Bokkie, a beloved family dog from Newlands East in Durban, died after being bitten by a green mamba, despite efforts to save her life on Sunday.
The mastiff, about 11 years old, was placed on a mechanical ventilator and was given antivenom but did not survive overnight.
Ensure Security GM Kyle van Reenen said professional snake catcher Jason Arnold appealed for help at about 9pm.
Van Reenen, a trained intermediate life support paramedic and internationally accredited K9 medic, responded to the call.
“On arrival on the scene the dog was in a critical condition. Several interventions were made under the telephonic consultation of a veterinarian to stabilise the dog, while Jason worked behind the scenes to attempt to raise money for further veterinary care.
“Shortly after midnight, thanks to the generous donations of many, she was rushed to Westville Veterinary Hospital where she received much-needed antivenom and was placed on a mechanical ventilator to aid her to recover,” he said.
Arnold confirmed to TimesLIVE on Monday the dog died.
He said it was relatively common for pets to be bitten by snakes in Durban.
“It happens regularly, but what's more important is why it happens so regularly, because I think that's the part people fail to understand. A lot of dogs get bitten by snakes but the reason is because some breeds have that built-in hunting instinct. A lot of them want to protect their owners or they just have that instinct to hunt and want to kill anything in the garden that moves.”
“When they see a snake they can't leave it alone. They can't back down and just leave the snake to slither away. Some breeds do. Some breeds are a little more intelligent and they know not to go too close and they'll just jump around. They'll just bark until the snake manages to go down a hole or go into a thick bush and disappear.
“But most dogs want to jump in and they want to get into a fight and they want to kill the snake. It's not that snakes are just cruising around people's yards and identifying a dog, and rushing up and biting it. That's not the case. The snake will try everything to avoid the dog and get away,” he said.
TimesLIVE
Family pet dies after green mamba bite
Senior reporter
Image: Ensure Security
Bokkie, a beloved family dog from Newlands East in Durban, died after being bitten by a green mamba, despite efforts to save her life on Sunday.
The mastiff, about 11 years old, was placed on a mechanical ventilator and was given antivenom but did not survive overnight.
Ensure Security GM Kyle van Reenen said professional snake catcher Jason Arnold appealed for help at about 9pm.
Van Reenen, a trained intermediate life support paramedic and internationally accredited K9 medic, responded to the call.
“On arrival on the scene the dog was in a critical condition. Several interventions were made under the telephonic consultation of a veterinarian to stabilise the dog, while Jason worked behind the scenes to attempt to raise money for further veterinary care.
“Shortly after midnight, thanks to the generous donations of many, she was rushed to Westville Veterinary Hospital where she received much-needed antivenom and was placed on a mechanical ventilator to aid her to recover,” he said.
Arnold confirmed to TimesLIVE on Monday the dog died.
He said it was relatively common for pets to be bitten by snakes in Durban.
“It happens regularly, but what's more important is why it happens so regularly, because I think that's the part people fail to understand. A lot of dogs get bitten by snakes but the reason is because some breeds have that built-in hunting instinct. A lot of them want to protect their owners or they just have that instinct to hunt and want to kill anything in the garden that moves.”
“When they see a snake they can't leave it alone. They can't back down and just leave the snake to slither away. Some breeds do. Some breeds are a little more intelligent and they know not to go too close and they'll just jump around. They'll just bark until the snake manages to go down a hole or go into a thick bush and disappear.
“But most dogs want to jump in and they want to get into a fight and they want to kill the snake. It's not that snakes are just cruising around people's yards and identifying a dog, and rushing up and biting it. That's not the case. The snake will try everything to avoid the dog and get away,” he said.
TimesLIVE
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