Cape Town - The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has urged pet owners to be cautious when hiking and walking their dogs, as snakes were still making the most of the last few days of the warmer weather, and feeding before hibernation.
The warning comes after a dog died from a venomous Cape cobra bite while being walked off-lead in a residential fynbos area recently.
The SPCA said this was one of a handful of recent incidents of pets from across the peninsula that didn’t survive as there was just no anti-venom available for them.
“South Africa receives its anti-venom supply from the South African Vaccine Producers (which fall under the National Health Laboratory Services – NHLS) and veterinary practices (including the SPCA), are not being supplied with anti-venom by the vaccine laboratory currently, as any available stock of the life-saving medicine is being kept for any cases of human snake bite,” they said.
Pet owners are urged not to let their pets wander out of sight while hiking.
“You are urged to be cautious when hiking and walking dogs; stick to marked trails and pathways. Don’t let your dogs (or kids) wander out of sight and avoid allowing dogs to run off and explore areas of dense vegetation that could be a hiding place for a snake,” said the SPCA.
The Western Cape is home to 41 different species of snakes, of which only eight are capable of inflicting a bite that is painful, while six are considered potentially life-threatening or dangerous to humans or their pets, according to the SPCA.
“If your dog sustains a snake bite, or you suspect that it has, it is critical to get to get him/her to your nearest vet. Do not try and force-feed your dog charcoal or give it milk and avoid anti-inflammatories or anti-histamines (e.g Allergex tablets); all of these could make the situation a lot worse.
“Snake bites are different to bee stings. Some snake venom (e.g puff adder), is slow-acting and some bites will release no venom at all.
“If you encounter a snake on your property, the SPCA Wildlife Department staff will assist you in safely removing the animal off your property and releasing it back into nature, far from human disturbance,” it said.
The SPCA can be contacted on 0217004158/9 during office hours or on 0833261604 after hours.
Cape Times