Jason Arnold and Kyle van Reenen rushed to the aid of a dog, bitten by a green mamba in Newlands East, Durban
Image: Ensure Security
Durban snake catcher Jason Arnold has thanked residents who rallied together to pay for the vet bills for a local family whose beloved pet had been bitten by a green mamba.
Thanking those who opened their pockets, Arnold said Bokkie would not have been seen by the vet, without the efforts of the community who rallied together to help treat a stranger's dog.
"There are still really good people with good hearts, out there. Thank you to everybody who helped, in any way," he said.
Arnold shared how Bokkie put up a brave fight after being bitten.
According to Kyle van Reenen of Ensure Security, Bokkie was bitten during a tussle with the snake.
"On arrival on scene, the dog was found in a critical condition. Several intervention methods were utilized under the telephonic consultation of a veterinarian to stabilise the dog," he said.
Arnold said the family did not have money for anti-venom and he was not prepared to watch the pet die.
Taking to social media to share a post, Arnold's pleas for financial assistance for Bokkie did not go unnoticed.
"Shortly after midnight, thanks to the generous donations of many, she was rushed to Westville Veterinary Hospital where she received much needed anti-venom and was placed onto a mechanical ventilator to aid her to recover," van Reenen added.
Despite Arnold, the donators' and the vet's best efforts, Bokkie passed away.
"Myself and Kyle did what we could to give her the best fighting chance she could possibly have. The vets were amazing and were very clearly very knowledgeable on snake bite cases and the correct treatment procedures. It's just unfortunate that she was quite old at 11 years, and was therefore already quite immune-compromised and she also had underlying conditions," Arnold said.
He explained that Bokkie had anaemia and despite all the effort, her organs could not handle the trauma.
"The veterinary bill ended up being R14,710, but they were kind enough to reduce that down to R12,473. Anti-venom is not cheap," he said.
"I'm working out the final figures, as many kind souls are still donating. I think the funds received this far should be pretty close to covering the bill at this stage," Arnold stated.
seanne.rall@iol.co.za
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