Snake Snack Makes Comeback

CLAIM FORM: “Canine swallowed snake—induced vomiting—vomited snake up whole.”

Usually, the claim forms read “snake bites dog,” not the other way around, so this one caught my attention. How exactly does one manage to swallow a whole snake? I called Sandy Benson of Orlando, Fla., to get more details on her mixed-breed dog Bernie, and the snake-snack that resulted in a $230 veterinary bill.

“I was in the yard, doing some gardening, when Bernie came running out of the shrubbery with part of a snake hanging out of his mouth,” said Benson. “It was about an 8-inch snake and Bernie had swallowed the tail. I tried to grab the head and pull the snake out, but the snake was moving around so much I couldn’t get a hold of it.”

You read that right. Seems the very much alive snake wasn’t too happy about being swallowed, and despite her best efforts to remove the half-swallowed snake from Bernie’s mouth, Sandy couldn’t prevent her 2-year-old dog from swallowing the wriggling reptile whole.

Sandy didn’t know whether or not the snake was venomous, so she rushed Bernie to the veterinarian. When the veterinarian induced vomiting, Bernie produced an almost completely intact 8-inch, non-venomous rat snake.

“They’re actually happy when they get such a complete specimen,” said Sandy. “They put it in the freezer, so they can help other pet owners identify the type of snake that bit their pet.”

Of course, what else would you do with a vomited snake but put it in the freezer? According to Sandy, Bernie recovered immediately and suffered no ill effects from eating—and then vomiting—the snake. She has noticed, however, that he no longer plays in that particular area of the yard.

Sandy’s advice to other pet owners is to become familiar with the various venomous and non-venomous snakes in their area, and always watch pets closely when outside.

“Bernie is a challenge,” said Sandy. “I guess it’s the terrier in him. I was no more than 20 feet away, but he was just doing what dogs do.”