurales de España y otras partes del mundo, especialmente en zonas arboladas con hierba alta y arbustos, donde permanecen a la espera de que pase un posible huésped, como humanos o nuestros amigos caninos. Las garrapatas suelen colgarse del final de hierbas altas y matojos y, al pasar un huésped, se aferran y se incrustan en la piel del mismo. Como son parasitarias por naturaleza, hacen esto para sobrevivir y alimentarse de la sangre del nuevo huésped.

Por norma, las garrapatas necesitan un huésped del que vivir, así que las zonas donde hay abundante fauna salvaje como ciervos, roedores, ardillas y ganado son perfectas para las garrapatas y evidentemente un hábitat donde encontrarlas.

Pero no sólo se encuentran en zonas rurales. Las garrapatas también pueden encontrarse en zonas urbanas ya que pueden aferrarse a la ropa o incrustarse en pieles animales y ser transportadas a nuevas localizaciones.

¿Qué hacer si encuentro una garrapata en mi perro?

Cuando volváis de vuestro paseo, pasa las manos y la punta de los dedos por la piel de tu perro para notar cualquier pequeño bulto o protuberancia y dale un buen cepillado. También tendrás que mirar dentro y detrás de las orejas, entre los dedos de las patas, bajo la barbilla y zona del cuello, y estar atento a señales como rascado frecuente o mordisqueo de una zona concreta.

Si encuentras alguna garrapata tendrás que quitarla rápidamente, ya sea usando pinzas o un accesorio especial que puedes comprar en las tiendas de mascotas o el veterinario. Tendrás que retorcer la garrapata girándola en sentido horario, asegurándote de no dejar la cabeza incrustada. Asegúrate de no apretar en exceso el cuerpo de la garrapata, ya

Hablemos de las garrapatas

by Katie Manning

que esto podría causar que la cabeza se desprenda y se quede incrustada. Una vez retirada deberás limpiar y desinfectar la zona, tus manos, y cualquier herramienta que hayas usado, y buscar consejo de tu veterinario para que confirme si tu perro se ha infectado o no. Sin duda, la gran pregunta es cómo protegerse de estas criaturas. Bien, para empezar es importante saber que las garrapatas tienden a estar más activas durante la primavera y el otoño, cuando la temperatura es más fresca y suele haber más días lluviosos. No obstante, durante todo el año es mejor prevenir que curar. Para nosotros los humanos es aconsejable vestir manga larga y pantalón largo al caminar por zonas arboladas, asegurándose de remeter la camisa por el pantalón.

Para tu perro, es aconsejable que lleve un collar anti-parásitos, que impregnará la piel de tu perro con una sustancia que mata a las garrapatas tan pronto como se agarren e intenten alimentarse.

Ticks are pretty small and sometimes barely visible to the human eye. They are similar to spiders in that they are arachnids and have eight legs. They vary in size and as adults range from between 2mm and 10mm in length. The body of the tick is usually a teardrop shape but can balloon up considerably after feeding. Depending on the species of tick, they will also differ in colour with the majority being a brown or reddishbrown colour.

Ticks are endemic to rural areas of Spain and other parts of the world, especially to wooded areas with tall grass and bushes where they lie in wait for any passing traffic such as us humans and our canine friends.

Ticks will generally perch themselves on the end of tall grasses and shrubs and once a new host comes along, they will cling on and embed themselves in the skin of the host. As they are parasitic by nature, they will do this to survive and feed off the new host’s blood.

As a rule, ticks will need a host to live off, so areas in which there is an abundance of wildlife such as deer, rodents, squirrels, and livestock are perfect for ticks and an obvious habitat in which to find them.

But it’s not only rural areas where they can be found. Ticks may also be found in urban areas as they can cling to clothes or get embedded in animal fur and be transported to a new location.

What do I do if I find a tick on my dog?

When you return from your walk, run your hand and fingertips over your dog to feel for any small lumps and bumps and give them a good brush. You will also need to check in and behind the ears, between their toes, under the chin and neck area and look out for signs such as frequent scratching and biting of a particular area.

If you do find any ticks you will need to remove them quickly by either using tweezers or a specialist tool that you can purchase from a pet store or your vet. You will want to twist the tick off in a clockwise direction making sure not to leave the head embedded. Make sure you do not try to squeeze the tick’s body as this may just cause the body to break off leaving the head still attached. Once removed you will want to clean and disinfect the area, your hands, and any tools used, and seek advice from your vet to ascertain whether your dog has been infected or not.

The big question of course is how to protect yourself from these creatures. Well, to begin it is important to know that ticks tend to be more active during Spring and Autumn when the temperature is cooler and when there are generally more rainy days. With that in mind, throughout the whole year, prevention is always better than cure. For us humans, it is advisable that if you are walking in wooded areas you wear long sleeves making sure to tuck your shirt in.

For your dog, it is advisable to wear a protective tick collar which will impregnate your dog’s skin with a substance that will kill any ticks as soon as they latch on and attempt to feed.

Over 25 years experience l Más de 25 años de experiencia

Internal medicine services, surgery, hospitalisation, x-rays, diagnostic laboratory and so much more. Plus...pet accessories and food.

We speak English!

Wir sprechen Deutsch Servicios de medicina interna, cirugía, hospitalización, ecografía, laboratorio para diagnóstico y más. Plus accesorios y alimentamentación.

If you are in the market for a sporty SUV, then the Cupra Formentor is a vehicle you most certainly should consider. This sleek, sporty SUV has easily enough talent and kerb appeal to sit alongside the more established, premium rivals.

The Formentor is where the Cupra brand and its tribal tattoo logo come into their own. It’s sleek, stylish, sporty and very well-equipped, not to mention practical enough for a family. The excellent driving experience is complemented by a wide range of engines, while the plug-in hybrid models make a compelling case for business users.

It’s not perfect though, not yet anyway, but then with a critical eye, most vehicles aren’t perfect. In my humble opinion, the entry-level models feel a little at odds with the brand’s sporty ethos and some of the interior trim perhaps isn’t up to par, but the

Cupra Formentor coupe-SUV manages to be a desirable and premium product, and it’s worth a place on your shortlist if you’re also looking at cars like the Mercedes GLA, BMW X2 or Peugeot 408. The Cupra Formentor is the first model that’s exclusive to the Spanish spin-off brand, rather than being a hotted-up version of an existing SEAT. It’s Cupra’s first stepping stone to having its own identity, but the Formentor is still heavily influenced by other SEAT models – and the bigger Volkswagen Group empire. That’s not a bad thing for the most part, as we like the latest SEAT Leon and Volkswagen Golf. Our criticisms of the Leon are that it’s not particularly exciting to look at and doesn’t have a massive boot, but the Formentor addresses both of those with cool copper styling touches and a bigger SUV-ish body. The Formentor slots between the Cupra Leon and the Cupra

Ateca, and we’d argue its sleek looks suit the X-shaped Cupra badge better than the square Ateca. As mentioned above, key rivals come from upmarket manufacturers such as the Mercedes GLA, Audi Q2 and BMW X2, as well as some of other coupeSUVs launched recently like the Peugeot 408 and Renault Arakana. All trade heavily on their individual kerb appeal, so the Formentor will have its work cut out luring customers away from these established marques.