Puff adder kills yorkshire terrier

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Puff adder kills yorkshire terrier

Postby Nasicornis » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:35 pm

At about 22:15 on Wedesday night my phone rang and a lady is frantic on the other end. She stays on a plot and breeds with Yorkshire terriers. Apparenlty she woke up to a noise in the camp next to the house. She went outside only to find about 4 or so of her yorkies ripping a puff adder of about 80cm to pieces. She rushed over only to discover that the puff adder had bitten one of her female yorkies in the side of the neck. She rushed around in her car looking for assistance. She phoned 911 (apparently they have an animal section), they informed her that she had to contact her own vet as they have no-one there to assist. She could not get hold of any help and phoned me (too late). I gave her BV's contact number and told her that might be able to assist. Unfortunately the dog died while she was on the phone with BV.

Why don't we start a list of contacts that can be used in case animals get bitten late at night. Her dog was bitten about 2 hours before she got hold of me and could not get any medical assistance from anywhere.

Does anyone know of a 24h medical centre for animals which will be able to help in such a case (in Gauteng area).
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Postby WW » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:39 pm

Shame about the puffie. If people keep these snake-food sized yappy-rats in puffie country, then surely they should build snake-proof enclosures for them or keep them indoors.

Sorry if that sounds insensitive, I guess I'm not a Yorkie fan...

Cheers,

WW
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Postby Nasicornis » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:42 pm

I see your point regarding the puffie. Bear in mind that these people only recently moved there and had no idea of how many of what they might encounter, also the intended enclosure for the dogs was not yet finalized. And no, I don't think you are insensative, you just see it from the snake's point of view.
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Postby dendroaspis » Fri Oct 26, 2007 3:13 pm

I have no sympathy for her. Its tragic about the dog, but you are moving to the country. This is Africa. There's bound to be snakes out there.
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Postby Nasicornis » Fri Oct 26, 2007 3:27 pm

Yes that is true. But, let's sayyou go on vacation and one of your kids gets envenomated by some sort of marine animal which you were unaware off and your kid dies. Would you then expect sympathy from other?

Don't get me wrong, yes precautions have to be taken. How many people (non herpers) actually know what occurs in the area they stay in even if they have stayed there for years? Not everyone in an expert and she probably loved her dogs as much as we do our reptiles.
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Postby dendroaspis » Fri Oct 26, 2007 3:32 pm

They might not know what occurs in the area, but you should know there are snakes, spiders, scorpions and other nasties out there.
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Postby Michelle » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:20 pm

I see your point Nasicornis. I am not a Yorkie fan either but that women loved her dog. She should have been able to get hold of someone that could help her. I think a list is a great idea!
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Postby alexander » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:34 pm

That poor puffie, i bet you those dogs attacked it first. Not a Yorkie or jack russel fan, i think these 'killing' dogs should be banned!
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Postby gaboon69 » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:49 pm

alexander wrote:That poor puffie, i bet you those dogs attacked it first. Not a Yorkie or jack russel fan, i think these 'killing' dogs should be banned!

A jack russel was my best friend ever, and so my snakes/lizzards.
I think both met their doom.
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Postby Quintin » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:51 pm

Pitty about both losses!!! I call it one thing, NATURE!!!

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Postby Quintin » Fri Oct 26, 2007 5:05 pm

Just reminded me of a story i read in the Magnum magazine!!! A hunter was in the bush accompanied with hes beloved jack russel. (They are known to be some of the best hunting dogs.)

So anyways.. The hunter and the guide had a brake and sat in the bush eating snaks whilst the dog was running about... after not hearing from the dog for some while they went to look for it. Unfortunately a afroc was curled around the poor dog and was half way in the snakes mouth!!! The hunter coked hes rifle and aimed at the snake! But he knew it was already too late and that the dog had been suffocated already...

he then went on saying that he slowly let down hes rifle knwing that an event of nature had just taken place and that killing the snake would not bring the poor woef back.... Igot allot of respect for this guy after reading hes story... i still have this issue at home. I will try and find it and scan and paste the images. (YES... he even took photos....)

Regards,

Quintin
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Postby alexander » Fri Oct 26, 2007 5:31 pm

I never said they aren't good pets, i said they are animal killers, and i've seen tortoises ripped apart by them, as well as a large mole snake. They just go for almost anything that moves, and i feel more sorry for the snakes which ocurr there naturally and have adapted there, which get killed by some captive bred dogs. Other dogs can also be excelent pets, and i wouldn't mind if they were kept in places where they wouldn't kill things. I'm not a cruel person, but the snake deserve that!
Quintin-huge respect for people like that!
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Postby Iggy » Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:38 pm

any dog has the potential to kill a snake or any other animal...that doesn't make it a bad dog, just a dog acting as a dog, in the same way as a snake biting a dog/person/cat/horse is not a bad snake, just doing what a snake does. I will be devastated to find either my dog killing a snake, or that a snake has killed my dog, however I live in the bush and either is possible every day. End of the day, if you can save either of the animals, losing one life is better than losing two, and maybe on some occasions you could even save both.... thus the list is a good idea (though perhaps it could be included in the other list with reptile vets to keep it all neat and tidy)...
this one is taken from the freeme website, as I had reason to make a call to one of their wildlife vets recently
FOURWAYS VETERINARY HOSPITAL
Tel: (011) 705-3411
This specialist veterinary practice has assisted on numerous occasions with mammals such as duiker, jackal and caracal. The clinic is open 24 hours, so emergencies are no problem
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Postby BushSnake » Fri Oct 26, 2007 11:17 pm

I found it quite funny reading through all the replies. You won't find many other articles where most people felt bad for the puffy and not the dog. I see both points but I would probably have been quite upset if it was my dog - even though I like snakes. This calls for some training:

step 1 : When the dog sees a snake : take a newspaper, gently hit the dog and say "BAD DOGGIE"

step 2 : When the snake sees a dog : take a newspaper, pat the snake on the nose and say "BAD SNAKE"

step 3 : Head for the nearest hospital that has antivenom!
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Postby Long John Silver » Fri Oct 26, 2007 11:26 pm

I doubt there is anything you can do for a smallish dog like a yorkie if bitten by a 80cm puffer.
Murphy's law in Herping: "If the snake is within range, so are you"
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