While snakes are calm and peace-loving reptiles, dogs are often very active and over-curious. Snakes like to live their lives in peace with no contact with other animals. But your dog may often go near the reptile you have at home. This may make you worry about the safety of the dog.
Do snakes bite dogs? Yes, snakes indeed bite dogs, but only occasionally when they feel threatened. Unless there is a fight regarding food or the dog disturbing the reptile, it won’t try to bite. Snakes lack claws or legs to defend themselves from other animals. They use biting in that regard.
Several signs and symptoms will help you identify the incident. Additionally, I would ask you to be aware of safety precautions to protect your canines.
Why Do Snakes Bite Dogs?
Both snakes and dogs are lovely animals, but still, they can do harm to each other. Here are the primary reasons for snakes biting dogs.
1. Fighting Over Food
A common reason for different animals fighting over is food. Mostly, dogs and snakes have different diet lists. However, there are some common foods for both animals. For example,
- Eggs
- Insects
- Fish
- Meat of rodents or lizards
- Grubs
A study shows that insects and grubs are the foods that snakes and dogs often fight over. In case you have a dog in your house and a snake, too, then make sure both have their fair share of food.
Dogs can get stubborn and may not want to share their food with reptiles. Snakes, on the other hand, often try to escape fights. But if cornered, they also fight back and bite.
2. Snakes Feeling Threatened
You may have heard that snakes are dangerous animals. But in reality, they are quite peace-loving. They will hardly make the first move to fight a mammal. However, biting is a natural reaction for them when feeling endangered.
Keep your dogs from going too near to snakes, especially to the various types of carpet pythons. Train them not to disturb animals like snakes. It can prove very costly for the dog and for you as well.
3. Accidental Encounters
Another common reason for snake bite incidents is accidental interactions. A dog may, by mistake, bite or stomp a snake without noticing. This startles the snake, and it starts biting out of fear and confusion.
Snakes are known for taking good camouflage. It’s part of their natural protection. Dogs may find it difficult to notice them and step on. This can result in some unwanted and unexpected consequences.
How to Know If A Dog Has Been Bitten By a Snake?
Snake bites are often fatal for dogs or other mammals. You may notice multiple symptoms, and the dog may be in serious pain. Being aware of these symptoms will help you understand if a dog is really bitten by a snake.
- Swelling at the bitten place. There can often be bruising or bleeding, too.
- Puncture wounds may often not be visible properly.
- A common sign is the sudden collapse of the bitten dog. Your dog may stand up again and seem like he is all right now. But it is not. Thinking that the dog has recovered from the injury can be a big mistake.
- Lethargy, dilated pupils, sadness, and diarrhea
- You may notice them having trouble breathing and show paralysis symptoms.
- Irregular bleeding from the nose, mouth, or anus
What to Do If Your Dog Has Been Bitten By Snakes?
If you are sure of a snake bite on your pet dog, I suggest you do not panic. Most snakes do not inject much venom when they bite. It’s mostly the panic attacks that kill the victim. Here are the things you can do.
- Stay calm and composed. Encourage the dog to breathe normally.
- Call the local venom and inform them about the incident. They will prepare the necessary things needed to treat a dog in such conditions.
- Applying a firm bandage right above the wounded area can be helpful. However, only do it if you know how to do it. Make sure it is not too tough to move dogs.
- For facial attacks, I mean bites on the face, lips, or necks, removing the collar. The area may get swollen, and keeping the collar can make it more painful.
- Keep the dog still, and do not let it move very much. Frequent movement can transmit the venom to the whole body. Thankfully, snakes, such as milk snakes, are often non-venomous.
How Does A Vet Treat A Snake Bitten Dog?
You must take the affected dog to a vet. Treatment at home is not enough for such conditions. Here is how a vet may treat a dog that is bitten by a snake.
- Prepare a testing kit. That is the first thing a vet has to do in such conditions. He will first ensure if a dog is really bitten by snakes.
- If confirmed, the next step is to determine the nature of the snake. Not all snakes are venomous. Their bites are often not deadly. The treatment process varies depending on the nature of the snake.
- The vet will likely clip the fur around the wound and clean it with an antiseptic solution. In some cases, antibiotics might be prescribed to prevent infection.
- If necessary, the vet may prescribe antivenom. Such medicines are often administered if the snake is venomous. This medication neutralizes the snake venom in your dog’s body. Antivenom can be expensive and requires careful monitoring.
- For severe occasions, dogs may need supportive care. It includes IV fluids to keep dogs hydrated.
- Your dog will likely need to be hospitalized for observation for at least 24 hours.
- During this time, the vet will monitor vital signs, clotting function, and response to treatment.
What You Must Avoid Doing When Snake Bites a Dog
Some actions are strictly prohibited if you notice a dog being bitten by snakes. Be careful and stay away from doing these things.
1. Beating the Snake
You must not do such cruel things. Snakes never attack other animals for fun. They must have been provoked or threatened. Or, it could have been an accident.
Let the snake escape if it is not a pet one. If it is your pet snake, then keep it in its enclosure. However, avoid picking it up by hand. Since they have already been attacked once, they may not welcome your approach positively either. Therefore, be cautious when putting it back into its enclosure.
2. Don’t Panic
If you panic at this moment, the dog shall also panic. It may get over-excited, which can increase blood flow. This way, if the snake was venomous, the venom would travel the body faster. Dogs can get seriously injured from this. Stay calm and do the same for your dog.
3. Do Not Suck the Venom
This does not work like in the movies. Trying to suck the venom can be fatal for you. Besides, it won’t do any good to the dog either. You can only endanger yourself by doing so. The best practice is not to attempt to pull out the venom at home. Take the dog to a vet and let him do the work.
How to Know If A Snake Is Venomous?
One thing your vet will ask from you is the species of the snake. Yes, this helps a lot in the treatment process. However, it might be easy to tell if the snake is a pet. For snakes living in the wild, it becomes difficult to say so.
If you happen to see the snake escaping after biting, try to look for these signs to know if it is venomous.
- Most venomous snakes in North America have triangular-shaped heads, while non-venomous snakes have rounder heads.
- Some snakes have heat-sensing pits between their eyes and nostrils. Rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads are prime examples of this.
- Venomous snakes often have vertical pupils like a cat’s eye.
Dog vs Snakes: Who Wins the Fight?
Dogs usually win. But you never know. Too many variables need to be considered. Among more than 3000 snake species, only 10 to 15% are venomous. The strength of dogs depends on their species and size. You can see this guy gas explained clearly what can happen.
How to Protect Dogs from Snake Attacks?
Whether the winner is a dog or a snake, the best thing for you to do is not let them fight. Take these steps to protect dogs from snake attacks.
1. Maintain Your Yard
What types of places do snakes like? In most cases, you will find them in households with tall grass. Take proper care, and don’t let them grow too long. This is a natural way to keep snakes away from your yards.
2. Remove Other Hiding Spots from Your Living Place
Pet snakes usually don’t get into fights with pet dogs. It is the wild ones that you need to be careful of. Therefore, take the necessary steps to remove their hiding spots so that snakes don’t come to your household areas.
- Minimize debris piles
- Trim vegetation
- Address gaps under structures.
- Cover potential entry points.
- Address rodent problems as they attract snakes to your place.
3. Put A Short Leash on Puppies
Little dogs or puppies are curious animals. They may want to explore various areas and face accidents. If your place, garden, or parks have snakes, then put a leash on its neck. It will keep the puppy in your control.
The dog will not be able to wander around on its own. You should also take the dog for a walk instead of letting it go alone itself. Puppies, being curious, often approach snakes to touch them, and snakes can get frightened. This may result in unwanted incidents.
4. Prepare A Snake Barrier
A snake barrier creates a physical wall to prevent sneaky snakes from entering your yard. Watch this video for help regarding how you can keep them away from entering your house.
Remove Food and Water Sources
Having food and water in your place can lure snakes into your place. “But I do not feed snakes.” This is what you may be thinking at this moment.
Well, there are a few things you may be doing that are inviting them. Check for birdseed, unintentional water sources, or pet food in the yards. Keep your yards neat and clean. Make sure the food is not scattered all around the place.
FAQ
Some specific questions you may be looking for an answer for. Check the questions below to see if they match yours.
Can snake bites kill a dog?
Yes, snake bites can kill a dog if proper treatment is not taken in time. Though most snakes are not venomous, dogs can panic and still die from it. You had better take no risk and take the dog to an expert vet.
Do dogs bite snakes?
Yes, dogs can bite snakes. They are curious creatures and might want to have interaction with snakes as well. Such interaction often leads to miscommunication, and both animals break into a fight. During the fight, both snakes and dogs bite each other.
Do dogs and snakes like each other?
No, dogs and snakes usually do not like each other. It is natural since one is a reptile, while the other is a mammal. Snakes are not friendly and like to stay on their own. Their nature of crawling may also not be liked by dogs. Therefore, they often break into fights. Don’t attempt to establish bonds between your pets.
How long does it take a snake bite to kill a dog?
It is hard to tell with an exact answer. Various factors contribute to the amount of time a dog can survive snake bites. Try to take your dog to the vet as early as possible.
Conclusion
In the end, remember that snakes do bite dogs, and dogs bite snakes, too. They do not like each other and often try to harm each other. However, snakes are mostly the defenders in such incidents.
If you have both dogs and snakes, keep them apart. Don’t let the dog approach the snake or vice versa. There can be unhappy interactions. And if accidents happen, rush to the vet without wasting time. Your dog will hopefully be able to survive.
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