Unfortunately, the warmer weather brings with it the danger of snakes.

It is important to know what snakes live in your area, and what the signs of poisoning are so you can seek treatment immediately.

There are many types of venomous snakes in Australia but brown snakes are the ones most commonly responsible for snakebites and snakebite deaths in both animals and humans. The next most common are tiger snakes, found in the wetter parts of southern and eastern coastal Australia, especially near water. Other snakes include black snakes and taipans.

It is best to find out which types of snakes are most common in your area and their habitats so you can avoid them.

What are the signs of a snake bite?

When the snakes bite they inject venom, which contains a variety of toxins. The neurotoxin is the most important toxin in the venom of Australian snakes, causing paralysis. Snake venom also contains an agent that uses up all the clotting factors that helps to stop your pet from bleeding. Tiger snakes have an additional toxin that breaks down muscle causing damage to the kidneys.

The signs of snakebite vary depending on factors such as type of venom, location of bite and amount of venom injected. Generally, the closer the bite is to the heart the quicker the venom spreads to the rest of the body. Dogs, being inquisitive, usually try to chase or kill snakes and are more commonly bitten on the face or jaw. Cats, being hunters and more agile, commonly receive bites on their paws.

Signs may include:

· Trembling, salivation, vomiting and depression

· Unsteadiness, hindleg weakness, dilated pupils and worsening paralysis

· Respiratory distress, red-brown urine, complete paralysis and coma

· Some dogs may collapse suddenly then appear to recover before showing above signs up to an hour later.

· Death can occur within 2 hours of snakebite, even within 30 minutes

What should i do if my pet is bitten by a snake?

Contact your vet to ensure they have anti-venom on hand and proceed to your vet immediately (without going over the speed limit, of course). The only treatment for snakebite is for the vet to give antivenom through a drip and the sooner the treatment is started, the greater the chances of survival.

The type of antivenom given depends on the type of snake but if the snake is not seen or identified the choice can be made on geographical area, snake venom detection kits or several antivenoms can be given. Hospitalisation will also be required to monitor the animal’s signs and treat any complications.

First aid includes keeping your pet as calm and quiet as possible and applying a pressure bandage – just a firm bandage of any material over and around the bite site - if practical. NEVER apply a tourniquet, wash or cut the wound site. Carry your pet rather than let it walk to avoid speeding the spread of the snake venom.

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Why not let your four legged friend spend this Australia Day with you?

Our four legged friends are part of your family and the Australian way of life.
Spend some time with your dog on Australia Day.

Make your dog some special Australia Day dog biscuits.

Recipe for Dog Biscuits for Australia Day

1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of oat
1/2 cup of plain flour
1 cup of milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons Golden Syrup

preheat oven to 180 degrees

mix all together in a large bowl

sprinkle some flour on a bread board

add more flour if to sticky to roll kneed and roll flat till about 1-2 cm thick

then use cookie cutters to cut out biscuit shapes

place baking paper on tray

cook for 30mins or until brown

YUMMY!

Have a Dog Pawty! Why not invite all your friends and their dogs over so they too can enjoy the Australia Day Festivities.

Play some games at your Dog Pawty – Treasure Hunt, Dog Cricket, Frisbee. More ideas can be found by searching Dog Party games.

Here are some other great ideas:- Decorate your dog with Australian items, go for a walk, take him to the beach and let your dog enjoy a sausage sizzle with you.

WIN! WIN! WIN!

Visit us at our Facebook page and post your Australia Day Doggy pictures. We will then add these to our Facebook monthly competition for the best photo. A hamper for your dog could be coming your way.

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Teaching your new puppy (or older dog) to become the well-mannered pooch you know he can be, takes practice and patience. Make it fun for both you and Fido by following these training tips.

1. Puppies understand three vocal tones: directing, praising and shaming. Your voice will naturally alter, but in the beginning it will help to exaggerate these tones to avoid confusing your dog.

2. Assign a word to routines you repeat on a daily basis, such as ‘inside’, ‘upstairs’ and ‘car’. Use these commands regularly to get Fido used to it.

3. There must never be any doubt in your dog’s mind about who is in charge. Make sure your commands are direct, using only the single word and in a tone that makes it clear that it is a command, not a request.

4. Your dog needs to be corrected immediately for misbehaving, so he can make the connection between poor behaviour and your displeasure. Correcting your pup half an hour later will only leave him confused.

5. Never hit your dog to correct him, as this will only make him fear you. The emphasis of training should always be on reward, not punishment.

6. Dogs learn by repetition and if you want them to understand the ‘no’ command you have to use either lead correction or some form of pressure and release via sound or body language such as stepping into their zone so they back up or move away and then rewarding the appropriate behaviour once it is correct.

7. Stay calm. The calmer you are, the more responsive your dog will be. Flailing arms, bent posture and a raised voice signal chaos and an invitation to play.

You can find more information, tips and hints by going to our website or Facebook page.

The inaugural Doggy Fantastic camping and music weekend at Neurum Creek Bush Retreat in SE Qld went of with a big Wroof!

150 campers with their 60 canine friends spent the weekend participating in doggy events, relaxing by the creek, wine tasting under the big fig tree and dancing the night away.

 

The most impressive part of the entire weekend was approximately $4000 was raised to help Special Children through Variety Qld.

 

A candle lit Doggy Dinner sponsored by Royal Canin Pet Nutrition was a huge hit with the dogs. Each had a placemat, complete with a napkin and a waiter served food specifically to suit the dogs needs in its very own bowl. It was a sight to be seen.

 

A big Thank you to the following:

 

• The fabulous Craig A Murray - Specialist dog trainer, for demonstrating just why dogs are truly man’s best friend with his assistance dog demo.
• The Bobkats for kindly donated their time for the music Saturday night as well as demonstrating their search and rescue dog on the Sunday.
• Coral Pethers showing us how your perfect dance partner can be your pooch, with her fantastic demonstration to the Pink Panther theme. This was truly amazing to watch and was a credit to her. As Coral said her 10 year Old German Shepherd dancing partner is proof you can teach an old dog new tricks.
• Damien the Clown and his dog Mr Giggles for helping out with competitions over the weekend.
• Jill McCarthy a Specialist Dog Trainer for coordinating the Iron Dog Competition.
• Moreton Bay Council, Gem Photos Glamour Photography, Party Pets, Royal Canin and of course Aussie Pooch Mobile for their excellent education at the various expo sites.

There were many more people and companies that helped out over the weekend and we Thank them all.

 

We all can’t wait until next years event and hope to double the numbers so even more fun can be had and more money can be raised for Variety Qld to provide assistance dog to a special child. 2009 is scheduled for October – exact dates TBA.

On Monday evening, I attended an information evening at the Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre (BVSC) at Albany Creek along with a number of Aussie Pooch Mobile operators and other pet industry guests.

 

Well, what a fantastic night! The speakers, topics covered and venue were all awesome.

 

BVSC is a purpose built Veterinary Hospital to facilitate the highest level of specialized care and to provide students with a learning environment.

 

Rodney Straw BVSc., DACVS commenced the evening with a talk on Cancer in pets and why we treat it! We were all amazed at the options available to pet owners and how many of the animals can be helped & even cured of cancer with various treatments such as radiation therapy, Chemo etc.

 

Carole Harvey-Stevenson then covered Animal First Aid. Carole works in the Brisbane Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Service (BVECCS) that also operators from the same building. Carole was a delight to listen to, with most of us in bursts of laughter throughout her talk. I would recommend all pet owners familiarise themselves with basic first aid because it can help to

minimise the suffering and recovery of their animal.

Karlene Bradley then spoke about Grief, loss & sickness counseling. This was important for our operator to learn as we do deal with the loss of customers dogs on occasion and since we have built such a bond with the owner and the dog we want to be able to offer some comfort during these times.

 

Finally we were all then given a VIP tour of the facilities, which to say the least was very impressive. I can tell you that I would even be comfortable having myself treated there. The staff are all passionate about what they do and appear to just love being a part of such a facility.

 

I know that we all took something positive away from the evening and learnt a lot about how to further care for our animals. Thanks Chris Taylor

The seminar was sponsored Pets In Peace, Pet Funeral Directors & Crematorium who ensure that your family friend will always be treated with professional care in a modern professionally operated facility.  .

 

The Australian Animal Cancer Foundation Limited is a not for profit organization dedicated to cancer research to benefit animals & people. Funds are needed to help support research, donations over $2 are tax deductible and your help is greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a donation, contact the BVSC on 07 3264 9400.