Common Snake Retreats Snakes spend much of their lives hiding from predators, and they use a variety of micro-habitats to accomplish this. The chances that the dog stopped breathing from the antivenom is pretty slight. A bite from a non-venomous snake will probably leave no teeth marks, unless it was from a large python. Bites are extremely rare and the last fatality was more than 40 years ago. Snake bite in southern Africa: diagnosis and management There are three groups of venomous snakes in southern Africa – cytotoxic, neurotoxic and haemotoxic. Adult horses are very resilient and are even able to survive a Black Mamba or Rinkhals bite. If it was strong enough to rear up and hood you could have released it. Snakes can recover from wounds other animals will not. Scarlet kingsnakes (Lampropeltis elapsoides) like to live under the bark of dead pine trees, while black rat snakes (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) live in the holes of hardwood trees high above the ground. The severity of snake bites on dogs often has to do with the type of snake. With regards to dogs and people, snake bites are fairly rare. The Rinkhals seldom bites – and those usually only occur when it is handled as it tends to sham death.

A little knowledge can reduce the likelihood of your dog (or you) being bitten by a snake, and improve the chances of recovery if bitten.

• For a mamba, cobra or rinkhals bite, a wide pressure bandage can be applied above the bite area to slow the progression of venom to the heart.

Don’t let your dog poke his nose in holes or under logs. Keep an eye on dogs that are more likely to get a snake bite. Poisonous snakes inject venom into their victims using modified salivary glands. Anti-venom covers several different snakes including puff adder, mamba, rinkhals and cobra, but not the boomslang and night adder.

A non-poisonous snake bite will leave small horseshoe-shaped teeth marks. If the bite is high up on the limb, the leg should be bandaged from the knee, or hock, to the hoof, as the venom can leak down and cause severe swelling in the coronet band. The venom of this snake is largely cytotoxic causing pain, swelling and potentially tissue damage. The chances that the dog stopped breathing from the antivenom is pretty slight. Difficulty breathing may be seen. General symptoms of drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, violent abdominal pain, cramps and vertigo often occur, as does a mild pyrexial reaction.

Spitting occurs when a snake is caught by surprise. I have seen rinkhals with massive shotgun pellet wounds right through them come right. Like other spitting snakes the venom of the Rinkhals is both cytotoxic and neurotoxic, largely causing pain, swelling, blistering and tissue damage. That one was almost a meter long. Teeth marks result in multiple puncture wounds and copious bleeding. If you are in a known snake habitat, keep your dog on a lead and a keep a sharp look out; Stay on marked trails and paths, where it’s easier to spot snakes; Don’t let your dog poke his nose in holes or under logs; If your dog is particularly curious, pawing at something, call him (or pull him) away. The doctor also looks for evidence of fang marks or local trauma in the area of the bite. In just about any place that cattle graze, venomous snakes slither and that means the chance for snakebite is ever-present. How to prevent a snake bite from occurring. Krait was the most common type of snake bite reported.

If it was strong enough to rear up and hood you could have released it. How to prevent a snake bite from occurring. And anyone who has seen the after-effects in a snakebitten cow, horse or dog knows just how toxic the venom can be. Identification or description of the snake can be helpful in developing a treatment plan, as not all snakes are venomous, and different kinds of antivenom exist for different species of snakes that are venomous. In 59 snake-bite victims, maximum data could be recovered. This is a list of extant snakes, given by their common names.Note that the snakes are grouped by name, and in some cases the grouping may have no scientific basis. The snake would probably have survived the injury.