Ollie is a very brave 14 month old male domestic short haired cat who enjoys the outdoors. He was presented to us after visiting an after hours emergency centre for treatment from a snake bite, suspected to be from a tiger snake. Ollie arrived at the emergency centre with ataxia, non-responsive pupils, high temperature and muscle tremors. It is believed he had been near a creek.

The signs of a snake bite are varied. Pets may show some or all of the following signs:

• Sudden weakness followed by collapse
• Shaking or twitching of the muscles
• Vomiting
• Dilated pupils not responsive to light
• Blood in the urine
• In the later stages paralysis may occur

At the emergency centre, a blood sample was collected from Ollie and he was given intravenous fluids. The blood test was able to confirm that Ollie had been bitten by a snake. This is done by testing his muscle enzyme (CPK) count. The count was high for Ollie and this indicated that muscle damage had occurred, a symptom of a snake bite.

Ollie was given antivenom in the fluid drip over 30 minutes. He arrived at our clinic after the emergency centre was happy with his progress and he was gradually improving. We continued to observe his status and provide intravenous fluids. Pain relief was given regularly to help him recover and he was confined in our hospital to reduce further muscle damage. It was discovered that Ollie had been bitten on his paw as it was quite bruised and inflamed so a bandage was placed to help his paw to heal.

Ollie had further monitoring of his muscle enzyme (CPK) count whilst in hospital and it had started normalising after a few days. He continued to improve, and soon he became very playful and active again. He was discharged from the hospital once our veterinarian gave him the all clear. Ollie was sent home on instructions to rest (which he didn't like very much!) His bite wound healed well and he visited the clinic again to have his muscle enzyme (CPK) count checked which was still continuing to reduce.

Ollie was extremely brave and had lots of attention and pats in our hospital. He tells us however that this hasn't put him off being outdoors and he will still continue to go outside!

In case you were wondering, Ollie's veterinary treatment and hospital fees were in excess of $2,000. Luckily Ollie's owner had taken out pet insurance for Ollie when he was younger. After paying just a small excess, the remainder of the cost was reimbursed by the insurance company to Ollie's owner. If Ollie had not had pet insurance, there would have been a few less presents under the Christmas tree. Pet health insurance helps to pay 80%-100% of costs for unexpected veterinary treatment for your injured or ill pet. Some insurance companies even cover routine items like vaccinations. Click here for more information on pet insurance. Or ask us for a brochure in the clinic.

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