Sometimes the thoughts in my head are like dominoes. This morning I inadvertently clicked on an ad about Australia on a news page. Australia ; the floods in Queensland,  the book The Thornbirds, sheep, border collies, the Crocodile Hunter, dangerous snakes, dangerous snakes in suburbs . . .

I searched for articles about deadly snakes turning up in suburban yards during droughts and floods; I didn’t want to search for them being there all the time because  sooner of later it would probably lead to my being afraid to look at a picture of the Sydney Opera House.

I happened upon an animal forum by following a link about two Jack Russell Terriers being bitten by a red-bellied snake in the Sydney suburbs. Raz was the poster and I clicked down through the first postings to see if the dogs made it. Only there were side plots. Information on levels of creatine after the bites. Methods to discourage snakes from entering lawns – herbs, special fencing, etc. Stories about near snakebites, snakebites, other animal’s snake encounter stories. Responses from snake advocates. The story about shooting a brown snake in a house and taking out the guitar as well.

And, interspersed with all this were updates on “the boys” who were transferred from one vet hospital to a bigger one. That got me wondering – different level trauma centers for snakebit animals? The dogs got some anti-venom at the first hospital – a 30 minute breakneck speed ride away. The creatine level was 200+ – at the max the test could read there.  And 200+ was not good.

Raz waited for news from the specialized hospital that had more sensitive equipment and other posters offered sympathy and good wishes and information about how to deal with snakes in backyards. The first results were something like 2,000 and 4,000. Later they would climb into the double-digit thousand category. However, the dogs did pull through, although their muscles were weakened and they huffed and puffed at every exertion.

I read more posts about recuperation problems and more snake precautions. Then the boys starting have necrosis around the area of the bites. By this time there were some posts about what to do if your dog sees a snake – do not call his name, it will distract him – and about protected species and more dog vs. snake stories.

Then, after 17 pages of posts, the thread stopped. I don’t know the ultimate outcome for the dogs; I don’t know what they decided to do about treating fence lines – one of the treatments was supposed to affect snakes in a matter that would anesthetize them . . . maybe in neighbors’ yards. It would cost the neighbors $25 each to extend the protection to the outside of their fence lines, a sum they didn’t want to pay.

There, you know as much as I do, with the exception of the detailed anti-snake procedures . . . and, actually, they are an amorphous mass of suggestions in my mind. What I have retained is the “always have a shovel handy” advice and don’t go barefoot.

But, I have not learned any lesson – I know what I am going to do. I am going to put in a few search words and try to find out what happened to Raz’s dogs. Probably, because I have a dogged personality.

SIGH . . . .