Pet owners are being warned to be on the lookout for snakes, with one Melton vet reporting she has treated 15 animals bitten by snakes since the start of spring.
And the numbers are likely to increase dramatically as warm to hot weather sets in.
Melton Vet Clinic senior veterinary nurse Kim Norton said that of the 15 bites, eight had resulted in pet fatalities.
While it’s impossible to prevent snakes entering backyards, Ms Norton urged pet owners to tidy around gardens, remove junk from yards and not allow things to pile up, giving snakes shelter.
“There’s a lot of development happening and that will force the snakes into suburban areas,” Ms Norton said.
“A lot of our patients are being bitten in areas where there are waterways, such as creeks or dams running near the house.”
Melton West and Kurunjang appear to be hotspots for snake bites and activity, Ms Norton said, with most patients coming from these areas.
The clinic had treated more pets for tiger snake bites than for brown snake bites, she added. While the two are equally poisonous, tiger snakes attack an animal’s muscular system, while browns cause neurological breakdowns.
“The main things to look out for are weakness followed by collapse, shaking or twitching of the muscles, vomiting, dilated pupils that don’t respond to light and blood in the urine,” Ms Norton.
“And in the later stages of the bite, you might find your pet deceased. So it’s not necessarily about looking for a snake bite; it’s more about symptoms.”
Almost all of the pets treated by the Melton Vet Clinic were “small, inquisitive dogs that stick their noses everywhere,” Ms Norton said.
Most pets are bitten in the morning or early afternoon when snakes are out soaking in the sunshine.
But tiger snakes have been seen late at night as well.
“A couple of days ago, a gentleman called and said he had seen a tiger snake in his backyard at night,” Ms Norton said. “So they’re still active at night.”
The earlier that treatment with anti-venom drugs is started for bitten pets, the higher their chances of survival. But treatment can cost between $2000 and $5000.
Ms Norton said it was illegal to kill snakes as they were a protected species.
