Max the Staffy survives and makes a full recovery after being bitten by a snake

Three-year-old Staffy, Max, faced the battle of his life when he was attacked by a snake in southern Tasmania. Why his owner cannot believe he’s still alive.

Grace Hills with her dog Max the three year old Staffy that survived a snake bite resulting in a vet bill worth $25,000 of treatment. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

When Bagdad resident Grace Hills rushed to the vet after a tiger snake bit her three-year-old Staffy Max, she was worried he would die during the car ride.

“It felt like a lifetime to get there; it took me 26 minutes to get there, but it felt like hours. I just kept ringing the vet saying ‘he’s crashing, he’s crashing’, and then he arrested,” Ms Hills said.

“By the time we were on the last set of lights on the Brooker, I knew there was nothing I could do.”

When Max arrived at the vet, the nurses started CPR immediately as he was clinically dead.

“He died a further two times after that, and they never gave up; they just kept going with CPR,” Ms Hills said.

“And then they got a pulse.”

Grace Hills with daughter Matilda 11 months and dog Max. Grace Hills with her dog Max the three year old Staffy that survived a snake bite resulting in a vet bill worth $25,000 of treatment. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

After he had been revived, Max was placed on a ventilator for 36 hours.

Given he had clinically died, Ms Hills — who coincidentally works as a vet nurse — said there was a very high chance he could have had a brain injury.

But Max has managed to make a full recovery.

“I can’t believe it; it’s a miracle,” Ms Hills said.

“Statistically, dogs that are resuscitated have a one to three per cent chance of leaving a clinic alive; normally, they crash again.”

During the ordeal, Ms Hills said she was “hysterical and distressed”.

“The vet nurses were fantastic, and I think the only reason he lived is our communication; me calling and saying he was crashing so they could be prepared.

“When we got there, they were ready to intubate Max straight away.”

Max’s total vet bill was $25,000, but Ms Hills had pet insurance, which meant she only had to pay a small fraction of that.

“It is important that people are aware of the symptoms of a snake bite because prompt treatment in this case was so critical,” she said.

“If I hadn’t been home, or if I waited another minute more, he wouldn’t have been revived.”

Amelia Allen is a veterinarian at the Animal Emergency Service Hobart and was one of those who treated Max.

“It is pretty rare for animals to be revived after their heart stops.

“It’s a very low chance; the statistics say - in animals - it is less than a five per cent chance of them being revived and even less to get them back home.

“I think everyone was very pleasantly surprised not only to get him back but that he actually went home.”

Originally published as Max the Staffy survives and makes a full recovery after being bitten by a snake