Posted on 11/07/2007 11:56:16 AM PST by BGHater
IT'S all ended like a Hollywood script for hero kelpie Tess.
The brave pup has miraculously recovered after she was bitten by an eastern brown snake while defending her owner a week ago.
Against the odds Tess has awoken from her coma, and she returned to her Tallebudgera Valley home on Saturday.
Owner Fay Palethorpe said she was delighted to welcome her shaggy hero back to the 8ha property.
"It was just so magical seeing her come home," said the 68-year-old.
"During the car ride Tess refused to sit in the back seat. She sat in the front licking me the whole time.
"My two other dogs were so excited, they were all licking each other. I certainly had a few tears."
But the nightmare is not quite over, with Tess expected to be tired and weak for at least another week until she fully recovers.
"She is normally very jumpy and excitable but at the moment she's just been sleeping all the time," said Ms Palethorpe.
"The vet says she will be back to her normal self in about a week though.
"She hadn't eaten for nearly a week while she was in the coma, so she's getting very spoiled now.
"She's been sleeping upstairs on a chair in the lounge. I gave her lots of treats too. She definitely deserves it.
"If she had died, she would have died for me. Now at least I don't feel so guilty."
But there was a panic-stricken moment yesterday when Ms Palethorpe heard a banging sound.
"It was just Tess wagging her tail and it was thumping the ground," she said with a laugh. "I'm just so happy that she's OK.
"I'm going to move the yard fence closer to the house now to avoid this happening again."
Ms Palethorpe had borrowed $1300 from a son to pay for the emergency veterinary treatment for Tess, despite there being no guarantee the pup would recover from the potentially lethal bite.
"It was worth every cent," said Ms Palethorpe.
"What could I do -- I couldn't put her down after she risked her life to save me. She knew I was in danger, the snake was following me.
"I kept trying to call her away from it but now I'm glad she didn't listen."
Tugun-based veterinarian Dr Bob Prescott cared for Tess, recently telling The Bulletin she was one lucky dog.
"Snakebites are touch and go and we probably lose about 50 per cent of them (patients)," he said.
"With snakes there's always the danger that you'll have kidney or liver damage, because the toxin is so potent that it damages the organs ... but things are progressing quite well."
Ms Palethorpe said she had been inundated with messages from well-wishers since the story of Tess's plight in The Bulletin.
"I've received letters and most of them are signed by dogs," she said.
"It is times like this that you realise how many lovely people there are in the world."
Tess was just one in a spate of snake attack victims in recent weeks, with snakes returning as temperatures start to soar.
Beaudesert toddler Steven Stifanic was bitten by a venomous whip snake at his family home last week but escaped serious injury, while a 50-year-old woman was rushed to the Tweed Hospital from Mullumbimby after a brown snake bit her on the back of the knee in late October.
IT'S all ended like a Hollywood script for hero kelpie Tess. The brave pup has miraculously recovered after she was bitten by an eastern brown snake while defending her owner a week ago. Follow up from this one: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1918793/posts#comment?q=1
There’s some Dingo in that one! Good on ya, doggie!
Australia: Too many venomous snakes, not enough mongooses! Good news about the pup.
What a good girl...Very glad she survived.
ping
Oh, that's right, the gobermint took away all the pistols.
Prayers answered.
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