Scientists Have Finally Found a Way to Protect Dogs From Snake Bites

An anti-venom has been created to treat the thousands of dogs bitten by poisonous snakes in Australia each year.

CSIRO scientists worked with Padula Serums, a small biotech company in regional Victoria, to produce an anti-venom to treat Eastern Brown and Tiger snake bites.

Australia is home to 10 of the most venomous snakes in the world. There are anti-venoms to treat people bitten but none, until now, for pets.

"I've been working on anti-venom serums for dogs and cats for a while now but I really needed the expert equipment and skills of the CSIRO scientists to make the best product possible," says Andrew Padula of Padula Serums.

Once final testing has been completed and the anti-venom has been given approval for sale by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority it will be stocked by vets around the country.

George Lovrecz from CSIRO's manufacturing team says the new process is much more effective than those currently on the market because it is distilled and concentrated to create a pure, fully-tested anti-venom which is ready to be injected into snake-bitten dogs.

"We used the latest technologies to make sure that the anti-venom is not only safe and effective but it's also a lot cheaper to produce compared to existing products," says Lovrecz.

The scientists explain the process:

This article was originally published by Business Insider.