Thanks to Stephanie Clark
A Herpetologist who allowed us to share her
information with you.
The easiest way to
tell if a snake is venomous or not is the pupils of the eyes
(I know, no one wants to get that close). Round pupils
are non-venomous and
elliptical or "cat-eye" pupils are venomous. This is for US
snakes only. Also, aside
from
coral snakes, most venomous snakes are pit vipers, they have pits or
openings
behind the
eye area. They tend to be heavy bodied snakes compared to
non-venomous
species and
have a definite neck area whereas non-venomous seem to be all one
diameter for the
main length of their bodies. There are also differences in the
scales
under the tail, but
I won't even go there as most people won't want to look.
Having
said all this, the best thing to do is be wary when taking your
dogs out.
ALL snakes will bite if provoked. Even a non-venomous snake
can give a nasty wound to a small
dog.
Let me give some helpful info:
1. Any snake can "rattle" it's tail and sound like a
rattlesnake, especially when in dry leaves.
2. Snakes can bite under water.
3. If a venomous snake bites it does
not always inject
venom.
4. Most snakes will retreat if given the opportunity.
The problem is, most dogs are curious and won't
easily give them the
opportunity.
5. Most venomous (US) snakes are ground
snakes and prefer not
to climb trees.
6. A lot of harmless water snakes look like venomous snakes.
7. Never put your hands or any other body part in
areas where
you can't see what is there, such as
under rocks, logs, or lawn
furniture. Snakes
like cool dark places when they are not out
hunting for food or a
mate.
8. Keep firewood away from your house. It attracts
rodents which in turn attract snakes.
I could go on and on. However, my last tip is from my vet
who deals with
snake bites on a regular basis (we live in rural North Georgia):
* If
your dog is bitten by a snake, try to get a
good description of the
snake to give to
the
vet.
* Give the dog
Children's Benedryl Liquid,
and get the dog to the vet ASAP.
*
Don't try any of the old first aid methods except for
keeping the dog,
and yourself, as calm as possible.
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