SNAKES!!
It’s summer time & with that we get to experience heat, mosquitoes & snakes. Our pets don’t enjoy this time of year any more than us. Snakes are sneaky but fatal. It’s highly unlikely the bite marks or blood will be seen; quite often, you will see or hear the scuffle with the snake. The signs seen are paralysis of the hindlimbs – dogs appear ataxic (walking like a drunk), whereas cats appear to bunny hop. After this there is a progression of signs, which can happen in minutes, including vomiting, frothing, seizuring & fixed pupil dilation.
For any chance of survival, your pet needs to see a vet ASAP. The severity & onset of signs varies with the type of snake & amount of venom injected. There are instances of “dry bites” where no venom is actually injected, but these still need to be checked out. We may even keep your pet here for monitoring as unfortunately signs can take several hours to show. Cats can take up to 24 hours to show signs. There is nothing you can do to help your pet at home. All the life saving treatment they need is at a veterinary clinic.
Summary:
Unfortunately venom does a lot of damage to internal organs. The extent of this damage may not be known for months to years later. Remember, the longer between the possible bite & treatment, the greater the chance of death and secondary complications.
Stay tuned for further summer issues.