Dogs, especially young ones, are very curious and that’s not always a good thing. If you share your outside environment with snakes, your dog may get bitten when he’s just sniffing around. Snakes don’t attack unless they see a threat, but your dog’s big sniffing nose is one of them.
Non-venomous snakes bites can hurt A LOT.
However, some venomous snakes can kill your puppy within an hour!
More often than not, snake bites happen in the neck or the face, and the damage done depends mostly on the size of the snake, the amount of venom they release and the size of the dog.
If you are together with your dog when it happens, you’ll probably notice it soon enough. Snakes bites hurt and your dog will experience pain. so, what does a snake bite on a dog look like?
The first clinical signs are pain, swelling and redness.
Some blood may be present as well.
The venom of a snake can cause mild symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting, whereas severe bites may cause shock, seizures, paralysis, coma and death.
Be aware that you might confuse a snake bite with the sting of an insect. Whenever your dog experiences any of the signs above you should take immediate action.
If your dog got bit by a non-venomous snake, and the clinical signs are not more than pain, redness and swelling, you don’t have to worry too much. You should give your dog some rest and make him feel comfortable. Make sure to keep a close eye on his condition.
If you dog got bit by a venomous snake, or you are not sure, take the following actions:
Step 1: Remove his collar or harness (because his neck or other body parts may swell)
Step 2: Don’t let your dog move around. Physical movement makes the heart beat faster and the flow of blood will increase. This gives the venom a higher chance to spread through the body.
Step 3: Apply ice (or anything frozen) on the bite wound, this decreases the speed of swelling. If you see blood, you can try to clean it carefully with water. This removes venom from his skin.
If you are with 2 or more people, 1 person should follow these procedures and another person should drive to the vet.
Call the vet and tell them you’re on the way!
Keep an eye on the dog’s vital signs and follow instructions of the vet.
When you arrive at the clinic, he or she might give antivenom which neutralizes the poison. In severe cases, your dog may need to stay in the hospital to receive fluid therapy, pain medication and monitoring.
Note: Not every snake-venom has an anti-venom available. If you can, figure out which type of snake attacked the dog. That can help the treatment procedure.
Thank you for staying with me, I hope you've learned some useful information.
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