Brandy – a little Jack Russel from Pretoria – was rushed to the Vet after being bitten by a venomous snake, this is her heart-wrenching story.
Pretoria, South Africa (08 April 2022) – The Valley Farm Animal Hospital shared a heart-wrenching story about a Jack Russel that was bitten by a snake.
The Valley Farm Animal Hospital is situated in East Pretoria and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to care for your pets.
“We pride ourselves on offering a broad range of services and products for dogs and cats; from pet foods, grooming, vaccinations and dentistry right through to specialist hospital care such as orthopaedic surgery, chemotherapy, cataract surgery and advanced diagnostic workups, including CT scans and heart scans. A 24hour emergency service with dedicated ICU staff ensure that day or night, we are here for your pets.”
Their veterinarians include a number of specialists on the team who are there to take referral cases from all over South Africa and to assist with patient care in-house.
And this is Brandy’s harrowing story.
I consider myself the Indiana Jones of Pretoria. I love exploring around the plot and finding lost treasures. One of these expeditions of mine landed me in great trouble yesterday. While making my way through the veld grass, I thought I heard something a few feet away from me. I immediately froze and pricked up my ears. Not a sound. I slowly took a step forward. I’m sure I heard it again. Once again, I froze. My heart was beating in my chest with the anticipation of an intruder lurking in the grass.
As the veld around me was quiet except for the distant song of a bird, I made the decision to continue on my expedition. As I veered slightly to my right, I suddenly felt a sharp blow to my face and took a step backwards. I barked loudly at the intruder, which seemed to have scared him off. I couldn’t believe the audacity of an intruder to enter my property while the sun had not even set yet.
I slowly made my way back home, feeling more tired and out of breath with every step I took. As I made it in the front door, I collapsed on the welcome mat.
As I was lying there, daddy came walking past and found me. Daddy immediately grabbed me and raced to Valley Farm Animal Hospital.
I’m not sure how many speed traps daddy might have gone through on our way to the vet, but the way daddy was driving, I would have thought he was the next Formula One world champion.
As we arrived at the vet, I was immediately rushed to the ICU section, where the critical care vet started assessing me. I had collapsed and was foaming from my mouth. Daddy told the vet that he suspected I was bitten by a snake as my lip was swollen and seemed to have puncture wounds.
The vet noticed I was going blue and worked at the speed of light. They shaved my leg and placed an IV catheter while getting my IV fluids ready. I was sedated in order for them to place an endotracheal tube (ET tube) in my throat to help me breathe. As soon as the ET tube was in, my colour returned to pink. I was not yet out of the woods, as I was not breathing deep enough and getting enough oxygen into my body.
Dr chatted to daddy and explained that I needed to go onto a ventilator to help me breathe. This would also give my body time to fight against the snake toxin. I can just imagine how heartbroken daddy was, seeing me connected to the ventilator. I had all sorts of monitors connected to me that took my heart rate, blood pressure and every other vital sign you can think of.
My feet started paddling, and I was showing signs of seizures while my eyes were non-responsive. The team on night shift made sure I was comfortable during the night and watched me with hawk eyes to ensure my vitals remained stable.
Early the next morning, I heard the vet excitedly say that they were able to secure antivenom for me and that one of their staff members was on his way to collect the antivenom. At this stage, I was still on the ventilator. My body felt tired as I lay relatively motionless in my ICU bed.
After a short while, there was a bustle in the ICU ward. (Well, as much of a bustle as is allowed in a critical care unit). The vet’s voice excitedly rang through the ward as she connected a syringe to my IV and slowly injected the antivenom. I remained fairly motionless as the antivenom entered my body and slowly started circulating with every heartbeat. The vet’s eyes remained glued to me and my monitors for the slightest sign of improvement.
My head started feeling less dizzy, and my body started feeling a bit more energised. My breathing felt like less of an effort, and in a short time, I rolled over from my side onto my belly and attempted to stand up.
As I rolled over, the whole room erupted into cheers at my “recovery”. I heard the vet phoning daddy and telling him that I was improving. She told daddy that she would like to keep me for 24 hrs to make sure my recovery is uneventful.
I am so thankful to the team for all their hard work. Not only did they give me a second chance, but they also managed to get my antivenom donated to me. Thank you to the donor as well.
I still have one evening left in hospital before I will be able to go home. I am taking this opportunity to fully rest and regain my strength before going out on any new expeditions.
by 