vigilant this time of year

Just a reminder to be vigilant this time of year. This week we have hospitalised and treated five animals with brown snake bite. The symptoms can be variable, as can the onset of clinical signs, depending on what part of the body is bitten and how much venom is injected.
Some of the signs to look for include

• sudden vomit and collapse, or wobbly hindlegs, followed by apparent recovery. A lot of dogs who are envenomated will have this apparent recovery phase but then will relapse later
• hindlegs wobbliness/ataxia
• paralysis
• changes or effort in breathing
• lethargy
• dilated pupils
• bleeding
• discoloured/ bloody urine
• loss of bladder or bowel control
• muscle tremors

Some animals can have one or all of these symptoms. So if you are unsure if your pet has been bitten it is essential you get in contact with a vet. With cats they can have any or all of the above but will often have a change in the tone of their meow and a bunny hopping gait before paralysis. The sooner an animal receives treatment the more likely they are to survive. Our success rate is very good when animals receive treatment. The earlier this happens the less recovery time and generally less time spent hospitalised with us. There are some tests we can do when you are unsure if your animal has been bitten and sometimes we are lucky to find that they haven’t been bitten and no treatment is necessary at all. On a side note we have a lot of people ask about the use of vitamin C for snake bite. There is no evidence to support the use of vitamin C with Australian snakes particularly the brown snake which we see in this area. If someone says they have done this and their animal has survived perhaps they had a dry bite where no venom was released or the animal was not bitten at all.
Generally dogs do require treatment with antivenin for a successful outcome. Some cats are able to survive without antivenin but not all cats ( it’s always best to check with a vet and at a minimum receive supportive treatment). So once again if you are suspicious but unsure whether they have been bitten or not the best thing you can do is seek veterinary attention ASAP. The sooner they receive treatment the more positive the outcome is likely to be. We are very happy today to send the last of the five animals home to their owner for some extra special cuddles tonight.