Yesterday morning I ran into a vibrant- and fuzzy-looking caterpillar under a pine tree during my regular walk. I thought I would express my admiration for the outfit that seemed ideal for the ongoing celebration of Carnival in the city. It became clear that he is not interested in ordinary nose-rub and moved on rather swiftly.

Nonetheless, within just seconds, I became super nauseous and could not move anymore! Luckily, my human was there to pick me up and carry me home – while swearing that we’ll be back at our fitness regimen as soon as I feel better. By the time we got everything ready for the trip to the vet, my head swelled to the size of a teddy’s and itched so badly that I tried rubbing it to everything in sight.

Fortunately, the staff of the Associação Zoófila Portuguesa provided me immediately with the right emergency care. After 24 hours, I am now looking and feeling much better, although still have not gotten my “mojo” back entirely.

Other dog-owners and dog-comrades in Portugal and Spain, be more careful about approaching these feisty creatures during the February-April season! They have poisonous spikes that can cause tongue necrosis among dogs (that’s right!) and even provoke our death. This is the sad story of Didi who died from this.