Mysore/Mysuru: In a commendable act, a snake rescuer and an alert resident saved a female dog that was bitten by a cobra and its six puppies that were just four days old. The dog was in a motionless state with the snake poison affecting its nervous system. However, one of the puppies was devoured by the snake.

The female dog and its litter have now been housed in People For Animals (PFA). But for the presence of mind and timely action of the resident and the snake rescuer, the lactating dog and its puppies would not have survived.

The incident occurred on Oct. 30 when Darshan, a resident of an area near the Outer Ring Road, called a snake rescuer B. Shivakumar and told him that he had noticed a cobra near his house. Shivakumar, along with another snake rescuer Pradeep, went there but even after searching for more than an hour they could not sight the cobra.

As Shivakumar had a call from Nanjangud to rescue a snake, he left the spot. Later in the day, Darshan, who has a habit of feeding strays of the locality, noticed a female dog with seven puppies motionless. He immediately called Shivakumar and narrated the incident.

Shivakumar rushed to the spot and saw the dog’s condition and suspected something was amiss. After examining the dog, it became clear to Shivakumar that the cobra had bitten the canine and the presence of cobra in the area was supported by Darshan. However, the cobra could not be found even later.

It looked like the dog had attacked the snake when it came to gulp its puppies. In the fight, the cobra had bitten the dog. The cobra had also injured another puppy, he said. Shivakumar immediately called PFA Honorary Managing Trustee Savitha Nagabhushan who arranged 10 anti-venom vials on time.

The dog and its puppies were shifted to the PFA hospital in Roopa Nagar and the animals were treated for the venomous bite. Since the mother dog was under treatment, the puppies were fed with goat milk and alternative milk replacements.

After the treatment and regular monitoring by Veterinarian Dr. Amardeep Singh, PFA staff Murthy and para-vets  Anjali, Anusha and Gopal, the dog and puppies are safe and out of danger now.

Savitha Nagabhushan said that luckily they had the last vial of snake venom antiserum that night. “Now we have enough stocks as we get at least two cases in six months,” she said.