Its Snake Season- Invaluable info: Preventing Snake Bites! With the warmer weather creeping up on us, we will start to see more snakes, and unfortunately more snake bites. Also, at the beginning of summer, snakes venom glands are fuller and their bites are much more severe. In Australia the tiger and brown snake are responsible for most of the snake bites in domestic pets. The tiger snakes have a bite that can be fatal to not only pets but humans. Brown snake venom is milder than the tiger snake’s. These snakes have a toxin that causes paralysis and also have an agent in them that uses up all the clotting factors that helps to stop your pet from bleeding. Tiger snakes also have a toxin that breaks down muscle causing damage to the kidneys. Poisonous snakes in Australia include: - Tiger: Usually found in association with waterways. Average length 1 metre. Broad headed. Striped. Light grey to dark green, brown or orange. - Brown: Usually found in dry farming areas. Average length 1.5 metres. Dark brown to putty colour with cream-spotted. Slim and rapid moving. - Copperhead: Average length 1.5 metres. Sluggish and thick set. Yellow brown colour. Head is a rich copper-orange. - Black: Length 2 metres. Glossy black with purple sheen. Pinkish to white belly. The degree of damage inflicted by a venomous snake is determined by many variables, including the snake’s age and species, intensity and depth of the fang penetration, amount of venom injected, location of the bite and the pet’s size. While non-poisonous snake bites leave teeth marks in the shape of a horseshoe, poisonous snakes create fang marks on victims. How to help prevent snake bites: Fortunately, most snakes arent all that interested in biting; they prefer to hide when faced with a threat. If they cant escape, theyll bite. Thats when dogs typically get bitten: They put their noses where they dont belong, and instead of letting a snake slither away, they bother the reptile until it strikes. Prevention in the first place is likely to be the most effective tool you have in protecting your dog from snake bites. Snakes tend to be at their most active towards the end of day, with snake bites usually happening in late afternoon or early evening. So consider keeping your pets inside at these times if you are in a high snake population area. A dog may mistake a snake for a toy. You must train your dog to leave it. Your dog must not only leave the snake alone but return to your side as part of the training process. Avoid walking late in the evening when snakes are hunting for food. Train your dog to remain with you or keep him on a leash. And have the number of a pet emergency hospital that carries a host of snake antivenoms. Be ready to describe the snake that bit your dog if you are unable to identify it yourself. The vet may need this information to save your dogs life. How to help prevent snakes entering your yard: Obviously none of these suggestions is infallible. But there are certain measures you can take to make your home and garden less inviting to snakes. Keep your yard uncluttered – no piles of rubbish or garden waste. And no piles of rocks, wood or refuse. A neatly stacked wood pile if necessary is better than a loose pile of wood. If you have a compost bin, keep turning it regularly. If too much heat builds up in the compost, it may make an attractive place for a female brown to lay her eggs. These bins also attract rodents, which in turn attract snakes. An enclosed compost bin is the best solution. And placing a piece of steel mesh over the bottom of a bottomless bin will ensure the snake cannot enter the bin underneath. (Please note: the steel mesh will rust and need to be replaced eventually) Fit rubber weather seals to the bottom of your home’s exterior doors, including sheds and garages. Keep planting directly around the house uncluttered and not bushy or up against the house. Some snakes (Black, Tiger and Brown) can climb extremely well. Thick vegetation will give a snake a place to hide. And while you are unlikely to be bustling around in the middle of a bush. The same cannot be said of your pets or young children. This doesn’t mean go and rip up every bush on your property. But by pruning the underside of the bushes, this gives the snake less cover and makes the area less desirable. If you have a rock or bluestone wall in your garden, ensure the stones are packed tightly or consider filling the gaps. This will ensure snakes and mice cannot use the gaps to live in. Keep your grass mown. If your dog can get to it, then mow it. Keep it short, and it is less cover for a snake. There are commercial “snake repellents” that may also work. Some are liquid repellents; remember with liquids, they will need to be replenished regularly. Some are electronic repellents which send a vibration through the ground which snakes do not like. Rats, mice, frogs, lizards, and other such animals are a main staple of a snake’s diet. So keeping your home free of these will also help.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:42:50 +0000
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