Pet Threats and Animal Dangers

Information on what to do to protect your pet from some possible dangers of living in Greece...

Some of the main threats to pets in Greece are:

  • Heat stroke, as temperatures can rise very high during the summer months
  • Scorpions and snakes (very common in the countryside)
  • Dogs and cats are poisoned or killed all around the country. This is not only a threat to stray animals but to many pets as well. Usually poison or even a piece of glass is hidden inside a piece of meat or some other food and placed in the streets or parks

Common animal diseases in Greece

Leishmaniasis / Kala-Azar disease mainly affects domestic dogs. Symptoms include change in skin surface and diarrhoea. It is carried by a small, yellow sand fly that resembles a mosquito and is around two to three millimetres long. Parasites enter the skin around the eyes.

Canine ehrlichiosis or tick-bite fever is transmitted by ticks, the parasite destroys red blood cells. Symptoms are tiredness, a loss in appetite, strong fever and anaemia.

Dilofilariasis is transmitted by mosquitoes and results in breathing difficulties and a chronic cough.