Feb 12, 2024

Older Aussie takes on carpet python with her pup in its grips

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The 80-year-old observing her bites with the offending snake still in hand! [Source: Facebook]

A carpet snake stood no match against this older Aussie battler after it had tried to claim her young dog in New South Wales. 

Receiving praise for her efforts online, the 80-year-old Lennox Heads woman rushed outside after hearing the screams of her new pup only to find it had been bitten by a carpet snake that had also wrapped itself around the dog. 

The lady wrangled the dog from the snake’s grip, getting bitten herself three times before releasing the snake into the nearby bush.

Posting this courageous story to the Australian Country Memes Facebook page, the woman’s daughter Anne Murphy wrote “The carpet snake in the picture with her was coiled completely around her pup and had bitten the pup under the chin.” 

Ms Murphy confirmed the dog was uninjured but scared.

The post has since received hundreds of comments, with one reading, “Way to go. Saved the pup and the snake, what a wonderful woman.”

“The younger generation could learn a lot from someone like your Mum […] Very lucky snake, most country people would have settled this one with a shovel. You should be so very proud of her,” another wrote.

As we experience the warmth of an Aussie summer, it is important to consider keeping pets inside to avoid the dangers of the heat and also snake bites. 

When a pet is bitten it is not always possible to know the type of snake involved so it is important to keep your pet calm and quit and seek emergency veterinary care as soon as possible, regardless of whether you know what kind of snake it is. Even bite wounds from non-venomous snakes may need treatment.

Symptoms of a snake bite include:

  • Collapse followed by apparent recovery
  • Lethargy
  • Muscle tremors, shaking and reduced eye blinking
  • Dilated pupils
  • Sudden onset of weakness/wobbliness (ataxia)
  • Complete paralysis
  • Not eating (especially in cats)
  • Inability to control bladder and bowels
  • Irregular bleeding from the nose, bite site, mouth
  • Discoloured, dark urine (often bloody)

Call your vet ahead of time to let them know you are coming and can then give you advice to prepare what they need for your pet’s arrival and potential treatment.

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