Thornlands vet Dr Katria Lovell reports an alarming increase in pets bitten by snakes

Dr Katria Lovell said her practice has seen about 12 cases of dogs bitten by brown snakes since late last year.

They usually see one or two cases a year.

Dr Lovell attributes the higher numbers to the increase in development and the reduction in the natural habitat of snakes.

The vet also warned that the Redlands does not get cold enough for snakes to have a long hibernation period.

“We are still seeing snakes around now despite the cooler weather, so I don’t think the risk is going away,” she said.

“We have carpet pythons on our property and they are very active at the moment, even though we are going into winter.”

Dr Lovell said they also see pets, mostly cats, bitten by whip snakes, which can cause weakness and paralysis.

However, she said bites by brown snakes were of more concern.

“Brown snakes are quite aggressive and very territorial, which is why we see more attacks by that species,” she said.

The vet said after being bitten by a brown snake animals may initially collapse, then improve before their condition deteriorates rapidly.

“Signs include sudden collapse, frothing at the mouth, seizures, especially if the animal has never seizured before.”

She said cats may bleed from the eyes and pets may get pale gums and could vomit or retch.

Dr Lovell said identifying the species of snake that had bitten a pet was challenging and expensive.

“A urine test can be done, but accuracy is an issue. Sometimes you have to just treat the pet with an anti-venom,” she said.

Dr Lovell said they had also treated a dog bitten by a red belly black snake in Mount Cotton last year.

She advised owners to get their pets to the vet as quickly as possible if they suspected a pet had been bitten by a snake.

“Survival is good with quick treatment,” the vet said.