AVA Conference Melbourne 2017

Australia has some of the most poisonous snakes in the world; however, much of the available information on snake envenomation is based on reports from North America. The types and characteristics of snakes found in Australia are quite different to those found in North America and, as a consequence, there are important differences in the clinical signs associated with snake envenomation. There is often no obvious bite site and the clinical signs can be vague making definitive diagnosis difficult. The clinical signs in horses bitten by Australian snakes is often dominated by signs of muscular weakness. Treatment is often supportive but administration of anti-venin (anti-toxin antibodies) can be life-saving. This talk aims to provide practitioners with information to help in the recognition and management of snake envenomation of horses in Australia.