Barnie finds out about the downsides of catching snakes

Barnie (and his 4 closest dog friends) were enjoying a warm, September day. When their owner returned home finding the dogs enjoying themselves in the front yard playing with a large, dead, brown snake!

Their owners were about a 20 minute drive from the clinic and phoned to explain what had happened. The nurse who answered their call requested that the owner bring ALL FIVE dogs in as soon as possible to the clinic.

All five arrived at the clinic, at about 1pm. As each was given a thorough examination by the veterinarian they were admitted to the hospital. Barnie was third on the admit list. Barnie walked into the clinic, tail wagging and very happy. In the time it took to admit the last two dogs (about 10mins) Barnie was becoming a bit quiet. Five minutes later he was unable to stand and showing all the classic signs of being bitten by a brown snake. Barnie had a flaccid paralysis of all 4 legs, dilated pupils and increased breathing effort. By this time it was less than 30mins from when the owner had found Barnie (and his 4 accomplices) playing with the snake on the front lawn.

Barnie received 2 vials of antivenom, intravenous fluids, emergency and intensive care. He stopped breathing after 15mins of the first signs of the paralysis. Lucky for Barnie he was able to be ventilated. This involved a tube being placed into his airway and a nurse breathing for him. After about 2 hours of ventilation, Barnie was breathing spontaneously for himself.

Snake bites are very dangerous, and affect dogs much more quickly than cats. In all species Brown snakes (our most common snake type) cause a paralysis (weakness / collapse) of the muscles; usually starting with the legs and then extending to the diaphragm. Due to the speed of onset of signs associated with a snake bite, sitting at home and "just keeping an eye on him" can often be fatal in dogs. If you have any concern or suspect your pet may have been bitten by a snake, then the sooner they can receive emergency treatment and antivenom the better their chance of making a full recovery. Barnie went home 24hours later; - bright, happy and wagging his tail.

Unfortunately we don't think that he has learnt his lesson!