Animal Rescue Team Taiwan said that it helped a stray dog in Kaohsiung that had a leech trapped in its nose.
When the team found the dog in Liouguei District (六龜), it was bleeding profusely from its nose and was shaking its head intermittently, Animal Rescue Team Taiwan spokesperson Antony Ni (倪京台) said on Tuesday last week.
After the dog was taken to a veterinary clinic, one of the team’s volunteers noticed a leech in its nose and drew the leech out by spraying water into the dog’s nose with a syringe, before extracting it with tweezers, Ni said.
The leech had probably entered the dog’s nose while it was drinking water from a stream, he said, adding that pet owners should be cautious about letting their dogs drink from natural water sources when out on walks.
“The mountainous area of Liouguei District in particular has lots of dimly lit areas with undergrowth that covers water sources. It is not uncommon to find leeches in these areas,” Ni said.
If a pet owner notices blood around their dog’s nose or what appears to be a leech, they should take their dog to a vet to be examined, he said.
Leeches move about in the water by contracting and extending their muscles, Ni said, adding that the hirudin peptide in their saliva prevents blood from coagulating and helps them feed off of their hosts.
“It is generally difficult to get leeches out of a dog’s nose, but they can often be drawn out with water,” he said.
“Leeches need to supplement their water content, and will stick their heads out to search for water. That provides an opportunity to grab them with tweezers,” Ni added.
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