Snakes

Snake Bite Update

Snake bites occur quite commonly in Murwillumbah. In the last few months we have treated pets for brown snake, small-eyed snake, and tiger snake bites. All three of these common snakes can cause a deadly bite, and their victims require intensive treatment to give them the best chance of survival.

Snake venom can have a variety of actions – they can cause blood clots, excessive bleeding, nerve disorders, gastric upsets, paralysis, and exhaustion. Often snakes have a mixed venom so that all of these problems occur.

If your pet is really lucky you will see it being bitten, and be able to quickly rush them to the vet for emergency anti-venom. Unfortunately, most pets aren’t so lucky and once you have to notice that they are feeling unwell you need to act swiftly to give them the best chance of survival.

Signs of snake bite can include:

-          tired and lethargic

-          bleeding from nose or mouth

-          twitching

-          seizures

-          vomiting

-          diarrhoea

-          red urine

-          dribbling urine

-          drooling

-          paralysis

Once your pet is brought in to the Murwillumbah Veterinary Clinic a number of steps are taken. We will do several tests to confirm snake bite and the type of snake which has bitten it. Often while we are doing this testing we will also be treating your pet with drugs and intravenous fluids to improve their chances of survival. Once we have identified the culprit snake we administer anti-venom. This binds the venom that is in your pet’s blood, stopping it doing further damage. Once the antivenom is administered, nursing and supportive medicine are the other essential parts of your pet’s care. We will often recommend transfer to the 24-hour care veterinary facility at Cararra to give your beloved pet the best chance of survival

Always think safety first when it comes to snakes. Some things to NEVER do are:

-          Do not try and get between your pet and a snake

-          Never handle a live snake, or bring a live snake in to the Veterinary Clinic.

-          Never touch the fangs of a snake, even a dead one, as they can still inject their poison

-          Never hesitate to bring your pet in to the vet if you suspect snake bite because time from envenomation to treatment greatly impacts the likelihood of survival.

Snake bites can become very expensive. $2000-4000 bills are quite common, and even spending this money may not be enough to save your pet. This is why Murwillumbah Veterinary Clinic recommends pet insurance for all our patients. We want your pet to get the treatment required to save its life, without you having to go into debt.