We had a little drama here over the weekend. I thought Julia's picture story would give you a rough idea (though please excuse Luca's added comment bubble) Daniel saw our younger dog Sootie with a snake. A brown snake. And right in out driveway next to the house where I unload the car. I know. How freaky. She had attacked the snake and then ran off to hide. After the snake was taken care of, we examined Sootie, and though she was running around like normal we could tell that something wasn't quite right.
Luckily the vet was available for such an emergency and he met Daniel and the kids at his surgery. After warning us of the high veterinary bill at the end of it all. A blood test confirmed that she had indeed been bitten. Her blood was no longer clotting.
So she had her various sedation, anti-reaction and anti-venom shots. Thankfully she pulled through. We picked her up the next day. With a lighter bank balance, but knowing that we did the right thing. Grateful that it happened when Daniel was home.
There is always a danger of snakes in the bush. Our village is right in the bush, near a river. We live in their environment, so sightings are inevitable. But it is concerning and frightening to see a deadly snake right next to your house. Right where the kids often play. Where you unload the shopping.
The lesson we are learning in all this is to always be careful where you tread. To always wear shoes. And never leave doors open.
Have you had a snake experience?
Funnily enough, living in inner city Brisbane we have accumulated quite a few snake stories!
ReplyDeleteThe last one being that we are currently in wildlife sanctuary mode while a Carpet Python mother keeps her many eggs warm in the back corner of our yard. With chickens and guinea pigs this seems a little bit hazardous, but we are told she won't be eating for 55-60 days, until the eggs hatch. So we'll leave that worry for a little while.
In saying all this, I am incredibly grateful it is not a brown snake. That is a totally different story!
Glad Sootie was ok!
PS can you believe the word verification is 'constric' haha
Oh, snakes are my biggest fear. Thankfully Sootie was ok.
ReplyDeleteFamily used to live on in the country and when my sister-in-law's husband left for work (night shift as well) she found a snake in her bedroom. Their house was an old mud-brick place so it found a crevice and came up through the floor. Mind you, this was many years ago before mobile phones were common place so neither my sister-in-law or her husband had a mobile phone. As her husband wasn't going to be home for hours she had to tackle the snake herself. All she could find was a blunt machete. Well, she was brave and she won. I am still amazed at what one can do when they have to. I certainly hope you’re never faced with a situation like that.
I think this has always been my biggest fear with living in Australia. In Brisbane my husband saw a few with the work he was doing at the time but I have not yet crossed paths with one..thankfully!
ReplyDeleteWe were out adventuring on the weekend and it didn't even cross my mind until a friend mentioned to be cautious next time we are there.
So glad you are all okay and that Sootie pulled through.
x
We have had a few about here too, nasty things!
ReplyDeleteGlad everything turned out okay. We lost a cat to a snake a few yrs back, so now we only have an indoor cat, we love her too much to risk loosing her.
Jacq
Oh my goodness, what a story! Great illustrations, even better ending...
ReplyDeleteWe have had to brown snakes this year and one Goanna that has made his home with us :)
ReplyDeleteOne of the snakes was 4ft long and nice and fat as he had been living in the chook house for a few days eating the mice...we knew he was there by the tracks everywhere, but had to wait for the opportunity to get him...
I am wary of snakes but spiders scare me more as it is so easy to put your hand on one or put clothes on where one is hiding...ewww!!
Love the pictures to the story, I think they describe it very well. So glad that Sootie is okay. She was doing her best to protect her family...
Eek, scary. We had one in the yard a few years ago and I still haven't got over the shock. And I hear you with those vet bills - we're about to take pet insurance out on Pippi because he is obviously accident prone!
ReplyDeleteEek, scary. We had one in the yard a few years ago and I still haven't got over the shock. And I hear you with those vet bills - we're about to take pet insurance out on Pippi because he is obviously accident prone!
ReplyDeleteSo glad your doggy is okay - what a traumatic experience for everyone.
ReplyDeleteMy Mr is terrified of snakes so I would have hated to be in the same situation if he was supposed to be the hero & "deal" with it!
I remember when I was very little a snake came inside our house & slid up the hallway... just the memory makes me shudder now.
Oh gosh, how scary! I'm so glad your brave dog is ok! My Mum and friends have bush blocks so we are constantly aware and like to go over what we do if we see one so it is in The Munchkin's mind. Unfortunately the only snakes we have in Tassie are hugely venomous so it pays to be vigilant. At our old house we were caring for my boss's "senior" lab and I once went into the carport to see a huge tiger snake slithering through the sleeping dogs front paws - eewwww! Luckily Lady was too old and asleep to notice, and the snake went away by himself but i must say it was one of the reasons we moved into "Town"
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your dog is okay. Pretty painful though to cough up for a big vet bill the week before Christmas! I had a snake slither out from underneath my back stairs earlier this year. It looked awfully like a brown snake and made me feel quite sick for a while. I haven't seen one since thank goodness. We've had a big blue tongue lizard take up residence though, and while lovely, he's been giving me heart failure when I come upon him and take that split second to recognise him for what he is.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have no more trouble with snakes for a while!
What a scary thing to happen we have had snakes in the house but they are not not as venomous as in Australia.
ReplyDeleteGlad Sootie is ok
Oh I'm so glad your little dog is OK. We had a similar story with our little dog but with a tick not a snake. We do have quite a few snakes here, mainly red belly blacks. we see one nearly every day in the summer and occassionally a brown. It's one of our fears that one of the dogs will be bitten, and now we have the grand children living here with us it's a bit of a worry. but I refuse to let myself be too fearful/.But we are wary always keeping our eyes open.
ReplyDeleteGood girl Sootie! You're worth your weight in gold (or vet bills)! Thank goodness you were cautious about her and took her straight to the vet. We have seen three snakes near the house this summer and lot a little dog to a brown last March.
ReplyDeleteI know that as soon as I finish writing this, I will see a snake. I live on a creek, in a rural area and tiger snakes (and brown and black) are rife around here. However, (and ths is where i will jinx myself) I haven't seen one this year. When I see one I stand still and it just slithers off. I think you are only in danger if you interfere with them...but I wouldn't be happy having them around if I had kids.
ReplyDeleteI haven't ever but from Jodie Jellywares lost her dog about a year ago to one and it was such a sad story. So glad your pup is OK. xo m.
ReplyDeleteI once lived on one of Brisbane's busiest roads. I woke to find a red bellied black snake stretched out across our driveway. It was long and not moving. I hoped it was dead and called the relevant council dept. They asked me to go out and poke it to confirm if it was deceased before pick up. Um no Mr 2 was with me!
ReplyDeleteI dislike snakes and have had a close call with a red back spider sitting on top of the laundry pile.
I am so glad the dog is doing well.
So glad your pup is ok. We are in inner city Brisbane and have had 3 small snakes brought in by our cat. I suspect none were venomous but they had dates with the shovel soon after. Of course one came in while Legoman was away and Liongirl was a baby so I had to trap it in my tagine then dispatch it myself. Our closest freak out moment was discovering a nest of HUGE redback spiders living inside the tubes of Roboboy's trike when he was 2. Very scary. melx
ReplyDeleteGlad your little dog is ok. My only close encounter was years ago when a red belly black snake came in through the open kitchen door and slithered under the chair I was sitting on while I was talking on the phone. It was about 4 feet long. It went into the pantry and I followed it with the broom but I was stamping my feet on the wooden board floor all the way over. I never found it so I think it squeezed down a small hole in the corner. I don't mind black and red belly black snakes as they are more inclined to keep to themselves and retreat but browns and tigers have a savage streak in them and we've been chased by them before which is why the post hole digging shovel is near the house in Summer.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Robyn