There are many places around the country where snakes are quite prevalent. Whether you are talking about the venomous kinds of snake or the non-venomous kind, snakes exist in virtually all areas of the country where there is warm weather for an extended period of time during the year. This is especially true in areas like swamps, deserts, and other hot weather climates where a snake would find the necessary warmth to be able to function and thrive.
In some areas of the country snakes can be found in extremely large quantities. This not only includes the types of snakes that can be found, both venomous and non-venomous, but also in sheer population. There can literally be as many if not more snakes than there are people or people’s pets in the area.
Do Snakes Pose a Risk to My Pets?
The question you may be asking yourself with so many snakes in your area is if they pose a risk to your pets. The answer to that is not a simple yes or no answer. The truth is that it varies greatly depending upon the kind or species of snake that you are talking about and the kind of pet that you have.
If you are talking about venomous kinds of snakes, such as a rattlesnake, water moccasin, or copperhead, then they most assuredly pose a serious health risk to your pet. They are as dangerous as it comes, and can be quite aggressive.
How a venomous snake injures or harms your pet is by injecting a poison known as venom into your pet when they bite. This venom affects your dog or cat by either harming it’s heart, shutting down its ability to circulate blood, destroying cells, or shutting down the nervous system. Any one of these can lead to a serious issue if not outright death. This is why if your pet is bitten by one of these reptiles that you need to get immediate medical care for it.
In addition to venomous snakes, there are also poisonous kinds of snakes. The difference in this kind is that the poison is actually contained within the snake but does not get into another organism in less they eat that snake. If your dog or cat were to eat a poisonous snake then they would suffer the effects of that poison. This can lead to death or serious illness.
You may consider that the vast majority of other snakes would not be harmful to your pet, and that is true if you are talking about small numbers like one or two. If your dog or cat came across a non-venomous, non-poisonous snake then they should be fine for the most part, even if they are bitten.
However, many snakes live in large packs called broods. A brood of snakes can be very dangerous to your pet because they can attack it in much the way a group of dogs can be dangerous to a human being. While one or two bites may not be an issue, hundreds of them is an entirely different story and this is what would happen if your pet is attacked by a large group of snakes.
You also have to consider that there are bacteria that are contained in the mouth and scales of a snake. These can be dangerous to your animal because they can cause illness. If your cat or dog is bitten by a snake, that bacteria can get into the snake and cause serious injury. Even if your pet eats the snake it may ingest the bacteria which can lead to sickness.
For more information about are snakes dangerous to cats, dogs, or other pets, go to my Snake Removal - How to Get Rid of Snakes home page.