VETERINARY MEDICINE: How sea snakes, surrounded by salt water, quench their thirst.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: How sea snakes, surrounded by salt water, quench their thirst.Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink. Such is the lot in life for thirsty sea snakes—and yet they’ve found a way to thrive. Most yellow-bellied sea snakes spend their entire lives at sea. They rarely end up on land and are vulnerable there, since their paddle-shaped tails and keeled undersides make crawling difficult. Armed with potent venom, they drift in a vast territory that encompasses much of the world’s oceans, riding the currents and hunting fish near the sea surface. Like other reptiles, these creatures need to drink water to survive. How does an animal surrounded by saltwater quench its thirst? It used to be thought that these serpents drank from their salty surroundings. “Previous textbook dogma was that sea snakes drank seawater and excreted the excess salts using their sublingual salt glands,” explains Harvey Lillywhite, a biologist at the University of Florida. Recent work has proven that false—and a new study suggests that yellow-bellied sea snakes (Hydrophis platurus) rehydrate at sea by drinking rainwater that collects on the ocean surface.

HOW TO TRAIN DOGS TO AVOID SNAKES.

A vet, a dog trainer and a snake wrangler have teamed up for a unique series of training sessions aimed at teaching dogs to avoid potentially deadly snake encounters.Veterinarian Dr Shey Rogers hopes to see fewer clients this year.We had all of our dogs bitten by the same snake. And one of them actually got bitten twice in two weeks, so we were definite that we didn't want to have to go through that again.Dr Shey Rogers, Youngs Siding veterinarian Her Youngs Siding practice on Western Australia's south coast has become a meeting place for local dog owners eager to trial snake avoidance training."Basically my philosophy is prevention is better than cure," Dr Rogers said."I'd rather not see dogs come in here with snake bites and then have to treat them." Dr Rogers engaged Perth-based dog trainer Seth Pywell and snake wrangler Marcus Cosentino to run the sessions after all three of her dogs were bitten by a snake, one of them fatally, on her family property earlier this year. "We had all of our dogs bitten by the same snake. And one of them actually got bitten twice in two weeks, so we were definite that we didn't want to have to go through that again," Dr Rogers said."It was a very emotional process and a very expensive process as well.Venomous and non-venomous species are used in the training, from the placid Tiliqua Rugosa (shingleback lizard) to the deadly Notechis Scutatus (tiger snake) But it is not just dogs that are in need of protection : read more here,http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-25/protecting-pets-and-wildlife-training-teaches-dogs-avoid-snakes/6973094 Snake avoidance training is a relatively uncommon practice in Australia.Over two sessions, dogs are exposed to a range of reptiles and are taught to associate the creatures with a low-level electric shock delivered by a remote training collar.When a dog goes for it, it’s generally the bobtail that will come off worse.Marcus Cosentino, snake wrangler. The theory is that the next time the dog sees or smells the same reptile, it will avoid all contact.During training sessions, dogs are rewarded with treats when they choose the right behaviour."The dog's natural response is that of investigation," Mr Pywell said."We're teaching the dogs that investigation brings consequences and if they avoid it, it brings rewards."

SNAKE BITES IN DOGS.

photo credit = internet. Dogs are generally curious,rampaging through stuff,sticking heads in holes and generally running around for fun.They have the tendency to be bitten by snakes ,and when this happens its an emergency and first aid is essential and a necessity. When dogs are bitten its better to assume the snake is poisonous and so initiate treatment protocol.Snake bites are complex and need attention immediately since the various venom's exhibit different signs. Some snakes venom cause shock and rapid death ,while other cause paralysis and it usually requires a large quantity of venom before much damage is done and some others have concentrated venom resulting in death within hours. When a dog is bitten the first step is to prevent movement of the dog to prevent circulation of venom; 1) immobilize the limb. 2)keep animal calm 3)prevent the venom from circulating by using a tourniquet and ice pack in the area 4) seek veterinary attention immediately where an anti-venom is administered. When a dog is bitten DO NOT; 1) cut the bite site open. 2)attempt to suck poison out. 3) do not leave dog unattended to and try to kill snake. Snake bite code is save the pet first and try to kill the snake later.