It takes just minutes for the dizzying effects of a venomous snake bite to take effect — but when there are two bites, the fear that takes hold is twice as great.

Farmer Luke Bartlett was walking through his property in Goulburn, NSW, about two weeks ago when he was bitten twice on the foot by a tiger snake, but the symptoms that set in affected him from head to toe.

"I had a numb mouth, tingly lips," he said.

"Later on other symptoms started coming in, vomiting and a lot of pain in my foot."

He went straight to the nearest emergency department, where he quickly became light-headed and the throbbing grew so severe it felt like his foot "was about to explode".

A week of hospital treatment followed, including about 40 blood tests.

Medical staff continued to monitor Luke Bartlett's leg for more than two weeks after the bites. ( Supplied )

Ten days after the bite — and three days after being discharged — nurses were still visiting him at home to administer treatment and monitor the lingering side effects.

"I've got a really bad metallic taste in my mouth that has been there since the bite," he said.

"I get home care from the nurses twice a day, [who] just put antibiotics through the cannula in the arm."

The snake was killed shortly after the incident by Mr Bartlett's brother, and is now kept in a jar by his mother, as a kind of momento.

For Mr Bartlett, no keepsake is necessary — the terrifying ordeal remains a clear memory.

The only comfort is that he will be more aware of his surroundings in future, and more wary of what slithers beneath the undergrowth.

"I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

Canberra snake catcher Luke Dunn says there has been an increase in snake sightings in recent months. ( ABC News: Andrew Kennedy )

We're 'run off our feet': snake catchers

Professional snake catcher Luke Dunn, who is based in north Canberra, said recent hot weather and good breeding conditions could be behind a rise in snake sightings.

He said the number of call-outs per day had doubled compared to the same season in previous years.

"This season, especially through October, we're getting six to 10 or more calls [a day], so we've been pretty much run off our feet," he said.

The best advice he had for people who saw a snake was to keep their distance and stay calm, reiterating that snakes were more scared of people than people were of them.

"Don't make the animal feel threatened at all," he said.

Not just a risk to humans

At one Gungahlin emergency vet clinic, the team has also noticed a spike in the number of owners bringing in pets with suspected snake bites.

Veterinarian Taleta Hompas, who works at the clinic, warned pet owners to stay vigilant.

She said dogs and cats were more likely to approach snakes and could be difficult to control.

Animals are highly vulnerable to snake venom, but could be saved if owners act quickly, she said.

"The prognosis for surviving a snake envenomation is good with anti-venom and prompt treatment," she said.

Warning signs of a snake bite include trembling, weakness, collapse, vomiting and diarrhoea.

But the effects of snake venom can be deceptive.

Dr Hompas said pets who appeared to have recovered from a bite were often still suffering the effects of the venom.

Pets showing signs of apparent recovery after a bite still needed to be seen by a vet, she said.

"The apparent recovery is the one that will often confuse most owners because they think their pet is fine, when in fact it means they've received a lethal dose of venom by the snake," she said.

How to survive a snake bite

The best thing to do after being bitten by a snake is to stay calm and get medical help right away, Dr Hompas said.

It may not be the easiest advice to take, but the best thing to do when confronted with a snake is to stay calm. ( Supplied: Adam Sapiano )

Here are the Royal Flying Doctor Service updated guidelines for treating snake bites: