Snakes and scorpions are said to get out on Saint George’s Day. It has been a while since then, so it’s no surprise that we can see a lizard or a snake when on a walk somewhere or in our gardens. They already left their underground shelters designed for surviving in winter due to the increasing temperatures. However, bumping into a viper doesn’t need to end well. What can you do when your dog is bitten by it?
Most often, you can see a viper somewhere on a sunny spot. Moreover, their breeding period is in full swing now and males are more active. They can move up to one kilometre a day when looking for a female. So it can easily happen that you or your furry friend will bump into the only wild poisonous snake in the Czech Republic when you are on a trip, on a long walk or even in your garden. You can see it both on sunny hillsides and meadows as well as in tall grass, in wetlands or close to streams of water or water holes. Bumping into it may result in biting, especially if the dog is too curious and friendly or, for example, too excited about finding a ball and doesn’t pay attention to its surroundings.
Before we get to the advice what to do when a dog gets bitten, I have one reminder to share. Vipers are critically endangered species and they are protected. So, if you bump into them, pass them and leave them alone. Don’t let your dog companion to irritate the reptile or hurt it. Keep in mind that vipers are very timid. They attack only when they feel in danger and have nowhere to escape. They try to save their venom which they mainly need for hunting prey.
Your dog is not always so close to you when wandering outdoors, so you also need to how you can say it was bitten by a viper, if it happens out of sight. Vipers usually crawl away right after the attack, so you don’t have to see them at all. The first thing you’ll probably notice in most cases will be the dog’s startle accompanied by yelping and jumping aside after the bite. The bitten spot is painful, so it won’t probably be difficult to find it. Moreover, soft tissues start to respond quickly to the bite and swelling, reddening and sometimes also haemorrhage come. Some serious and life-threatening reactions such as vomiting, difficult breathing or choking, fainting, muscle weakness or spasms and circulatory collapse may appear in some dogs.
However, whether the viper’s bite is life-threatening for the dog depends on several factors. The dog’s size (the smaller it is, the worse), its age (it might me more difficult for puppies and older dogs) and medical condition play important role. The time when it happens is also crucial. Vipers have more venom in spring and its amount slowly reduces during summer. Therefore, the amount of venom for a bite will be much lower in autumn. The spot for a bite also makes difference, too. A bite on a neck, a head or a spot with a significant blood flow (which carries the venom into the whole body then) is particularly dangerous. A possible allergic reaction is also risky. On the other side, it’s not so risky when the bite is so-called dry as it happens without venom shortly after hunting – when the venom glands couldn’t be refilled (the statistics say it might be up to 27 % of bites in the Czech Republic). A large-scale statistical survey conducted in 2011 in the Great Britain says, that only about 5 % of 411 bitten dogs (recorded cases) died or had to be put down.
It’s always necessary to contact a vet as soon as possible after the bite. So, it’s good to find some contact information for a nearby vet and save it to your phone before going on a trip or holiday. Try to move your dog to the clinic as quickly as possible. Your furry friend should, however, do as little physical activity as possible, as it would speed up the spread of the venom in its body. Therefore, carry your dog or at least make the journey as simple as possible. Don’t try to suck the venom or press it out, it’s almost impossible and you could waste some valuable time doing that. Take the dog’s collar down, especially if it’s a neck or a head bite, so it can’t strangle if swelling occurs. If it’s a leg bite, try to immobilize it.
Have your furry friends bumped into a viper? How did it end? I hope you will never need the advice here, but it’s better to be prepared. Enjoy summer and take care of yourself and your dog companions!
Did you know that the domestic cat which is now kept as a pet all over the world, is probably a domesticated form of the wild cat, specifically of its subspecies the African wildcat, European wildcat and Asiatic wildcat?
Apart from regular care for the fur and dog’s teeth we should include also the inspection and cleaning of the eyes and ear inspection in the list of everyday tasks. Even though the cats are rather known for cleanliness, it’s important also for a...
Cat is a perfect tool for hunting. It owes it to the dozens of years of evolution. While in dogs, their physical signs have been emphasised or suppressed, cats got to keep, apart from several exceptions, their main anatomical features unchanged. In...
According to various statistics, the number of cats in our country is increasing. Not only dogs, but also cats belong to increasingly more common pets. So, it can happen to us more often, that we'll meet an abandoned cat in the street and we're...
Some dogs take the arrival of a new family member in a hard way. Previously, we described how to prepare them for this situation already before the baby even arrives home and today, we will take a look at the introduction itself.
It's no longer a strange thing when a municipality sets up a dog park or a dog playground. Due to frequent regulation of off-leash movement of dogs, this should, however, often be obligatory. Do you know how to behave in such places so that you...
Another possible sport at which you can play with your dog and exercise with them at the same time, is the Dog Puller. You can practice it with all the dog breeds, no matter the size or age.
Nowadays, cats are increasingly more often becoming members of our households. Cat toilets producers are adapting to this trend as well. They can provide cats with a greater comfort in their daily need. From the perspective of the owners, the producers...
Vacation time is finally here and many of us are planning where they will be headed this year. If you decide to go for an adventure by car and to take your dog friend with you as well, a bit of advice might come in handy on how to provide safety for...
Of course that we won’t talk about how to teach a dog the swimming technique. We want to talk about how to teach the dog to get used to water and how to make swimming a positive experience for it. Since not every one of them trusts water and some are...
If you’re planning to bring a new addition home and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a kitten or an adult cat, it is necessary to prepare the flat for it as well. Do you know what will the animal need and what you shouldn’t forget about or how to choose...
No matter how thorough we are with the prevention, a situation might come up when a dog or a cat will get to a poisonous thing, whether it’s by our inattention or it's somebody else’s fault. That’s why it’s not off-topic to prepare yourself for the...
