Snake Bites and Pets: What You Need to Know
Keeping pets safe and happy is the priority of every single pet owner out there. We always want to make sure our little friends are secure, but unfortunately other animals can actually present a threat to their wellbeing. Our team sees injuries from other animals all the time at our animal hospital in Saint Francisville, LA, and snakes can be one of the biggest culprits, especially among dogs that like to roam in more remote areas where snakes can present a threat.
In these situations, the snakes are just acting naturally, so we never encourage retribution against them—this post is simply about what you need to know to keep your animals safely away from snakes and what to do if the worst happens and they’re bitten.
Precautions to take
When your animals go outside in areas where you suspect snakes might be present, you want to make sure you’re taking the necessary precautions to keep them safe. Dogs love to snoop around, so you need to keep them on a leash whenever you have them in areas where snakes might be hiding. Cats love to hunt and stalk, so they’re susceptible to snakes as well. You can help deter the presence of snakes near your home by keeping the area clear of trash and long grass, especially if you live in a rural area, since these can be prime hiding spots for snakes.
Signs of a snake bite
Most of the time, you might not even see an incident occur between your pet and a snake—perhaps your dog has run far ahead of you, and you don’t actually see a snake make a move, but you just know that your pet is now in discomfort. You want to keep an eye out for a number of symptoms, including weakness and collapse, vomiting, dilated pupils, urine in the blood, shaking/twitching of the muscles and even paralysis in later stages.
It’s also important to note that the beginning of the summer can be the most dangerous, since snakes wake up from hibernation with full venom glands. If you ever suspect that your animal has been bitten, you should immediately bring them to the animal hospital in Saint Francisville, LA for observation and treatment.
How we can treat them
If you suspect your pet has been bitten and bring them straight to St. Francisville Animal Hospital for treatment, a number of things will happen. First, our team will evaluate their injuries and administer diagnostic tests to try and find out exactly what kind of venom they are suffering from. From there, treatment varies by the bite—typically, antivenom is administered, and oxygen may be administered as well. It all depends on the type of snake that has sent your pet to the animal hospital in Saint Francisville, LA.
Snakes are a fact of life in nature, and they can really cause headaches for pet owners. The best thing you can do is be proactive about keeping your pets under control and removing variables that can put them in danger. This will put you in good shape to keep them safe from snakes and other outdoor pests. Reach out to St. Francisville Animal Hospital for more tips.
Categorised in: Dog Health