The warmer weather is a welcome relief after what has seemed like a long, wet, chilly winter.  However, unfortunately with the warm weather comes snakes emerging out of hibernation.  The animal emergency centres are already reporting multiple snake bites in the past fortnight.  Snakes are appearing on walking trails through the wetlands and along the beach paths.  Please keep a watchful eye on your pet when on walks, and also in your backyards. It is common to find snakes in properties in Aspendale Gardens, Waterways, Chelsea Heights and Braeside, especially if properties back onto the wetlands, the Mordialloc creek or the Waterways lakes.  Tiger snakes, brown snakes and red-bellied black snakes are all common in our local community.

Clearing long grass, wood piles and ensuring there are no easy places for snakes to hide on your property can help reduce the risks to your pets.  Ensuring there is no food available for rats and mice is also important as snakes will enter properties looking for small rodents to eat.  On hot days, keep a look out for snakes sunning themselves on the walking paths.  Please be aware that dogs are not the only culprits for trying to catch snakes.  Cats are also commonly bitten by snakes.  The best thing to do if you see snake is to walk away from it slowly while keeping on eye on it.  Avoid sudden movements.  If you are walking your dog, try to keep them calm as you slowly move them away.  Keeping dogs on leads to prevent them running into long grass where snakes may be hiding can also be helpful to protect them from accidentally coming in contact with a snake.

If you believe your pet has been bitten by a snake, then please contact the clinic immediately for advice, or one of the local emergency centres.  It is not necessary to identify the snake involved, so please do not risk your own safety by trying to catch or identify a snake.  Snake envenomation can be fatal to our four-legged friends, so please try to avoid them coming into contact with snakes wherever possible.  Early treatment gives your pet the best chance of survival.  Some animals can require prolonged hospitalisation and treatment.