Snakes are out--keep your horse safe

Picture is taken from the Equss Magazine 2015

It's that time of year that the snakes are now out of hibernation.  Baby snakes have also left the den and are out exploring the wonders of our desert.  I have a Desert Mohave Coon Rattler that likes to hang out at my house, due to the ground squirrels.  Unfortunately, he has already killed one of my dogs.  I have named this snake Clyde.

This is Clyde

There are 22 venomous snakes in AZ and 40 non-venomous snakes.

Horses seem to get bit more in the face.  This is due to the fact that they are usually grazing in the pasture or munching on hay that is on the ground and a snake just wants to pass through and the horse is curious, so it gets bit in the face.  

50% of snake strikes are dry bites (snake just wants the threat to go away).  The fangs of a snake are quite small, and looks smaller than the pricks from thorny bushes.  

Now, dogs and cats that are bitten have a higher death rate just by the size of the body, compared to a horse's body, so they have a better chance of survival.

Signs & Symptoms

• Nose may bleed
• 
  

  Elevated RR
• Full body sweating
• Full body clamminess or coldness
  
• Pale Mucus Membranes
  

You should have the following supplies to deal with snake bites:

• 2-4", 6" or 10" water hose (depending on how long the face is--better to have extra long than too short
• Vaseline to lubricate it

What to do if a snake bites your horse on the face:

• Lubricate the hose (do not try to stick a dry hose in the nose)
• You're going to guide it in, gently, and it needs to hang out a couple of inches.
• Tape the hose with duct tape to secure
• Call Vet (even for dry bites due to the bacteria)
• Describe the snake by color/patterns
• Do not try to catch the snake, apply any type of tourniquet or SUCK OUT THE VENOM!!!!
• Keep head up to keep Toxins from spreading
• Take a full set of vitals every 15 minutes till your vet arrives

What to do if a snake bites your horse on the leg or body:

• Clean the wound with clean drinkable water
• Apply cold water to the wound
• If it's on the foot, place the foot in a bucket of cold water
• Take a full set of vitals every 15 minutes till your vet arrives

The bite (including dry bites) delivers large doses of bacteria. Your horse will need a tetanus booster and antibiotics, as well as pain management. Most vets do not carry antivenom and if they do, it's normally $400-$600 per dose. Your vet will discuss the treatment options you have.

Unfortunately, we can't keep the snakes away, but we can definitely be aware of our surroundings in our pasture and stalls. Remember, snakes do not chase you or your animal and normally they're passing through or on the hunt for an animal that their radar has honed in on.

There is a product out on the market called Snake Away! I have used it around the perimeter of my backyard (you place the dry granular mixture around the outside of the perimeter) and it worked beautifully keeping Clyde away, but unfortunately we had two good rains and it washed away. It works for both poisonous and non-poisonous snakes. It's effective for 3 months, unless it rains. So, I guess it's time to buy some more.

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Teri Ann Tate is an Equine & Pet Health First Aid Instructor and teaches her clinics in Laveen, and Fountain Hills, as well as throughout Arizona, Southern California and New Mexico.  Teri Ann says if just one out of four additional animals could be saved by using just one pet first aid technique many animals would survive, according to the American Animal Hospital Association.  To learn more about Teri Ann's Equine and Pet Health & First Aid Clinics, go to her website, ComfyPetsofAZ.com or call her at 602-579-1437 to sign up for a clinic near you.

Poisonous Toads to your Pets

Poisonous Toads to your Pets

Colorado River Toad: Arizona & California

Bofu Toad: Florida

I am sure you’re all saying about now, poisonous toads in Arizona and Southern California….whatcha talking about Teri Ann?  Yes, that’s right, we have a particular toad in Arizona and Southern California that is poisonous to our pets.

That particular toad is known as the Colorado River Toad, and also known as the Sonoran Desert Toad, and is one ugly beast with lots and lots of warts all over its brown & green skin.  They can be as small as three inches and up to seven inches long.

I am sure your next question to me is, how is the toad poisonous to my pet(s)?  The toxin, as an exudate of glands within the skin, contains 5-MeO-DMT and Bufotenin.  The toxin of the Colorado River Toad is secreted through the skin.  A wild animal, say a Coyote, approaches a toad and sniffs it first and then may lick it.  At that moment, the Coyote has just licked the venom of the Toad which will not taste good at all, thus making the Coyote run from it’s hunt.  This is how the toad survives when predators want to eat it.

Now if you have a curious dog like I do, who has to stick her nose into everything including whatever jumps and hops on our property, this can cause a problem.  I live in Laveen, AZ on a 2-acre property nestled at the bottom of South Mountain.  I am sure you’re thinking about now that Arizona is a desert after all, so don’t toads have to be near water?  Yes, they do and Arizona is not as dry as you think.  Arizona has eight main canals, which run hundreds and hundreds of miles, as well as 924 miles of Lateral Ditches that take water from the large canals to various delivery points in irrigated areas.  If you live near any of these canals or laterals like I do, and as many of my clients do, sooner or later you and/or your pet will meet Mr. Toad.

The curious thing about the poisonous toad is that your dog does not have to actually lick it to be poisoned.  The toad is attracted to water, such as pools and water dishes, so all the toad has to do is sit on the rim of your dog’s water dish and hop off.  Your dog trots to the dish to get a drink and licks the rim of the dish, thus licking the poison off the rim.  This is why it’s very important that you monitor your outside pets and clean out their water bowl, including the rim, thoroughly on a weekly basis.  They are also attracted to the light and that's why you might find them sitting under your porch light.

Unfortunately, you may not even know your pet has come into contact with a toad because they normally don’t stick around and they’re quite fast little devils that’s for sure.  So, one morning you walk outside to check on your dog and you notice he’s just not acting right.  He’s stumbling around and it seems he’s acting so strange that you think he/she is hallucinating.  The biggest clue is the foamy salivation.  These are sure signs of toad poisoning. 

Signs and Symptoms:

• Depression
• Foamy salivation
• Irregular heartbeat
• Seizures
• Fever
• D/V (Diarrhea & Vomiting)
• Weakness or Collapses

Treatment for your Pet:

The first thing a pet owner needs to do, if toad poisoning is suspected, is to rinse out the dog’s mouth with a hose (do not stick the hose down the throat and drown the poor thing).  Your objective is to dilute the poison in his/her mouth as much as possible, thus removing traces of the toxin. 

The next thing is to call your veterinarian for further advice/treatment.  Depending how severe the signs and symptoms are, you may be asked to bring your pet in immediately. For those pets that are very anxious or frightened, your vet may want to give him/her a sedative and perhaps an overnight stay for those pets that have elevated heartbeats, and fluid therapy, due to dehydration from the D/V.

It is very important that you remove the toad, if you can locate it, from your yard.  However, do not touch it with your hands.  Pick it up with a shovel or scoop it in a bucket and take it back to the canal/lateral ditch from where it came from.  After all, you don’t want your pet to come into contact with it again.

My personal experience:

As a pet care provider, and one that lives and works near many, many canals and lateral ditches, I have first-hand experience dealing with toad poisoning.  I have an Akita in my care, named Dozer.  He’s a big cuddly bear and is just so curious.  One day his curiosity got the best of him and he came across a toad in his backyard (his backyard faced a lateral ditch but wasn’t real close, so the toad sure had to do some hopping to get to his backyard).  He decided to play with Mr. Toad and was soon overwhelmed with toxins.  He showed all the classic symptoms, including the hallucinations and the foamy salivation.  His owner called the vet and rinsed out his mouth.  He was transported to the veterinarian and thankfully he was okay.  However, it took a couple of days for the toxins to completely leave his body, so when I came over to take care of him, he still had that look of confusion in his eyes.  Believe it or not, that wasn’t Dozer’s only experience with a Colorado Toad….nope….not long after his first encounter, he found another one, or perhaps it was still the first toad that he came across that never left his yard.  His owner knew exactly what to do in the second instance.

I would also recommend that you teach your young child(ren) that if they encounter a toad in their yard, or out walking, that they not touch it and to alert you immediately.  Remember picking up a toad with your hands isn’t the smartest thing to do…..after all…..you will then have the toxins on your hands as well.

Florida Toads:

The Bufo Toad, also known as the Giant or Cane Toad, resides in South Florida and is very dangerous to your pet.  The signs and symptoms are the same as our Colorado Toad.