Snake or venomous insect bite
🔴 CRITICAL
Snake or venomous insect bite
💊 Allergic · 🐶 🐱
Vietnam has pit vipers, cobras and hornets. Venom reactions and anaphylaxis can develop within 30 minutes.
⚠️ Symptoms to watch for
- ▸ Rapid swelling around the bite (especially the face, legs)
- ▸ Two fang marks (snake) or a sting left in the skin
- ▸ Severe pain on touch
- ▸ Drooling, vomiting, loss of balance
- ▸ Laboured breathing, pale gums
- ▸ Loss of consciousness if anaphylaxis sets in
✅ DO THIS NOW (in order)
- 1 KEEP YOUR PET COMPLETELY STILL — movement spreads the venom faster
- 2 Carry your pet (DO NOT let them walk)
- 3 For a bee sting — lift the sting out with tweezers (DO NOT squeeze the venom sac)
- 4 Photograph the snake if you see it (safely) — it helps the vet pick the right antivenom
- 5 Call the clinic and get there within 30 minutes
❌ NEVER DO THIS
- ✕ DO NOT suck the venom out by mouth (a myth — useless and dangerous to you)
- ✕ DO NOT apply a tourniquet (it causes tissue death)
- ✕ DO NOT cut the wound open
- ✕ DO NOT apply ice or iced water (it constricts vessels and worsens tissue damage)
- ✕ DO NOT give your pet human medicine (including antihistamines)
🚑 Getting there safely
Put your pet in a carrier with the bite held LOWER than the heart. Carry gently, no shaking. Straight to the vet by car.
⏱️ While you wait for the vet
- ▸ Mark the edge of the swelling with a pen — track how fast it spreads
- ▸ Count the breathing rate every 5 minutes
- ▸ Watch the gums
- ▸ Keep your pet moderately warm (neither cold nor hot)
🚨 RED FLAG — get emergency care right away if you see:
- 🚨 Swelling spreading fast beyond the bite site
- 🚨 Difficulty breathing / wheezing
- 🚨 Loss of consciousness
- 🚨 Chalk-white gums
- 🚨 The face swelling so fast it closes the eyes (anaphylaxis)
This guide does NOT replace a vet's diagnosis. Always contact the clinic, even if your pet seems fine.