A dog's miraculous recovery from a deadly brown snake bite in central western NSW was 70-year-old Helen Hart's Christmas miracle.
Mrs Hart took her jack russell terrier, Tater, to her daughter's house in Blayney for Christmas day lunch. As they were preparing their meal, they heard Tater yelping.
The family rushed out to find a 1.4-metre brown snake rearing and Tater attacking.
About 15 minutes after the attack, Mrs Hart noticed snake bite symptoms.
They were 18 kilometres out of town, and the town's clinic, Blayney Veterinary Hospital, was closed. Mrs Hart called the emergency number.
Vet Ruth Thompson told her that Tater's chances of survival were very low considering their distance from town and the snake's deadly venom.
"She [Ruth] said, 'It's worth a chance, put the dog in the car and bring him in'," Mrs Hart said.
"Treating snake bite is a regular problem for rural veterinarians," Dr Thompson said.
"We see them almost every week during spring or summer. If they arrive alive, we have a good chance of saving them."
But Tater was almost paralysed when he was dropped at the clinic some 15 minutes later.
Dr Thompson, who was in the middle of a family lunch with her son and husband, rushed the 35 kilometres to town to meet Mrs Hart and Tater.
"It was Christmas day. It was half past 12 - just when you're getting lunch ready," Dr Thompson said.
"I won't tell you how fast I drove because that would be illegal."
After Dr Thompson administered the anti-venom, Tater was taken to the Thompsons house, where they fed him and placed him under their Christmas tree for the night.
"He had some ham for tea on Christmas night," she said.
Amazingly, Tater survived through to the next morning.
"The next morning I went in at 10 and he was just bright as a button," said Mrs Hart. "It was just magic."
She said Tater had been "a really good companion" after she lost her husband six years ago.
"After my husband died I stayed on the land hoping I could manage it, but I couldn't so my daughters suggested I get a dog," she said.
"A lady down the road was selling puppies for $50."
"We grow potatoes for a living, so I named him Tater."
