SNAKES
From page 33
pig farmer reappeared,
brandishing the broom.
Whack! The broom
descended rapidly. One blow
in the middle of the snake's
back and a second on its
head, and it lay still.
The pig farmer picked it up
gingerly by the tip of its tail
and dumped it into a waste
paper bin. Shortly thereafter
the veterinarian of the
practice arrived at the back
door, to be met by the
paramedic who said excitedly
“Guess what? A puff adder
came visiting. But it's dead!”
“Where?” asked the vet?
“It came in the front door.”
“No”, said the vet patiently.
“Where is it now?”
The paramedic fetched the
bin and the vet picked up
the snake by its tail and
carried it to the consulting
room. The snake coiled its
body. Although its head was
partially crushed, it was still
bleeding .
Night adder
“It's not dead; and it's not a
puff adder” said the vet. “It's
a night adder”.
The snake was carefully set
down on the steel examina-
tion table at the practice, and
an injection of Euthapent
gently terminated the life of
the luckless reptile.
The night adder can be
mistaken for an egg eater, as
it has the same irregular dark
patches along its pale brown
body.
However, it is thicker and
shorter with a triangular
head, small eye, muscular
cheeks and a distinctive V
shaped mark behind its head.
It is a small (30-50 cm long)
fairly aggressive snake, that
strikes rapidly and makes a
strange low growling sound if
it is disturbed. The bite is not
usually fatal in humans,
although it causes severe
35
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pain and swelling and the
patient may need to be
hospitalised for two to three
days.
It is not unusual for a night
adder to go indoors at this
time of year. Often it seeks
shelter from the cold in
stables, and cuddles up to a
sleeping horse. When the
horse wakes up in the
morning, it disturbs the snake
and is bitten, usually above
the hock on the inside of a
hind leg, although it can also
be on a front leg.
The venom is both
neurotoxic and haemotoxic
and the antivenom commer-
cially available for treating
snake-bite does not work.
The owner first notices that
the horse is very lame as it is
let out of the stables. If the
leg is palpated gently, the
area of the bite is very painful
to the touch and slightly
swollen.
Careful examination will
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