Yass Valley Veterinary has been especially busy recently, with plenty of baby animals needing help to come into the world. There have also been a small number of snakebite incidents, with Dr Cooper Crimmins predicting the snake season is just around the corner.
“We have dealt with a couple of snake bites already and they have done quite well. We’re certainly still very close to the season really kicking off because we haven’t seen large numbers yet but I think it’s just around the corner,” he said.
The most important thing in protecting your pet is knowing and recognising the signs of envenomation as early as possible.
“I think that if you can recognise the signs of snake bites early, then you can usually save them. If they arrive and they have advanced clinical signs they sometimes are a lot harder to get going again and they can spend quite a long time in hospital if they are in the advanced stages of envenomation,” said Dr Cooper.
Those signs are as follows.
For a brown snake:
- Collapse + apparent recovery in dogs, floppy paralysis (especially in cats)
- Weakness / unsteady in back legs / shaking
- Dilated pupils
- Vomiting/diarrhoea
- Breathing difficulty
- Typically, a RAPID onset of clinical signs – 5 minutes to 4 hours
For a black snake:
- Clinical signs your dog has been bitten by a Red Belly.
- Dark / wine coloured urine
- Flat / lethargic
- Vomiting / Diarrhoea
- Swelling/bruising/oozing from the bite site
- Painful when touched Typically, a SLOWER onset of clinical signs – 5 minutes – 24 hours
Whilst there is an element of luck involved, there are some things you can do to discourage snakes from visiting your property.
“If you can, eliminate water sources, remove tin or anything that’s lying around that could attract them. So, bits of timber, logs or anything that doesn’t need to be lying around that can create nice crevasses for snakes, I would be removing.”
“But, the single most important thing is keeping your animals inside on hot days, and that includes morning and late evening because sometimes it’s too hot for the snakes in the middle of summer and at 1 o’clock in the afternoon it’s even too hot for the snakes,” said Dr Cooper.
Snakes are one thing to look out for as the weather gets warmer, but heatstroke is another common issue pet owners will encounter this summer with their pets.
“Being in a regional area where it does get really hot, heatstroke in animals is very common in the warm months. People sometimes forget how hot it can get so quickly. So, just remembering not to keep your animals in the car, even if it doesn’t seem hot, obviously not walking your animals on hot pavements, or if you do have to walk them, walk them late in the evening,” said Dr Cooper.
If your pet is unwell or injured, call Yass Valley Veterinary at Yass on (02) 6226 4444 or Murrumbateman on (02) 6227 5955.
Max O’Driscoll
