Puppy Ziggy dies from brown snake bite

The owner of a southeast Queensland puppy who was found dead from a brown snake bite is warning others not to ignore the signs.

What started as fatigue has turned fatal for a six-month-old puppy after she was bitten by a brown snake last week.

Now boxer puppy Ziggy’s owner Cheryl Moyle is warning locals of the signs that could have saved her dog’s life.

Mrs Moyle said she’d returned home to her Ormeau house on Monday last week to find her dog extremely tired after what she suspected was a long morning of playing in the yard.

“I was out on appointments with our plumbing business all morning and I came home to meet an electrician and then Ziggy came in and she was tired, which is not unusual because I look after my son’s dog and they run around together all morning,” she said.

Six-month-old boxer puppy Ziggy died after she was bitten by a brown snake in Ormeau. Picture: Cheryl Moyle

Ziggy was fatigued after she was bitten by a brown snake at her home. Picture: Cheryl Moyle

“She’s always been a sleepy girl, her eyes were really droopy and I said ‘you’ve got to get some sleep girl’ and then I took off.

“I had a 2.30pm appointment so I left and when I got back she was dead.”

She said the snake that killed her beloved Ziggy was yet to be spotted on the property.

“I’m wearing a fair bit of responsibility for not attending to that tiredness that I felt which was normal for her.”

“If I had responded to her tiredness, thrown her in the car and taken her to the vet I may have been able to save her life. When I got home it was quite traumatic to see her like that.”

Ziggy playing in her yard. Picture: Cheryl Moyle

Ziggy with a bone. Picture: Cheryl Moyle

Ms Moyle said since living in the area for 27 years, she had only seen one brown snake on the property before, but carpet, keelback and green snakes had been around over the years.

“I think a lot of people think because they’ve got dogs, that turns snakes away from their yard, it’s just not true.”

She said she had taken steps to avoid incidents of this nature.

“I had the numbers in my phone, I’m alert to whatever the dogs are up to and the birds, when there is a snake the birds can alert you.”

“I think I was fairly knowledgeable and aware, when I’m gardening I always wear boots and gloves.

“People need to know that just because they’ve got dogs in their yard it doesn’t deter the snakes.”

SYMPTOMS

Fatigue or lethargy

Shaking

Dilated pupils

Paralysis

Weakness or wobbliness

Irregular bleeding from the nose, mouth or site of snake bite

Inability to control bladder and bowels

Discoloured, dark urine

Collapse followed by apparent recovery