Snake bites recorded by veterinary practices in Australia

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine the extent of the snake bite problem in domestic animals, its regional significance and the effects of antivenom treatment. DesignA questionnaire was designed seeking information on the number and type of domestic animals referred, whether treated or untreated, type of snakes and management of the bite.Procedure The survey form was sent to 10% of veterinary surgeons, selected at random throughout Australia. ResultsThe response of 106 veterinary surgeons revealed that snake bite in domestic animals is frequent, with an estimated 6200 cases reported annually. Bites were more prominent in rural (78%) than urban areas (22%) with brown, tiger and black snakes accounting for 76%, 13% and 6% of cases, respectively. Cats and dogs were the most frequently reported victims. Ninety-one percent of cats and 75% of dogs survived following the administration of antivenom whereas 66% of cats and 31% of dogs survived without antivenom. Overall, in 33% of cases antivenom was not used, and venom detection kits were used in only 1% of cases. A number of drugs were used in various combinations with or without antivenom and intravenous fluids in the treatment of animals with snake bite, but their role in reducing the severity of envenomations was not assessed. Clinical implicationsAntivenom significantly improves the chances of survival of domestic animals bitten by snakes.Aust Vet J 1998;76:195-198 Key words: Snake bite, dog, cat, antivenom.T he effect of snake bites on humans in Australia is well documented. Sutherland 1 claimed that in a 10 year period between 1981 and 1991, 11 of 18 deaths caused by snake bites were caused by brown snakes (Pseudonaja spp), and again Sutherland and Leonard 2 reported that 6 out of 12 deaths were caused by brown snakes, making this genus the most dangerous to humans in Australia. Sutherland and King 3 estimated that about 3000 confirmed or suspected cases of snake bite in humans occur in Australia each year with about 300 requiring antivenom. Sutherland 1,4 claimed snake bites in humans declined rapidly after antivenoms became available, then remained relatively constant until the 1980s, and then declined again, despite the increase in human population. There were 189 cases were reported in 1979, 161 cases in 1981, 149 cases in 1982 and 109 cases in 1983.Whilst there are more accurate data on the numbers of humans treated for snake bite in Australia, data on the frequency and survival of domestic animals bitten by snakes are limited. Trinca 5 and Barr 6 provided clinical summaries of snake bites in various domestic animals and Robertson et al 7 and Robertson et al 8 briefly discussed the relative problem of snake bite compared to other forms of poisoning in dogs and cats in Western Australia.The purpose of our study was to determine the incidence with which various domestic animals are bitten by snakes in Australia according to the records kept in veterinary practices and what proportion of these animals survive after administration of antivenom. Materials and methodsTen per...

Snake envenomation in dogs in New South Wales

“…The use of any other modality for diagnosis was inconsistent and few clinics reported regular use of SVDKs, consistent with previous studies in domestic species 14 and humans. 34 The current study attributes poor use of venom detection kits predominantly to expense, supporting a previous hypothesis made by Mirtschin et al 13 Excess time needed to run venom detection tests and perceived lack of accuracy were also noted as strong deterrents by veterinarians in New South Wales.…”

“…6,14,27 Within this study, RBBS, combined with Brown snakes, are the most geographically (indicated by the number of clinics encountering these species) and clinically (indicated by the percentage of envenomations attributed to these species) common species implicated in snake envenomations within New South Wales. Brown snakes have previously been reported as a common source of envenomation in New South Wales for domestic species and humans, 13,14,28 but RBBS have only been discussed as rare sources of envenomation and have even been considered a species that does not pose a medical threat to domestic animals. 6 The current study reveals that the envenomation syndrome reportedly produced by the RBBS species occurs as commonly as any other reported snake envenomation syndrome in dogs within New South Wales.…”

“…This combination was used in all situations by [17][18][19] and is greater than double the response rate of the only previous questionnaire on snake envenomations in domestic animals in Australia. 14 Four potential sources of error are encountered with mailed questionnaires and these are sampling error, noncoverage error, nonresponse error and measurement error. 17 The first two of these sources of error are not applicable to the current study as the entire population of small animal veterinary practices within New South Wales was sampled and their source was a definitive register.…”

“…A number of retrospective reviews have described the incidence of snake envenomation in narrow geographical areas such as Tamworth in New South Wales 13 and Werribee in Victoria, 5,6 but only one wide-scale survey has been undertaken. 14 Mirtschin and colleagues 14 reported aspects of snake envenomation in all domestic animals across Australia, but their results relied on relatively small numbers of cases and therefore will benefit from more extensive regional support.…”

Crocodiles and grey nomads: a deadly combination?

“…Although snakes are the most common cause of such human fatalities (White, 2000), the number of deaths has been declining annually in recent decades (Currie, 2004;Mirtschin, Masci, Paton & Kuchel, 1998;Sutherland & Leonard, 1995). Arthropod bites (e.g., spiders, ants, centipedes), although medically significant, seldom result in death.…”