Approximately 76% of snake envenomations of domestic pets in continental Australia each year are bites from Eastern Brown (Pseudonaja textilis) snakes. This factsheet provides information on what to do if you think your pet has been bitten.

Eastern Brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) ©Christopher Pollitt

If it’s safe to do so, remove your pet from the vicinity of the snake. Call your veterinary surgery and let them know that you are on your way with a suspected brown snake bite patient.

Absolutely not. Brown snake venom can be fatal to humans.

No. Your safety is paramount. Do not attempt to catch or kill the snake yourself.

Brown snake venom can cause symptoms such as salivation, tremors, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing problems, bleeding problems, weakness, loss of balance, collapse, paralysis and even death. Your veterinarian will want to assess your pet quickly and start supportive treatment as soon as possible. Your veterinarian may need to do further tests such as blood and urine tests. They may wish to test using a snake venom detection kit, to confirm that a bite has occurred. Depending on how badly your pet is affected, treatment may involve placement of an intravenous catheter, intravenous fluids, antivenom administration, sedation and even anesthesia and breathing support via mechanical ventilation. Your pet will need to stay in the veterinary surgery for monitoring and treatment until fully recovered. The intensive treatment required can be costly, so chat to your veterinarian about expected costs, so that you make informed decisions about which steps to take.

This is unfortunately a possibility, even with veterinary treatment. Survival of small animals after timely treatment with antivenom is approximately 75-90%, with the prognosis better for cats than for dogs. Survival without antivenom treatment is reported to be approximately 66% for cats, and 31% for dogs.

Keep lawns short and avoid build-up of vegetation, woodpiles, etc in which snakes may hide. Try to control rodents, as these are the usual food of brown snakes. Be alert to wild or aviary birds being noisy and agitated, dogs being agitated or cats showing stalking behavior. These behaviors may indicate the presence of a snake. Do not allow dogs to walk unsupervised (off a leash) in high-risk areas. Keep dogs on leash, and cats indoors, if snakes are known to be in the area. Contact professionals, such as animal control officers, to relocate snakes. Be particularly careful near waterways (rivers, streams, dams etc) which snakes may inhabit.