Articles

KAYLEE AND THE RINKHALS*

By Henry Strachan

Rioghal Staffords (South Africa)

 * Dictionary: a large nocturnal spitting cobra of southern Africa,
 with one or two white rings across the throat.

 It was a hot Sunday afternoon when we returned from our two-day fishing trip at the Roodeplaat dam, near Pretoria. As my family and I stopped in front of the garage, I opened the car door and froze when I saw out of the corner of my eye a dark “snakelike” object lying on the grass. When I turned to look at it, cold sweat broke out on my forearms as I realised that it was in fact a massive snake! Fearing the worst I immediately had a closer look - as I approached slowly (step by step) not to frighten it, I saw that it had been ripped apart about 50cm from the head down. Then it struck me that the dogs must have killed it! I started calling the dogs, as I was worried that the snake could've bit one of them... or worse, maybe all four of our Staffords.

 They were all there, very happy to see that the family was back home… After closer inspection, I saw our tan alpha bitch (Bronxton Over The Moon of Rioghal nicknamed, Kaylee) had a swollen eye. Did the snake bite her in the eye, I thought? The dead snake was a fresh kill, could the poison still be spreading throughout her body? The other dogs seemed fine, and I couldn't see any visible bite marks on them… 

After putting the snake in a black plastic bag with a shovel (making sure that I didn’t touch it). We rushed Kaylee to the vet, speculating on the way what could've happened. The vet arrived soon after us and carefully examined Kaylee's eyes. She explained that the snake must've spat poison into her eye and that Kaylee must've killed it after that. The vet flushed her eye and gave her an antibiotic as well as a cortisone injection before sending us home again. We were told that a Rinkhals can only spit in an upright position. 

This was a full-grown Rinkhals, a member of the spitting Cobra family, 1,5m long and deadly in any fight! How Kaylee killed the snake without getting killed herself is still a mystery. It's heroic incidents like this one, that proves the loyalty, intelligence and tenacity of the breed, called the Staffordshire Bull Terrier….

 * (The Rinkhals look fairly similar to the Cobras but has keeled scales and only has a single species in the Genus. 

 The color may vary but is usually a spotted black (Adults of N Cape) to brown color (Gauteng area) with yellow to white cross bars with 2- 3 large bands on the ventral side of the neck. In the adults the bars usually fade away to a uniform black. The average length is 1 meter with a record length of 1.5 meters. The Rinkhals is ovoviviparous meaning that they give birth to 15 up to 60 live young during the late summer. They can also be found in the grassy areas of the Southern Cape, Transkei, Orange Free State, Lesotho, Natal and western Swaziland as well as southeast Transvaal but not in the Low Veld and should not be confused with the Mozambique Spitting Cobra.

 The venom is neurotoxic but not as toxic as Cobras and is more diluted when spitted. The holes in their fangs are not at the tip of the teeth as with the Cobras but have a canal that ends in an elbow that projects the poison up and forward. Venom in the eyes can be very painful and cause blurred vision and the eyes should be washed with water or milk).

 SNAKE BITES AND DOGS

 The degree of damage inflicted by a venomous snake is determined by a wide variety of variables.  The age and species of snake, the intensity and depth of the fang penetration, the amount of venom injected, the location of the bite, and the size of the dog are just a few of the variables

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO in the event a snake bites your dog?

First, let me tell you what not to do.  Do not take out your pocketknife and cut Xs over the fang marks!  Do not attempt to suck venom through those X marks.  Do not grab the snake in a fit of anger and attempt to choke it to death.  You may be bitten yourself.

PLEASE DO... 

·        Try to identify the snake by taking note of its size, color patterns and the presence or absence of a rattle at the end of the tail.

·        Look the dog over carefully for fang marks, noting that there may be more than one bite wound.

·        If bitten on a leg, wrap a constricting band on the affected limb snugly at a level just above the bite wound (on the body side of the wound).  This band could be fashioned of a shirtsleeve or other fabric and should be snug but not excessively tight.

·       Excitement, exercise and struggling increase the rate of absorption. Get your dog to the veterinarian.

SNAKE BITE KITS

Most antivenim products are targeted for a particular species of snake. Leave it up to your veterinarian.

NOTE: It’s not a bad idea to memorize your veterinarian’s phone number, in case of emergencies!