Is a non poisionous snake harmful to a dog?

Answer 1

First, no snake is poisonous. Snakes create and utilize venom.

Poison is an incidental toxic substance that affects the subject when introduced to the body, generally through the skin or gut.

Venom is an intentional protein (in all snakes this holds true but there are a few creatures that must be duck billed platypuses about this) created in a gland for a specific purpose. This purpose is generally hunting or active defense. Rarely is venom utilized in passive defense. This is due to the intentional nature of venom as opposed to the incidental nature of poison.

Large constrictor species can cause serious life threatening injuries on a dog of any size. However, when a snake and dog interact my first fear is for the snake. The dog will naturally pick up the snake and shake it violently. The snake will then attempt to wrap around the dog. The ending is then decided when the snake either successfully chokes the dog or the dog has paralyzed the snake (they usually will not die right away). If it has come to the point that you could not prevent the snake from being paralyzed beheading with a sharp edge (i.e. shovel, machete) is the preferred and most compassionate way to cease its life.

So, in a nutshell yes. Both the snake and the dog pose a very real threat to each other. I personally feel more sympathy for the snake because the dog acts as a pack animal. Meaning the pack leader, (you) has allowed this to occur. When in a pack the group of animals (you are included and have the ability to reason) becomes an abstract entity with "malicious" intent.