HOUSTON – With springtime in Texas approaching, snakes will begin to make their way out of their winter habitat.
Texas A&M University provided information on how to stay safe when snakes are around.
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Snakebites can be painful and expensive. It is not uncommon for a person bit by a venomous snake to have hospital bills up to $50,000.
Hospital treatments can take anywhere from one day to several weeks and can include care for damaged tissues and antivenom treatments that can run into thousands of dollars, Jill Heatley, associate professor of veterinary medicine at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM), said.
“If you believe your pet has been bitten by a snake, you need to seek veterinary care, and the doctor can determine what kind of treatment is necessary,” Heatley said.
She and others expect to see an increase in snakebite cases.
“We have already seen snakebites in dogs this year. One pet required significant care after being bitten by a coral snake, but is thankfully going to be fine. Coral snake bites (and rattlesnake bites) are thankfully uncommon, but are life-threatening when they occur. Copperhead and cottonmouth bites are extremely common during the summer, as are bites from grumpy nonvenomous snakes,” Christine Rutter, a veterinarian in Small Animal Clinical Services, said.
Only four types of snakes found in Texas are venomous: the coral snake, the copperhead, the rattlesnake and the cottonmouth, also called the water moccasin.
“Of the four types of venomous snakes in Texas, the coral, copperhead, and rattlesnake are almost never aggressive unless they are provoked,” Heatley said. “The cottonmouth has been known to be a little on the aggressive side, so you should be a little more wary of it, especially if you are near a creek or lake where they are frequently seen.”
Snakes usually will not attack humans, but pets are at risk.
“The thing to remember about snakes is that they generally want to be left alone,” Heatley said. “They are probably more afraid of you than you are of them."
Heatley said an inquisitive pet could be a snakebite victim. If bitten, a dog usually suffers the bite on its face or nose, while cats tend to be nicked on their paws.
“The area that has been bitten will usually begin to swell almost immediately, which is a telltale sign of a snake bite,” Heatley said.
Venom can spread quickly inside the animal, potentially resulting in kidney failure within 12 to 24 hours.
Although many of us may be fearful of snakes, snakes do have a useful purpose: They control rodent, lizard and even bug populations.
“One of the questions we often get in the veterinary hospital is, ‘How can you tell a venomous snake from a harmless one?’” Heatley said. “The answer is that it is difficult because there are numerous types of snakes that are not venomous that look very similar to a venomous one.”
Heatley suggests looking for a triangular-shaped head in identifying poisonous snakes but does not encourage getting too close.
Click here for more information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.