In her 22 years as a vet, Amy Button has never seen so many dogs bitten by snakes in such a short period of time.
Key points:
A Hamilton vet helped ten dogs with snake bites in four days, the most she's ever seen
The surge in bites drained the town's antivenom supply and nearby areas were scoured for more
A snake catcher says keeping dogs on-leash and keeping lawns short can reduce the risk of bites
At the start of snake season in September, on the weekend of the AFL Grand Final, Dr Button saw 10 dogs with snake bites.
“It all started on Thursday afternoon … we had four dogs presented, then another four on Friday, then another on Saturday and another on Sunday,” she said.
Despite her best efforts, only five of the ten dogs survived.
Unprepared for the sheer volume of calls, Dr Button only had six vials of antivenom on hand.
“Any dog usually needs at least two vials. We had to put the word out and borrow [antivenom] from everybody,” she said.
That weekend accounted for more than half the bites she expected to see this entire spring season.
Hamilton snake catcher Chris Worthy said he usually received just one or two call outs a week, and agreed the number of bites was high for a town with just 10,000 people.
How to save your dog from snakes
For a petdog bitten by a snake, Dr Button said it was essential to contact the nearest veterinary clinic immediately.
“The initial signs are usually a collapse or a vomit and then the dog sort of comes good,” she said.
