Dangerous Animals to your pet:
The Black Widow Spider:
After getting bitten by a black widow spider your pet may experience pain in the area of the
bite, nausea, swelling, muscle tremors, paralysis, and difficulty breathing. One of these bites can be deadly your
pet. It's important to know that you should never place a tourniquet on the bite. This will not stop venom from spreading and
may make circulation problems from your pet. You must try to keep your pet calm and seek your veterinarian
right away.
The bad thing about a Black widow spider is that new blood test can be given to detect whether
that was really the cause of your dog's illness. The diagnosis is based on you witnessing the bite and an exam
to check the muscle spasms and breathing.
Medication is provided to relax the muscles and help with the breathing. Your pet may be hospitalized
and given fluids. Dogs usually bounce back if treated, but cats don't always seem to do as well. Always avoid
places for your pet that you suspect spiders will be.
The Brown Recluse Spider:
A bite from a Brown Recluse Spider will leave a wound that could take a while to heal. A Recluse
Spider, first of all, is a spider that is a half an inch to two inches long. They have a fiddle shaped marking on the ir backs.
Most of these spiders reside in the Mid-West United States, but they are known to move around. These spiders will only bite
if they feel threatened. The bite usually doesn't cause much pain and your pet may not even know they have been bitten. A
red area, however, will develop at the site of the bite along with a fever and nausea in some cases. The underlying tissue
of the bite may die and bleeding may occur. With or without treatment of the bite, the wound will take several weeks to heal.
The diagnosis of one of these bites is based on the appearance of the skin. Always seek your
Veterinarian to prevent the wound from infection. If treating at home, clean wound with hydrogen peroxide and do
not use a tourniquet. If the pet begins to vomit, seek Veterinarian assistance immediately. Antibiotic will be provided to
help prevent infection and in some severe cases surgery will be considered to help the underlying tissue of your pet's skin.
Most pets make a full recovery.
Poisonous Lizards: The only two poisonous lizards are the Gila Monsters and Beaded Lizards. They
are known for the mighty jaws which clamp on to the victim and is rather a hassle to pry them off. The venom of the lizards
aren't as toxic as a snake's, but the longer the lizard holds it's grasp, the more venom gets injected.
These lizards are found in Arizone and New Mexico, Southeast California, the South tip of Nevada,
the Southpart of Utah and Northwestern Mexico. The Beaded lizards, however, are only found in Mexico. The only real way to
prevent these lizards from attacking your pet is to keep them free from roaming. The only known cases of lizard's attacking
pets is when people bring the lizard's into their homes.
If you suspect that your pet has been bitten by a poisonous lizard you should watch for bleeding,
swelling, pain at the site of the bite, hypotension, excessiva salvation, tearing in the eyes, frequent urination, diarrhea,
and lack of vocalization.
When seeking help from your Veterinarian, he or she will give your pet an exam. The only real
way though to know if your pet has been bitten by a lizard is to witness the attack. To get a lizard's jaws off your pet,
use a flame of some sort, ie: match or lighter. They don't like heat. To treat a bite at home first flush the wound with water
and seek your veterinarian for further assistance.
The Pit Viper:
Poisonous snakes bite more then fifteen thousand dogs and cats a year. These snakes include
the Rattlesnake, Copperhead snake, and the Water Moccason. These snakes are known for their triangle-like head with elliptical
pupils, prominent curved fangs and deep pit location between the nostrils and eyes.
If your pet is bitten you should seek your Veterinarian's help right away. There's no way to
determine how much venom is actually in your pet's body. In most cases, fifty percent of them are severe, and only twenty
percent of botes contain no venom.
Rattlesnakes are the biggest threats to your pet. They account for eighty percent of the bites
and are considered the most dangerous. These snakes are found mainly in the Southwest, and Southeast United States in states
like Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Texas.
Bites often occur in snake areas or when dogs show aggression towards the snake. The most common
places for pets to be bitten is the legs, head, or muzzle. Keep pet calm and seek your veterinarian.
You should be on the look for swelling, pain, bleeding, fang marks, drooling, breathing difficulties,
dilated pupils, pale gums, weakness or collapsing. Do not suck out venom because human saliva will only infect the wound.
Do not apply ice.
A Veterinarian will examine your pet by doing blood work. Antivenin may be given for the bite;
mostly for Rattlesnakes. That medication is rarely given for Copperhead bites. Benedryl will be given as well known as Diphenhydramine
for all types of snakes to stop allergic reactions, pain and the spread of infections.
Scorpions:
Not all Scorpions are poisonous. Their
venom contains a digestive enzyme that can cause pain. Scorpions are most often found in the Southwest United States and if
they do come in contact with pets it's usually in rare cases. The size of your pet will depend on the reaction to the
venom. It's important to seek help from your Veterinarian for your pet's best chance of surivival.
If you suspect your pet has been bitten you should watch for excessive drooling, tearing of
the eyes, frequent urination, dilated pupils, muscle tremors, difficulty breathing or collapsing.
Most diagnosis of scorpion bites are based on the venom that can be found in the body. In some
cases the Scorpion's stinger may still be present. No tests can be given to determine if your pet has been bitten. If anything,
it would look as if your pet has been toxicated with an insecticide or diagnosed with epilepsy if the owner wasn't aware of
the bite.
To treat the Scorpion sting you should first remove the stinger and seek your Veterinarian
immediately. Your Vet will use an IV for pain relief and give your pet Methocarbamol for treatment of the wound. Medications
like Diazepam and Phenobarbital for the seizures.
Toads:
Some of toads venom are used for medications for humans, but the venom is toxic to pets. Toad's
venom is often so posionous that if your pet is bitten and doesn't seek their Veterinarian, it could be deadly. Two of the
most poisonous toads are the River Toad and the Giant Toad. River Toads are found in the Southwestern United States in places
like Arizona, California, and Mexico. They are usually a brown and green color and covered in warts. They can be three to
seven inches long. The Giant toad is found in Texas and Florida and they can be four to six inches long.
The bad thing about toxic toads is that your pet doesn't have to encounter it one on one. You
see, Toads can infect pet's water dishes. This is why you should keep your pet out of moist areas.
If you suspect that your pet has been bitten by a poisonous toad you should watch for symptoms
such as irregular heart beat, mouth irritations, depression, weakness, collapsing, breathing difficulties, seizures, fever,
vomitting, and diarrhea. You should seek your Veterinarian immediately.
Your Veterinarian can tell whether your pet has been bitten or not by a toad because the venom
can be found in the gastrointestinal tract.
If you know your pet has encountered a poisonous toad you should flush the mouth
with water to remove any toxins. Anxious pets may need sedatives to keep calm. If your pet has a high fever cooling him
or her with a bath will help lower temperature until you can seek your Veterinarian. Your Vet will provide your
pet with an IV and monitor the heart. Most of the time the pets make a full recovery.
