Surely on some occasion you have heard or know someone who has suffered the horrible experience of a viper sting in their beloved dog. And we say horrible because it is a really bad experience, where we must act as quickly as possible if we want to save the life of our little furry.
Vipers take the lives of many dogs every year, it is in spring and summer when there are more cases, since being cold-blooded animals is when they are shown exposing themselves to the sun. Although they are not the only ones that can cause damage, there are many poisonous snakes around us. Our little furry ones approach them with curiosity and that is when the attack occurs…. What should we do if this happens? Let’s see all the steps to follow and the possible consequences.
Index of contents
- 1 What danger do vipers present to our dog?
- 2 What should I do if my dog is bitten by a viper?
- 3 What will happen to me but if it is bitten by a viper?
- 4 What are the symptoms of a snake, snake or snake bite on my dog?
- 5 When and where are the most vipers?
What danger do vipers present to our dog?
Vipers belong to the sub-family of snakes, they are very poisonous and although it is very strange that in humans they cause death, the truth is that in dogs it is quite common. Possibly due to the great difference in weight or due to the immune system itself, in any case, it is a tragedy to lose our beloved dog by the simple bite of a viper.
If a viper bites our dog, it will deposit the poisonous toxins it is supplied with. The area where it has been bitten (usually paras, muzzle or neck), will start to swell, causing suffocation (if it is the muzzle / nose). This toxin will be distributed throughout the body through the bloodstream, causing serious inflammation and damage to our dog’s internal organs (mainly kidneys).
But beware, the fact that a viper sting is not fatal to most humans does not mean that it is not bad … they are extremely painful and can even cause amputation of the affected area.
What should I do if my dog is bitten by a viper?
Although it costs to do it…. The first thing we should do is stay calm. It is essential to examine the dog and locate the bite, which will be clearly distinguishable by having two entry holes and possibly a little blood (although blood is not always seen). It is essential to perform this task to verify that a viper was the cause of the sting and not an insect (bee, wasp …).
If we have soap and water on hand, we must wash the wound but without rubbing, only superficially. It is also very important to stop all physical activity of the dog, thus preventing its heart from beating fast, with this we will avoid that the toxins move quickly through the bloodstream.
Whenever possible and with great caution, we should try to locate the viper that has bitten our dog and take a photo of it with our mobile to take it along with the dog to the vet. Be very careful since the viper bite in humans is also very dangerous, causing great damage or even requiring amputation of the affected area.
The next thing we will do is go to the vet with total urgency (without delay, but without losing your cool, we don’t want to have an accident). The veterinaryn will administer to our dog the corresponding treatment, which normally consists of anti-inflammatories (corticosteroids), antibiotics and large amounts of serum through one route.
Viper stings produce great inflammations, that is why anti-inflammatories are administered, also antibiotics to prevent infections. The administration of large amounts of serum is applied so that the kidney works constantly and dilute the possible toxins in the bloodstream, thus preventing the internal organs from being damaged.
On many occasions, the sting is not from a viper, but from a water snake or a little venomous snake…. that is why if we have taken a photo of the snake or we have killed it and taken it with us to the vet, it will be able to determine the variety of snake, its venom and gravity, as well as any other possible disease derived.
It is recommended that no more than half an hour or an hour elapse from the bite, until the veterinaryn applies the treatment, in these cases, the sooner we go to the veterinaryn the more possibilities we will have to save our dog’s life.
What will happen to me but if it is bitten by a viper?
It depends a lot on each case, in large dogs there are more possibilities of being able to save their lives than in small dogs, also the possibilities are greater the sooner we go to a veterinaryn. The symptoms are very clear when a dog is bitten by these bugs … Inflammation of the area where the bite, salivation, dizziness, disorientation, fast heartbeat, shallow breathing, nausea and even shock have occurred.
Unfortunately veterinaryns do not have magic “antidotes” for this type of poisons (formerly yes, but currently not). The treatment described above is the one that is administered in most cases and only the dog’s reaction can be expected. We are not going to deceive you, there are many cases in which dogs do not manage to overcome this and unfortunately they die…. but there are also cases in which the dog survives, we assume that everything depends on a wide variety of factors: the strength of the dog and its immune system, the dog’s body weight, the speed with which it is treated by a veterinaryn and even if it costs Believe it, luck also plays a very important factor.
If your dog is not treated, the most common thing is that he either dies from suffocation due to the inflammation caused by the bite, or dies from damage caused to the internal organs. Depending on the size and weight of the dog, this can happen in an hour or in several days, each dog is a world..
What are the symptoms of a snake, snake, or snake bite on my dog?
The truth is that it is a snake, snake or viper that bites your dog, we must follow the steps indicated equally, since although the toxins are not as strong as those of a viper, our dog will need treatment if or if. It is important if it is possible and it does not take us long, to take a photo of the snake that has bitten our dog or, failing that, to kill it and take it with us to the vet, in order to determine what kind of reptile it is and
the danger it poses. for our dog.
Nobody is a reptile expert (usually we go), so it is best to follow the protocol established above. However, as a small help guide we can comment on some differences between snakes and snakes (both are poisonous but snakes do not present a danger as great as snakes):
- Snakes have round eyes and large round pupils, like humans. Vipers have more oval eyes and elongated pupils, like cats.
- Snakes have large and different sized head scales, vipers have small, uniform scales.
- Snakes generally have an elongated head, commensurate with the body. Vipers by contrast usually have a triangular head.
When and where are the most vipers?
In the spring and summer seasons, when the heat tightens, it is when we can find the most vipers. I do not know if you remember those days of extreme heat, where above all we are concerned that our dog does not suffer heat stroke due to the high temperatures … those days are precisely the days where most vipers can be found.
The places where there are more possibilities of finding vipers are next to dry land, cereal plantations, streams, lakes or reservoirs, mountains, etc….
If you see a viper the best thing you can do is to turn around, preventing your dog from coming to sniff or play with it…. There are people who when they see a viper kill it directly … we do not want to apologize for animal abuse, since a viper after all is also a living being … but if we notify the police, indicating the existence of a viper in that place , we will do a favor to many other people who can walk there.
Vipers are not only dangerous for our dogs, a sting in a young child can also have extremely serious consequences. Depending on the type of snake, the child may suffer the same fate as the dog if it is not urgently attended by a doctor.
.We hope you never have to go through that bad situation, in which a viper bites your dear dog. However, now you know what steps to take if it happens, information is power and correct action can save the life of our dog.