Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tissue damage and death in three dogs bitten by night adders
By de Cramer, Kurt G M et al.·Published in Journal of the South African Veterinary Association·2012·Rant en Dal Animal Hospital·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Morbidity and mortality following envenomation by the common night adder (Causus rhombeatus) in three dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs in South Africa were brought to the vet after being bitten by a night adder snake, which caused severe swelling and tissue damage. Unfortunately, one of the dogs did not survive the bite. The treatment focused on managing the swelling and low blood volume, but the specific antivenom for night adder bites was not effective since it doesn't target their venom. This case highlights the importance of considering night adders as a potential threat to dogs experiencing serious symptoms from snakebites.
People also search for: dog snakebite treatment · night adder snake bite symptoms in dogs · how to treat dog swelling from snakebite
Abstract
In South Africa dogs are frequently presented to veterinarians following snakebite. The offending snakes are usually puff adders (Bitis arietans), cobras (Naja spp.) and mambas (Dendroaspis spp.). Night adder (Causus rhombeatus) bites in dogs have not yet been reported in South Africa. This article deals with three cases of dogs bitten by night adders in which extensive tissue damage was noted and one fatality occurred. Night adder bites may be indistinguishable from puff adder bites. Non-specific treatment included addressing the hypovolaemia and swelling. Specific treatment involving immunotherapy using the South African polyvalent antivenom would be ineffective as it does not contain immunoglobulins against night adder venom. Veterinarians should also include night adders as the possible cause of dogs suffering from severe and painful swellings suspected to be due to snakebites.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23327143/