Copperhead bit my dog in her face

[ultrarunner]

Glad she is on the mend...

It's a scary feeling to know danger lurks around the homestead.

I always worry when the kids come to visit... snakes, poison oak, stepping on an old nail and lately there have been some mountain lion sightings since the wild turkey population is exploding...

 

[dickfoster]

View attachment 486940


Update on Athena.

You can see the swelling in this picture. It's on her left lip. It's much lower then on her right side. Also her throat and chest are swollen, but its not as obvious as her lip.

She slept good last night and is still resting today.

The scab is forming and Karen is keeping the wound clean with GenOne Spray. Karen spoke to Dr. Alexander on the phone this morning, and there is a chance that Athena will have to have surgery to remove the leathery tough surface that forms over the wound. She is drinking water and interested in food, but the only thing she is eating is raw eggs and sliced sandwich meat.

At 97 pounds, she's heavier then she should be because of her knee surgery, so there it's not a big deal if she loses a few pounds.

Glad to hear that she's on the mend.

 

[dickfoster]

Glad she is on the mend...

It's a scary feeling to know danger lurks around the homestead.

I always worry when the kids come to visit... snakes, poison oak, stepping on an old nail and lately there have been some mountain lion sightings since the wild turkey population is exploding...

Wow, same terminology. Must be the neighborhood.

 

[Pettrix]

Out here in the desert southwest they have "Snake Avoidance" classes for dogs.

Unlike a copperhead, a Western Diamondback and definitely a Green Mojave will kill a full sized dog. The Green Mojave is the most venomous snake in the United States as it carries TWO toxins instead of just one like the Diamondback does. The Mojave carries the hemo and neuro toxins. It's been known to take down a full sized horse.

SNAKE AVOIDANCE TRAINING:
The snake avoidance class is basically putting a shock collar on the dog and using a de-fanged Diamondback. As the dog goes to look at the snake, it of course strikes the dog. The snake doesn't know it's missing fangs but it attempts to bite the dog. As it strikes the dog, the trainer shocks the collar on the dog and the dog yelps and runs. They do this a few times until the dog learns that SNAKES = PAIN. It works. The dog will always avoid the snake as its brain assimilates that snakes = pain.

It's negative reinforcement training but it does work. I guess it can be viewed as future positive reinforcement as it can save the dogs life later on.

If the OP's Akita was bitten by a Diamondback or the Mojave, it would be dead today. The Copperhead is the least venomous pit viper snake there is. It has weak venom and doesn't inject a lot when biting a non-food source. The same is not true for other pit vipers like the Diamondback or Mojave. They fully envenomate non-prey and the toxin is really bad.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Snake training is very worthwhile if you have a dog you like.

 

[mapper]

I am really grateful to live in one of the few areas in the continental US that does not have any venomous snakes! I would probably get bit inside of a year if I was to move to an area that had them, I have lived in western Washington all my life and have zero venomous snake instincts.
Eddie, I hope your dog makes a full recovery, we all love our critter kids!

 

[Pettrix]

I am really grateful to live in one of the few areas in the continental US that does not have any venomous snakes! I would probably get bit inside of a year if I was to move to an area that had them, I have lived in western Washington all my life and have zero venomous snake instincts.
Eddie, I hope your dog makes a full recovery, we all love our critter kids!

In Washington state the venomous threat is actually the Brown Recluse, Black Widow or the Hobo Spider.

Spiders :: Washington State Department of Health

Interesting fact: The Black Widow venom is around 15 times more potent than the Diamondback venom. The only silver lining is that the Widow cannot inject a huge amount like the Diamondback can.

 

[orezok]

The other reason that I took my Golden to rattlesnake avoidance training is that when we are out walking in the desert, she alerts US of snakes. I would rather not get bit either.

 

[mapper]

In Washington state the venomous threat is actually the Brown Recluse, Black Widow or the Hobo Spider.

Spiders :: Washington State Department of Health

Interesting fact: The Black Widow venom is around 15 times more potent than the Diamondback venom. The only silver lining is that the Widow cannot inject a huge amount like the Diamondback can.

No black widow spiders on the west side of the cascades, Brown recluse and hobos tend to be found in places people rarely go and cannot strike from a distance like a snake. Anyway I would rather take my chances with spiders, I grew up with them around unlike venomous snakes, I have instincts about spiders. Enough at least to be able to avoid them or deal with them if I have to go where I am likely to encounter them. Takes a bit more than a fly swatter to deal with a rattlesnake.
My mother grew up in Idaho where they do have black widow spiders, she told a great story about finding one that had built a web across the seat of the outhouse at her aunts ranch. Something about a bit of kerosene soaked newspaper, a match and gosh knows how many years worth of Montgomery Wards catalog pages crumbled up and used under the outhouse. It was summer and southern Idaho is pretty dry......

 

[EddieWalker]

We have rattle snakes here, but I've never seen one. The Vets at both the emergency 24 hour clinic and the two vets at our regular vet hospital where both very concerned that it might have been a rattle snake. Their venom is different and dogs do a lot worse when bit by one.

When the guy I get my hay from was in college, he was out in the field and his teacher miss identified a young rattle snakes as a harmless pine snake. He picked it up and it bit him in the meaty area between his forefinger and his thumb. The swelling and pain where almost intimidate. They quickly drove him to the nearest hospital, which was about an hour away, and the doctors there said that the serum is worse then the poison of the bite. They chose not to give him any serum and to let the poison work it's way out of his system. They did give him some other shots, but I forget what he said they where. I'm guessing it's similar to what Athena was given.

He is still sore, but says that every year it's a little less.

I know two people that have been bit my copperheads and it was life and death for them. Both where bit on the foot and they spent several days in the hospital. Another friends son, who I think is 5, was bit last year on the hand by a cotton mouth and he had to be flown to Children's Hospital in Dallas for treatment. He almost lost his life, and then it was close on if he would lose his arm or not.

Dogs bit by rattle snakes is really bad, but copperheads and cotton mouths, not so bad. Humans, it's the other way around.