Alright, full disclosure when we took Ted to the vets to pick up his AHC (animal health certificate) and the vet said “have you thought about preventing sandfly bites” Me and Kirstylooked at each other more than a little bit confused!
I thought i’d researched everything to death before we went on our first trip but it turns out not! Dismissing the vets question on the basis of “oh he’s just trying to sell us something” I went home and did some looking online.
Sandflies don’t exist in the UK (yet) due to our colder climate but do now exist in most other European countries, the ones warmer than ours anyway. Due to this, most dogs in the UK won’t be protected from their bites and will need extra protection.
The problem with sandflies is they cause a disease called Leishmaniasis which cannot be cured causing symptoms such as:
- Weight loss and appetite weakness.
- Lethargy and fever.
- Anemia and blood loss.
- Skin lesions, such as nodules, ulcers, scaling, and hair loss.
- Eye problems and nose bleeds.
- Vomiting and diarrhea.
- Enlarged lymph nodes and spleen.
The disease cannot be passed from dogs to humans or to other dogs.
So what can be done about them?
Sandflies are most prevalent May to September and you can take some practical steps to preventing sandfly bites:
- Avoid wooded / garden areas early morning and night.
- Ensure dogs sleep indoors over night
- Use a mosquito / fly net on windows and doors where possible.
In addition to the above there are collars available on the market aimed at reducing the risk of bites.
We used one from a company called Scalibor but it’s worth researching which collar is best for your dog.
We purchased ours from here – Scalibor Parasite Repelling Dog Collar for Ticks & Sandflies but lots of websites sell them.
Here’s Ted modelling his collar (the white thing round his neck) and as you can see it’s fairly discreet and doesnt bother him at all!
Now… the good news is in the time we’ve spent in Europe we’ve never seen a sandfly or had any issues with them. Plenty of people will also tell you they’ve never even bothered with the collars. However if you are like us and you love your dog the belt and braces approach is to buy one, especially as a lot of them also prevent ticks.