Rattlesnake Bit My Dog

[Tim_in_IA]

Well, just as I was commenting in the alligator attacts tractor thread that wedidn't have to worry about reptiles in Iowa the worst happens.

As I am doing chores last night I hear a chattering noise and I thought it was the insects in the trees, but it gets curiously louder. I look down and there is a rattlesnake looking right at me chattering away.

I ran back in the house and picked up the 12 gauge and some turkey shells and sent him on to the next world. After that some neighbors were by to see the snake and one of them noticed that one of my dogs faces didn't look right. He is a 6 year old chocolate lab and he had been bit on the face.

There is only 1 hospital in the area that has antivenom and they would not give t up for a dog. My vet says in his 30 years of operation here that he has never seen anything like it.

Anyway, this is somewhat related to tractors as now I have to mow more and clear brush areas to hopefully keep the snakes away. What next!!

I have some pictures but I wont be able to upload them for a few days. Right now we are giving him antibiotics and antiinflammatorys. The vet says at least the initial bite didn't kill him which is good and the prognosis is favorable since he was bit in the face and not in his midesection. He may lose some tissue but we'll keep him on antibiotics till that period is over. It will likely break open and fall off, hopefully he will be okay.

 

[Jimbrown]

My dog was bit on the nose about a year ago he suffered no ill effects, I did however give him the antivenom. It is $450 a whack by the way. My vet said if the bite was more than an hour old he did not reccommend the antivenom. had a cat get bit also inthe head no antivenomand it did just fine on the antibotics.

 

[Thomas]

Speedy recovery wishes for your dog.

Seems lately the wildlife etc.. starting to make a stand against humans.

 

[SkyPup]

Yikes, our Jack Russell terrier got bit right in the eyeball by a diamondback and his eye swelled up the size of a golf ball and had to be enucleated but he survived to live another couple of years. All the venom went into his eye....

 

[TrippleT]

Tim, many years ago in this part of the country there was a farmer, who had hounds that followed him to his farm. They followed as he drove his wagon and team, and they had to go down a mountain that had some large rattlers. They were bitten several times and always seemed to get over it. In those days seems like no one took a dog to the vet, just put things like kerosene on it. OUCH, at any rate with the vets we have these days your dog should be all right. At least I hope so, good luck.

 

[SailorBob]

My cat go bit by a diamonback rattler. That was the day after hurricane Katrina. I suppose the hurricane chased them out of their hiding places. The snake was about 3 feet from my from door. The cat died the next day. There was n o way to get them animal to a vet. We were under curfew and all the roads were closed do to downed power lines and debris. I also dispatched the snake with a shotgun.

 

[Tollster]

My aunt had a couple of dogs that would always get bit by water moccasins, mostly on the snout. They would be lethargic for a douple days, it would swell up almost twice as big as normal. But they always survived. I think the size of the animal helps, they where lab size dogs, mostly mixed hounds.
I wish your dog a speedy recovery, the more people I meet these days, the more respect I have for dogs!

 

[scesnick]

While I hate to hear of any pet being hurt ( especially dogs) it is a good thing it was not you instead of the dog !! I hope he recovers well. Atleast now he knows not to play with the snakes but that is a hard way to learn that lesson./ My Lab learned the porcupine sp? lesson last year.

I know in my state it is a HUGE fine to kill timber rattlers. That is if you get caught. I don't think I know one person who would not kill of of those things.

 

[jinman]

Anyway, this is somewhat related to tractors as now I have to mow more and clear brush areas to hopefully keep the snakes away. What next!!

Tim, sorry to hear about your dog, but he'll hopefully recover soon. I'm not sure mowing and clearing brush will help. I've seen two rattlers at my place. One was out in the open where there is very little grass and the other was about a foot off my driveway, laying in freshly mowed grass. Of course, anything you can do to control rodents will probably be as good a preventative measure as any.

 

[mikim]

In-laws dog was forever getting bit -- copperheads most likely -- he'd swell up real bad and lay around for a few days - but he'd recover each time and they never did anything for him. You'd think he'd learn.