Dog Ate Brown Snake's Head

[Michelle3]

While we were out, my cattle cross girl decided to kill an Eastern brown and then eat it's head (and other bits). She vomited up the head at some point. Has anyone else had this happen, and were there any long term effects?

She appeared fine apart from some blood in her mouth from a cut. Took her straight to vets who said she was fine. She was not happy the rest of the day but ate dinner. Next morning she started vomiting and I took her straight to vet again, worried that she may somehow have gotten venom into her digestive system or blood via the cut. Vet checked her, no temp, heart fine, nothing wrong apart from the vomiting. He gave me some liquid to squirt into her mouth (Eslan? something like that) and tablets to settle her stomach. She had of course stopped vomiting by the time we got to the vet anyway and looked bright and happy again.

Anyways, she is back home again and eating small meals with the medication, not been sick again but is also not happy, quiet and obviously not herself.

I am worried there may be some effects from injesting the venom, or from it perhaps getting into her blood via that small cut - it's likely the cut was from eating the head since it wasn't there that morning.

There's not much info about dogs eating snake's heads, or injestion of snake venom in general on the web. My vet could only say he thought it had to be injected for it to have any effect. However I do have an Aunt who had an ulcer form on her leg after venom got on her skin from her pants leg - type of snake unknown. That took nearly 12mnths to heal and she had a scar and 'soft' spot.

I have sent off an email to the Aust Herpetoligocal Society in the hopes they might have some info

Sorry to be so long winded.

Hoping someone can help with their experience of this happening or any ideas...

[Staff'n'Toller]

If it were my dog I'd be taking some urine along to the Vet today to run the venom detection kit, but the detection kit is quite expensive.

That's going to give you a fairly definitive answer about whether she has venom in her system.

You might worry long-term that there is kidney failure later on from not being on 2-3 days of intravenous fluids.

Mel.

[~*Shell*~]

At times when Zero has eaten something he shouldn't have, he's been fine after he's vomited. I think it's a bit like in people, we feel sick until we get what was making us sick, out of our system.

If she's back to her normal, bouncy self, i would just keep a close eye on her and if she starts to show any signs of falling ill again, i'd run her back to the vet.

[Paganman]

Are you sure she wasnt bit by the snake maybe the cut was from a fang?Usually when they eat something they shouldnt theyre ok once theyve thrown up.

[Just Midol]

You can eat/drink as much snake venom as you want without dying.

If the dog had a cut in her mouth or something then venom will enter the body. If the fang scraped the insides of her throat she will have venom in her body. This is assuming the venom exited the venom glands.

If the dog had venom in its system it'd be dead, or showing signs by now.

Venom on human skin does nothing. She probably had an allergic reaction to it.

Edited August 19, 2008 by Lord Midol

[lucknow]

Personally I would run a general blood test, available in house at many vet clinics, it may indicate a cause of malaise and will show conclusively if your dog has been envenomated.

[Michelle3]

OK. I've just rung another vet about the venom detection kit. They send the samples off to the local hospital who will run the tests for them but apparently it's not much use this long after the event (happened on Sat arv before 4pm sometime).

Anyways, I said I will get a sample and bring her in this evening to get blood tests as well just in case.

[poodlefan]

I'd be adding healthy doses of Vitamin C to your dog's diet.

[Staff'n'Toller]

Ahhh I figured it was yesterday??

Yes blood would be better then.

[Michelle3]

Ahhh I figured it was yesterday??

Yes blood would be better then.

Happened on Sat arv. That was first trip to vet, then again on Mon after she started vomiting early hours that morning.

Blood will also tell me if she has damage to kidney etc I guess?

[Staff'n'Toller]

A full profile will tell you, yes.

[Michelle3]

Right then. Will do.

Will also get some Vit C, worth a try too.

[Michelle3]

Just an update for anyoen interested...

Billie was just fine when I got home yesterday, jumping around as usual and back to her normal self Took her to vet anyway.

Vet had been doing some research for me, she rang a specialist in Brisbane to find out about the whole injestion vs injection of venom and possible damage to organs. The specialist said that even if the venom had been in contact with a cut in her mouth, it still wouldn't be actually injected into the bloodsteam as the snake was already dead.

Her being off colour was just the natural reaction to having an upset stomach.

The main thing that was addressed is that there will be no long term damage to any of her organs.

She gave Billie a check over and said she saw no need to do a blood test now.

Am still giving her Vit C, the stomach medication and a bland diet for the rest of the week just to be sure.

Thanks everyone for your input, hopefully this may be of some use if anyone else finds themselves with a dog eating a snake's head!

[Ceilidh]

Not a dog but my cat brought home a baby brown and ate the head off. I rang the vet straight away and he said there wouldn't be a problem with eating the head, the problem would have been that where he got that one from there would have been around another 17 or so and a MOTHER