scone.com.auSnakes Out in Force
IN the last two weeks more than 60 calls have been made to WildLife Aid for snake removal, ten dogs have been treated for snake bites at Pet Medical in Scone, a man has been bitten by a death adder and people are reporting finding snakes inside.
Sarah Wilson a vet nurse who lives on Alan Cunningham Road in Scone found a brown snake in her house this week.
“I was captive in my own house, I couldn’t go anywhere I was too scared to go anywhere,” said Ms Wilson.
“My Jack Russell was keen to get to it so I had him locked in the bathroom and I was worried the snake could hide somewhere and come out that night, so I had to keep an eye on it,” she said.
“My cat had brought the snake inside and fortunately it had chewed on it, so the snake eventually died,” Sarah Wilson said.
Julie Smith from WildLife Aid said they have had more than 60 calls to remove snakes in the last two weeks.
“There are so many reports of snakes at the moment it is incredible,” said Ms Smith.
“The most important thing is to keep your eye on the snake until we can get there to remove it, because they can hide so quickly” she said
“Get the kids and any animals away, always watch where you are waking, keep you lawns mown and don’t leave any rubbish lying around,” Julie Smith said.
Peta Gay, veterinarian from Pet Medical in Scone warns plenty of snakes are around and pet owns need to act quickly if their pet has been near a snake.
“It varies with the year, but I think this year is particularly bad because there is so much long grass everywhere and you’d be surprised how many are in town,” said Ms Gay.
“We often have a lot of snake bites early in the season when it is warm some years are worse than others; this year there are a lot of black snakes and normally brown snakes are more common, they must have just had a bumper crop I guess,” she said.
“If your dog has been near a snake do not wait for them to show signs of being sick because by the time you get to the vet it could be too late,” she said.
“People think they will watch the animal until it shows signs, but 20 minutes later they are rushing into the clinic with a dying dog and if they’d just got it in when they first saw it happen it is much easier to save them.
“If I can get them earlier enough there is about a 95 percent success rate, I’ve even had a dog that looked dead that we were able to save, so it is always worth trying that is the thing,” she said.
“My advice is for the wife to get the dog to the vet, while the husband gets the snake and follows,” Peta Gay said.
Signs of a snake bite in dogs include: The dog often becomes wobbly, may vomit just once, their eyes look odd because their pupils enlarge, then they start shaking and salivating, then they collapse and become paralysed and then they die.
Signs of a snake bite in cats include: They begin to look weak, their eyes look odd because their pupils are enlarged, then they become paralysed except for the end of their tail.
Vet Advice:
- Get your pet to the vet immediately, don’t wait for signs of illness;
- If you can bring in the dead snake it can help with identification, it is important the head and tail are intact;
- Multi-antivenenes can be given if the type of snake is unknown, and
- People talk about a “snake bark”, so if your dog is barking and it is unusual it is important to investigate in case they have found a snake.
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