First Aid if a Pet is Bitten by a Snake

Video Transcript

Hi, I'm Ginger Black. I'm a professional snake handler with Expert Village. Alright, we've talked about adults and children being bitten by venomous snakes. What happens if the family pet's bitten? Your cat or your dog, something to that affect. You need to remember that animals are not usually as vulnerable to venom as humans are. The biggest concern would be infection at the bite location itself. You may not, in fact, even know that the animal has been bitten. They may limp because their leg or their foot is sore, but that's the only indication you may have. When you discover there's a problem you can't diagnose, take your animal to the vet. When they discover that there has in fact, been a snake bite, they're probably just going to treat the animal with an antibiotic and a pain killer. The biggest concern is an infection at the wound site itself. There are some snakes that would be deadly to your pet, something like a large Vipered, an Eastern or Western Diamondback, a Timber Rattler. Most things however, are not going to be a problem, Copperheads, for instance, the thing your dog is most likely to come across at home. If you have a hunting dog out in the woods, they would be the ones more likely to come across a more dangerous animal. If you get to the vet and the only thing that can happen after observing the animal and finding out that the bite is, in fact, going to be deadly, you veterinarian may just decide to euthanize your animal. And, you may have to be prepared to deal with that. But, it's a very slim possibility that your animal is going to be bitten by one of these animals. Unless your dog's one to go out and chase down a snake and harass them and play with them, you're probably not, you probably don't have anything to worry about.

Community Members who...

• Favorited this Video
• Rated This Video

Top Tags