Pets are often bitten by snakes as many breeds will instinctively attack them, see extract from article below:

Warning to pet owners as rain flushes snakes into backyards

Article by: Richard Noone, The Daily Telegraph, November 24, 2010

Pet owners are being warned to look out for the tell-tale symptoms of snakebite on their animals, with the Australian Veterinary Association warning a wet spring meant a good snake breeding season.

"Vets have already had lots of cases of snakebite throughout NSW and we expect more in the coming weeks due to snakes being flushed out by the torrential rain," Dr Geoff Tomkins said.

"Dog owners should try to avoid snake-prone areas, particularly if they are walking their dog off the leash at the end of the day."

It follows the death of a 10-year-old staffordshire terrier named Roxy, which was killed after a large red-bellied black snake slithered into her backyard at Watanobbi on the state's Central Coast.

Mrs Nicholls and husband Brad arrived home from lunch with friends last weekend to find the "biggest red-bellied black snake" they had ever seen dead in the backyard - and Roxy's body lying beside her kennel. Roxy's body was still warm.

"We think she was protecting [the couple's other, smaller dog] Jaz," she said...END.

Craig Adams Director SSSAFE, wrote:

If you are considering a dog as a new pet, and you live in a snake prone area, it may be worth doing a bit of research on what breeds are more likely to attack snakes.  With their smaller bodies and high metabolism dogs are very susceptible to snakebite and often, bites go unnoticed until it is too late to treat them.  If you are up to date with snakebite first aid, remember it works for dogs too, provided you are able to identify the affected limb.  At the very least try to keep the bitten animal as still and as calm as possible.  This will slow down the spread of the venom.  A dog that barks at snakes rather than going in for the kill is a wonderful 'early warning' system to advise when snakes are about.  This year SSSAFE has been experiencing record numbers of enquiries from people concerned about snakes and snake safety and our training seminars are in high demand. 

About the Author - Craig Adams

Craig is a venomous snake expert and former Operations Manager for the Australian Reptile Park. With his wife Jackie, Craig has travelled to remote areas of Australia in search of venomous snakes and spiders for inclusion in the Reptile Park's venom collection program for scientific purposes and for the collection of new data on endangered species. Craig has featured in numerous National Geographic and Discovery Channel programs on the world's most venomous creatures. He worked alongside Steve Irwin as a consultant on his film "Oceans' Deadliest" and continues to work periodically with Steve's best friend John Stainton in an advisory and "to camera" role. Together with Jackie, he has also starred in numerous other television, print media and documentary films and is acknowledged by his peers as the "go to" person in this field.