Snake sightings and pet bitings are up this summer and owners have been warned to take the necessary precautions.
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Vets have seen an increase in pet owners presenting their cats and dogs this summer, with Wagga Veterinary Hospital treating an average of one to two snake bites per week.
"We have had some [pets] who didn't make it and unfortunately succumbed to the effects of the venom before they arrived or died en route to the clinic," co-director and vet Tristan Robinson said.
Dr Robinson said some owners have been very diligent and arrived at the clinic with their pets "very early before they started to show symptoms and were saved".
"We've also had some pets come in who were starting to show signs [of poisoning] but we've been able to reverse those and save them," he said.
In one such case, Dr Robinson said a "doggo came in on Monday night showing quite strong signs [of poisoning]".
"It was a bit touch and go for a bit but she went home [on Wednesday] which was great," he said.
Meanwhile, another family had two dogs bitten by a brown snake before Christmas, however both made it through.
"That was pretty unlucky ... but both made it through without too much complication," Dr Robinson said.
In another case, a Wagga vet at San Isidore had two dogs kill three brown snakes, and although one of the pets sustained a bite in the process, it survived.
"That's probably one of the record setters this year," Dr Robinson said.
He explained the relative absence of cats with snake bites due to their difference in nature.
"Dogs tend to go for the kill a lot more and are a bit slower to react, whereas cats play with [snakes] and jump around a fair bit," he said.
As to the types of snakes causing the cases, Dr Robinson said 95 per cent were brown snakes, while the rest were red-bellied black snakes.
Aside from actual snake bites, Dr Robinson said there had been "a lot of false cases ... where a dog has been seen with a snake, but they haven't actually been bitten".
"We're seeing about two to three of those cases per week," he said.
While Dr Robinson said there doesn't seem to be a noticeable increase in community concern from snakes at the vet clinic itself, people in the northern suburbs certainly appear to be more aware of the threat.
And while not sure of particular hotspot areas, he believed places where snakes were being displaced by recent developments, such as the northern suburbs, were likely candidates.
"Our vet clinic is located close to Lloyd, Bourkelands and Glenoak, so we do get a few [cases] from there. But I have never heard from people in Central Wagga saying they found a brown snake in their backyard."
Residents are reminded to take the necessary precautions this summer including mowing lawns regularly and keeping rubbish cleared from the property.
Dog owners unsure if their pet has been poisoned are encouraged to look out for: collapse followed by an apparent recovery; lethargy; dilated pupils; sudden wobbliness/weakness; inability to control bladder/bowels and discoloured dark urine.
If a snake bite is suspected, owners are encouraged to seek vet attention as soon as possible, because the more time passes, the lower the survival rate declines.
Wagga's snake man Tony Davis said there have been "quite a few sightings and quite a few catchings".
Mr Davis said while the snake season "might have started a bit earlier, [it also] quietened down a little earlier ... [and] now we're about to [see] the baby brown [snake[s] come out".
He said the current resurgence of hot weather would bring out the snakes, but reminded people they don't like the hottest part of the day.
"Snakes are like us, they don't like really hot weather, so they're not out at midday.
"They'll be out around 10am for an hour or so, then again around 5pm."