Guest The Pom Queen Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Just a quick reminder to all Melburnians to be aware of snakes especially around pets. We have just had our neighbour come round to advise us that they found their dog dead this morning, after taking it to the vets they have been advised it died of a snake bite. It's strange because 3 days ago another dog on the same street took a turn for the worse and had to be PTS'd the vet thought it was a brain tumour but it makes you wonder whether that also could have been a bite. I must admit to being quite shocked and very upset I know we have snakes in the reserve at the end of the road but I have never seen them in the garden. Please if you have dogs keep your vigilance and try and deter snakes by keeping your grass cut short so there are no hiding places. Apparently phenol & naphthalene will deter snakes and they won't cross where it has been sprayed a cleaning product that contains both is Rinsewash. Also it may be worth keeping an injectable Vitamin C in the fridge and if your dog does get bit, inject immediately with the Vitamin C. Dogs of 30 to 50 kg will require about 10 - 15 mls by intramuscular injection in the side of the neck. You cannot overdose on Vitamin C and if you do give too much the worse that can happen is that the dog will get diarrohea, a small price to pay. then get the dog to the vets ASAP!!!!! I am not sure if you are aware but Vitamin C acts as a reducing agent, an oxidizing agent, an anti-clotting agent, an antihistamine, and as an anti-infective agent so therefore anaphylaxis does not occur once injected. Snake venom affects the nervous system which slows down until natural functions cease and death occurs. It can cause instant death but this isvery rare without the dog first showing symptoms which in turn lead to paralysis. When a dog has been bitten, their eyes will soon appear to look all black. That is the pupils have relaxed and dilated. Since snake bite can - and usually does - occur unwitnessed, if your dog slows down and becomes lethargic or distressed, do look at the eyes at once and even if they do not show much sign get on with the injection. If you can see the bite marks rub some Vitamin C in to the effected area, if you don't have the injectable vitamin c rub a crushed vit c tablet in to the area. Please don't waste time looking for the snake or bite marks. Your main concern is to get your dog to the nearest veterinary clinic as soon as possible, make sure you have an emergency number close by at all times, a lot of clinics close at night, so make sure you know your nearest 24 hour clinic, if your not sure which this will be let me know and I will give you the number for your closest one. I am sorry to be so morbid, and although snake bites do happen they are not usually common in built up areas, so please don't panic too much, just be aware of what to do if it does. A lot of walkers who go out in the bush carry Vitamin C with them at all times just in case.:sad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Thanx that idiot of mine wont keep out of the grass and bushes, thinks he is still in the uk, soft lad mally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WARDStoOZ Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Hi Kate! Thanks for the warning... I will have to keep that in mind as when we go to Oz we'll be bringing our dog...! Dan xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuddysMum Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Hi Kate! Thanks for the warning... I will have to keep that in mind as when we go to Oz we'll be bringing our dog...! Dan xx Me too. Just a question...a friend's dog almost died after an adder bite last year. Would vit C help with adder bites too? Can we get it in UK? Where would you get the injectable vit C in Australia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Me too. Just a question...a friend's dog almost died after an adder bite last year. Would vit C help with adder bites too? Can we get it in UK? Where would you get the injectable vit C in Australia? I am sorry to hear that:frownxmas: Vitamin C can help with any kind of snake bite, BUT please don't just give the vitamin C and think this is going to make your dog well IT ISN't!! all it does is give you more time to get the dog to the vet for the anti venom. You can get it from your vet, some pet stores, or you can try these online stores; Nature Vet Australian Website http://www.vetnpetdirect.com.au Welcome to Greyhound Products Direct Hopefully you will never need to use it.:spinny: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bexta Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Fantastic post MovingtoMelbs! I think a lot of people move out here not knowing the real danger of most of these venemous creatures is to our pets! (However, I think the post is relevant to all of Australia an not just Victoria!) Anyway, another bit of advice is, if you have a dog or a cat that is particularly curious and runs into the bush a lot, DEFINITELY look into get pet insurance for them. I know most people may just go pfff, pet insurance? Whattya need that for?! But if your dog or cat does get bitten by a snake the cost for just one vial of anti-venom is around the $800 mark! Yep, true! My mum's cat got bitten by a baby king brown snake in April this year, stupid cat had brought it into the house and all! The good news for us though meant we knew what type of snake it was straight away and she could get the right antidote. We took her immediately to the Emergency Vet Clinic and were told it was going to cost around $2000 to save her!!!!! Mum and I were obviously distraught that she'd been bitten, but then to find this out too, we didn't know what to do as that seemed like a ridiculous amount to pay and that was with only 1 anti-venom shot so more would cost extra and there was still no guarantee she'd survive. The vet took pity on us I think, as we clearly didn't know what to do and we couldn't really afford all that money, so she gave us the option of just giving the cat a single shot of anti-venom and then giving her back to us to see the night through. (As it was also staying at the vets on a drip with a 24-hour watch etc that also boosted the costs.) We decided to do this and fortunataly lady-luck was on our side as mum's cat recovered and is now still well and healthy. Still cost us over $1000 though! The vet then did say to us that if she is prone to playing with baby snakes (which she is) then getting insurance for her would be wise as this would cover her next time (if there is one!) she gets bitten. So anyway, thats my two cents. If you are interested most local vets would be able to give you some info. Lets just hope the bl**dy cat learned her lesson and leaves them snakes alone! :arghh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spottymercedes Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Thats terrible Kate about your neighbours dog. I don't think I could cope if that happened to my precious ones. We will definitely be heeding your warning and keeping the grass short and spraying some of those chemicals. Thank you so much for the warning. xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Anyway, another bit of advice is, if you have a dog or a cat that is particularly curious and runs into the bush a lot, DEFINITELY look into get pet insurance for them. :arghh: Yes this is so true!!! One I use to recommend to my clients (that was when i worked in the veterinary hospital obviously not the relocation business:wink:)was Pet Plan, they cover for everything for the life of your pet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard and carole Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Thanks for this great info, our local paper has had a few reports about dog deaths lately. I would like to know where you get rinsewash from?? All the best Carole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordy Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 I thought this was a thread about real estate agents. !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Thanks for this great info, our local paper has had a few reports about dog deaths lately. I would like to know where you get rinsewash from?? All the best Carole. Carole Try your local Coles and Safeways if you have no luck there is a product called shoosnake, not sure how effective it is we have heard conflicting reports, but if your in a snake area then I think anything is worth a try. The website for shoosnake is: Shoosnake Australia Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 I thought this was a thread about real estate agents. !!! :biglaugh: Trust you:yesxmas: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackboots Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 thanks for the post , its funny b'cayse ive allways had pet insurance used to work at a vets and ive seen the bills some can clock up same as private medical costs really, trouble is pets are not like a car and your not able to say oh well ill take the bus for a month untill i can afford it! but when i asked family in oz they are like duh why would you need it ? good to know pet plans available there thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest juliemtaylor Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 Yes this is so true!!! One I use to recommend to my clients (that was when i worked in the veterinary hospital obviously not the relocation business:wink:)was Pet Plan, they cover for everything for the life of your pet. Is it easy to get cats covered by insurance if they are older i.e. over 10? Do the cats learn to stay away from spiders? Julie x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Is it easy to get cats covered by insurance if they are older i.e. over 10? Do the cats learn to stay away from spiders? Julie x Unfortunately, Pet Plan only take new cats on under 8 years old. It really does depend on your cat, some cats love to pounce on anything that moves others just don't seem to care. I worked in a veterinary hospital in Melbourne with 40 plus vets, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere we had an excess of 50,000 patients but there were only a handful of spider bite cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest missy44*123 Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 thanks so much for the warnin my dogs will be joinin me in 6 months in melbourne and i dint know u could get snakes in your back garden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard and carole Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Thanks Kate, i really don't want to bump into one so any prevention is a good enough reason. All the best Carole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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