Snakes and Pets

While snakes are a threat to humans they are a much greater threat to pets when the pet is not controlled or caged properly. Different pets face different dangers from snakes and the following is a list of dangers and the steps you can take to minimize the danger.

While snake bite is rare in humans with dogs it is a different matter. Dogs have a number of different reactions to snakes ranging from being scared of the snake to attacking it. The ideal reaction is to bark at the snake from a safe distance but unfortunately the most common reaction is to attack the snake. A dog attacking a snake is not a conscious effort to protect the family, rather some dogs will simply kill any small animal within reach. Unfortunately for the dog some animals can fight back.

Symptoms of a dog being bitten vary from the dog being un-coordinated and looking drunk to vomiting and bleeding from the lips and anus. It is normally very difficult to locate the actual bite site. The absolute best thing to do if you suspect envenomation is to keep the dog quiet and get it to a veterinarian as soon as possible. Veterinarians are normally pretty good at treating dogs as many have a lot of practice at it. Unfortunately treatment can be expensive as a vial of antivenom is around a thousand dollars, and more than one vial may be needed, and vet fees can mount up dramatically if intensive care is required.

There are a number of steps you can take it mitigate the risk of your dog getting bitten :

1. Make your yard unfriendly to snakes by keeping it as neat and tidy as possible. See Discouraging Snakes from your property for further details.
2. Keep the dog inside as much as possible.
3. If the dog has to go outside accompany it and keep an eye on it.

Pythons are a real danger to small dogs though it is nowhere as dangerous as cars and paralytic ticks.

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