Snakes and Dogs

Increasing hazard of snakes

Reptiles, like other native Australian animals, make a part of our environment and can peacefully co-exist with humans. As more immigrants are moving to Australia, new houses are being built to accommodate them. Due to new housing developments and the continuous destruction of their natural habitats more animals are forced to relocate in order to assure their survival. Snakes and other animals, hence, are simply no longer welcome in their native flora.

Killing a snake can result in a fine as even venomous snakes are heavily protected by law, thus the best way to protect yourself and your pets from these reptiles is to take some precautionary steps.

Protect your dog from snakes

The warmer months of the year is the time when your dog is most likely to encounter a snake. It is hardly surprising since for many species it is the period of emerging from hibernation or reproducing. These months are when you or your dog sitter have to be extremely careful.

A great way to reduce the risk of a snake bite is to restrain your dog from running in the bushland. If your dog is foraging in the bushy sections of any territory a snake might attack if it feels threatened by your pet. Do not forget that dogs are hunters by nature and thus they will potentially try to maul a snake if they see one. The only defence mechanism snakes have is to bite their attackers, which increases the risk of your pet getting bitten. In addition, dogs instinctively maul other animals, too, like frogs and lizards, so you should try to keep your pet away from the bushland. One method of successfully working with dogs who love digging, is to give them chewing toys.

Prevent snakes in your property

Remember that snakes are more scared of us than we are of them. In other words, although they can be encountered close to residential areas, their primary goal is by no means to threaten people. These reptiles are truly primitive and, just like other animals, simply need water, food, and shelter.

Getting rid of snakes by killing them is a bad idea because of a couple of reasons. Let’s not forget it is us who have moved into their habitats and not the opposite. In most of the cases the snake will leave your yard if there is nothing that would make it stay there. Besides, snakes naturally control the ecosystems they inhabit and prevent the environment from population booms of rats, frogs, mice, and other animals. Snake prevention, in fact, is not as difficult as one might think. Just have several easy tips in mind.

• First, try to maintain all lawns and grasses at a low level.
• Second, minimise rubbish in the back yard and keep composts in proper bins with no gaps for any animals to get into.
• Avoid having sheets of any corrugated metal just laying flat on the ground. Instead, separate them and elevate them off the ground by using bricks. Also, do not keep wood piles close to your house. The best option is to store the wood in a secured shed with a concrete floor and walls that would not have any holes in them. Any hole as wide as the little finger could potentially provide shelter for a snake.  That is why you should make sure there are no gaps, even the smallest ones, in any of the fences you have around your property. It is recommended you use a 5mm gauge mesh that you can easily get in any hardware store to close the holes.
• Moreover, avoid ground hugging plants like ivy in your garden. Snakes can hide from predators in such surroundings as well as catch other animals for food. If there is no safe place for a snake to camouflage itself it will less likely stay in your garden. Thus, keep the arrangement of your garden somewhat simple.
• Lastly, use traps or other measures to control mouse population.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to assure a completely snake-free environment for yourself and your dog. But you can successfully work with animals getting killed by snakes by taking some precautionary measures. The best you can do to reduce the risk of snakes is to minimise or eliminate the factors which attract snakes to your yard. If you still encounter a snake in your property, call a professional snake catcher who will handle this problem for you. In fact, many study in Australia at various institutes on TAFE courses that are based on animal care and hazard prevention skills. If you post suitable pet jobs, you can get one viable health care provider for pets.

Symptoms of a snake bite

Ensure dog sitters you hire know the symptoms of snake poisoning. Dog sitters should be careful while dog sitting and dog walking and provide first aid therapy when the dog is in danger.  The most typical symptoms of a snake bite are gasping, deteriorated coordination, incapability to use back legs properly, and red-coloured urine. In case any of these signs appear, do not hesitate and call for an immediate veterinary assistance. If the snake is still somewhere on your property, make sure to keep other pets away from it and contact an authorised snake catcher.

If your dog gets bitten

In case of a snake bite, the very first thing you have to do is to keep your dog immobile. Do not let your pet move around and keep it as still as possible. If the bite is on a limb make sure to put a pressure bandage on it. The most important part following any first aid response is to take your dog to a vet right after the snake attack for a proper pet care therapy. Also, it is recommended you check with your vet to confirm that he or she indeed supplies antivenom.