Snakes!!! What do you do about them?

[Irena]

We were walking in the fields today and the weather was warm and sunny. I thought all of a sudden that I heard some rustle in the dry grass a little ways off the path. I looked that way, and when I looked back on the path, the next step I would have made, would have hit a terrible black snake! (I still have to find out what exactly it was)

I showed it to Audry and told her NO, NO, NO several times, but I don't think she got it really. I know they do snake aversion exercises in the regions where there are lots of poisonous snakes (like in some states in the US, I guess).

What does everyone do to protect their dogs against snakes? Can anything be done at all?

[marjolein]

Thank god we don't have that problem over here. Can't help you Irena.

[Ilana]

We have in Israel plenty of snakes,the black ones are not danger but stay away from this ugly things....

[marjolein]

Yes, can only agree with you Ilana. My little sis was bitten by a snake when she was only three. It's was a szefar (no idea how to spell) or palestina snake. She nearly died. Since then I really !!!!!!!! hate snakes!

[Alkemist]

The only snakes to watch for in the UK are Adders. They are usually found mostly in the South of the country, but with all of the weather changes they have survived in some places up north. We went to Ambers breeders down south and we took her for a walk there. I was terrified all the way. They have had some dogs bitten in the past and showed us photos. Not nice.......

Nina

[Ilana]

The name is Zefa and we have alot of it in Israel,
we have a antibody agaist this snake but it is still very dengores

[Irena]

Thanks all,

Yup, we have Adders here, and they are poisonous, but that is also the only poisonous kind we have here. (I researched this a little after encountering that creature, and it seems like it was a Grass Snake (?), not dangerous.) So I guess we'll just have to hope it doesn't happen...

[silvestre]

We had a bitch years ago that could of been biten by an adder. She was sniffing in the compost heap and yelped, we thought nothing of it. I assumed it was a bee sting, but afterwards we think it could of been an adder bite, because later in the year we moved the compost heap and came across broken egg shells that were soft and almost oval in shape, which are snake eggs. Anyway the bitch started to swell, her head went to the size of a football, and down her neck. Her whole body had hives over it. We called the vet as it was out of hours, and he said just give her piriton as at that time we did not know it was a snake. Of course if it was an adder bite, she may of died, but she did not. The Piriton got it under control. So we are really none the wiser. So was it an adder bite or bee sting ? Would my bitch of died from an adder bite? I dont know, but I do know after seeing photos of adder bites, that our bitch was just the same as the pictures I have seen, I have never seen this since, and my dogs have been stung by bee's and wasps as they wont leave them alone, and have never seen one blow up like our other bitch did.

We came across an adder last year on the path, we were in cumbria and our friends with their Weims and we were walking down from a mountain when the guys came across this snake sun bathing. We had to get 4 Weims past it without touching it. The kids were easier, they just ran past, but the dogs all wanted to investigate. I could just see Woody running towards me with a snake in his mouth telling me how clever he was. But thankfully he did not and we got them past.

Rachel

[Lois]

We have many very poisonous snakes here in Australia. My first Weimaraner was biten by a Tiger snake many years ago but we managed to save her as we recognised the symptoms in time to get her to the vet.

Two years ago my dogs killed a Brown snake that had come into our yard. Luckily no one was bitten. Just this summer I found another Brown snake near our back door. Unfortunately it got away into the neighbour's paddock (field) before we could get it. I always have a bottle of injectable Vitamin C in the refrigerator. If I ever suspected that my dogs had been bitten I would give them an injection of Vit C and then get them to the vet.
Here is a link to a site that tells you about Vit C and snakebite www.lowchensaustralia.com/vitc.htm

It is very hard stop the dogs from hunting. Mine are always hunting and killing lizards, mice even frogs!

Lois

[Ingvild]

Here we have adders and almost everyone I know has a little (water proof) metal holder attached to the dogs collar or on their key chain with tablets that you can give the dog if it gets bitten. Last year I had to use the tablets, but not because he was bitten by a snake: He was out retrieving and bit a jelly fish (the kind that sting). It was orange and so was the dummy so I guess he got it wrong Anyway his mouth swelled a little bit and it was very painful. I gave him the tablets and called the vet, but the tablet were all he needed. (If it had been a snake bite we would have had to take him in.)

A picture of the tablet holder:
siriusdesign.no/butikk/product_info.php?cPath=44&products_id=133&osCsid=acf52fcade51ff2b5cf700c62631d8a4

[anne]

We have rattlesnakes here, and dogs out here are routinely snake-broke.

[arielskennels]

I think that Texas is the worst state for poisonous snakes in the entire US.. we have copperheads, water mochasins (sp?), so many different types of rattle snakes.. it is not funny. I am originally from IL and never had to deal with this type of creature before. When I moved here, I had to take a training course from a few of the locals to understand what to do in case of a snake bite. You can go online and type into your search bar "Snake proof your dog" and the first thing to come up should be alot of websites with lots of information.

I have found a good one:
www.dobbsdogs.com/library/pointing/pdj08.html

But, every site that I have ever seen says that the only way to teach the dog to avoid them is to put them into that situation (Controlled of course) and then use a shock collar on them. They will eventually associate the shock to the smell and the sound of the snake. Hence, avoidance! And believe me, IT WORKS! My 6 month old pups get snake proofed and they have not wanted to "investigate" another rattler since!

I hope this helps!
Melissa

[Wetdog]

We have all the same snakes here in Missouri and Kansas too Melissa. I had a Doberman that got bit by a copperhead once, the result was very similar to Rachels experience. I'd seen the copperhead and got Liesel to the vet right away and we were able to give the antivenom. She was fine in a few days.
Although a snakebite is possible, I and my dogs are out in the woods and fields almost every day--and that one bite is the only one any of my dogs has ever had. Far and away the MOST snakes you ever see are non venomous. The poisonous species here, rattlesnakes and copperheads--are "pit vipers". They have small pits under their eyes that allow them to see infrared radiation. They can "see" heat given off by objects around them. It is the same thing that makes night vision goggles and cameras work. Pit vipers hunt at night--hence you cann't see them. And their camoflauge is almost perfect--you can look straight at them and not see them unless they move.
Pit vipers although well armed are not something you would encounter very often unless you are really going out of your way to find them. Their MAIN defenses are retreat and hiding--and they are experts at both--a bite is really a last resort defense for them.

[slava]

I guess this link www.companionline.ru/showthread.php?p=366#post366 can be usefull just for Irena

It's article in Russian about adders and the way to help if your pet was bitten.

[Irena]

Thank you!