RATTLESNAKE BIT MY BRITTANY!! UPDATE! SHE'S ok

[daisychick]

Here it is http://rattlesnakevaccinefordogs.com/faqs.html

The F.A.Q. section has lots of good info.

My dad got all of his outside dogs vaccinated the other day and so far no bad reactions or anything.


edited to add:
Oops sorry I didn't see the P.M. part. Sorry to hijack your thread. I will keep the link here in case they offer the vaccine where DonnaBelle lives. It might be a good idea for her bird dogs.

 

[daisychick]

edited because I was trying not to hijack the thread.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

http://www.redrockbiologics.com/

 

[DonnaBelle]

Please hijack all you want. Dr. G. told me today he's had a lot of snake bites in dogs this year in Oklahoma. Something to do with the weather perhaps?

I stopped by my Dr. today also, had a chest congestion again. I told him about Bonnie and he said he's had 3 snake bite patients this year so far. Two copperheads and one rattlesnake bite.

He said this is the first year he's had any in a while, the rattlesnake bite was a pigmy. A lady was standing by a kids pool outside her house and it was beside it.

We're locking the 5 year old lttle girl that lives here on the ranch up!! That's what really has bothered me. The thought of her getting bitten.

The receptionist at the vet's office said anti venom for a dog is $l,500.00 so most vets don't keep it on hand.

DonnaBelle

 

[daisychick]

Glad to hear she is ok!

 

[redtailgal]

We've had tons of copperhead bites here already, in both people and critters. I think that it's because we had such a mild winter and the snake population is higher than normal.

 

[Nikki]

Glad she's alright!

 

[greybeard]

One of the reasons they don't automatically give anti-venom is shortage and cost--coupled with the real possibility of side effects in the case of copperhead and other pit vipers. Anti-venom runs around $300- $600-$800/vial wholesale acquisition cost, and it takes several vials per treatment. I was told around $500/vial----your results may vary. Total cost to patient (retail) can easily exceed $10,000, especially if the treatment facility does not have the AV readily accessible--shipping will be forwarded to the bite victim or owner if it is an animal. For a pet or livestock, the cost is usually much less, as there isn't the usual hospital costs involved.

I have been advised by 3 different vets to keep a bottle of liquid Benadryl around just in case of snake bite, and to immediately give the animal a big dose of it. In the case of a large dog for instance, I was told to "pour as much down him as you can". It doesn't help the bite itself, but it does help retard and minimize the swelling of muscle tissue and the restrictions regarding blood vessels and respiratory tracts. Most dogs get bitten on the neck, face and nose, which is especially problem causing due to the close proximity to the respiratory system.
Copperhead bites are rarely fatal especially in humans, (I have been bitten by one already), but I gotta tell ya. I have been hit with a helicopter blade, severly burned from bootop to knees on both legs, struck by lightning, and bitten by a copperhead. The snakebite BY FAR, was the worst. The pain is immediate (a split second) and severe-felt like a hot nail was driven thru my toe. Swelling began in about 2 minutes. We left for the ER within 2 minutes of the bite, and within 2 minutes, I had trouble getting my sock off. By the time we had gone the nine miles to town, my leg was swolen to the knee. At the ER, be prepared to do the usual paperwork first, unless you are bitten close to your heart or head. You WILL get a tetanus shot unless you can provide that you have recently had one. I did not recieve the AV, as they didn't have any, and it was not deemed neccessary by the attending physcian. I stayed overnight and went home the next morning after recieving IV fluids, lots of pain meds, and antibiotics by IV. The swelling lasted about 2 weeks total, with my entire leg turning black almost to my hip. My left foot is now one shoe size larger than my right foot and it has been nearly 2 years since the snake bit me.

And another vet's take on animal snakebite victims.
http://www.veterinaryinsider.com/public/When_is_Snakebite_Antivenin_Really_Needed_2.cfm

 

[petmom]

I live in Florida, so we have a lot of moccassins, pygmy rattlers, and some diamondbacks. When I first moved to where I am now, I saw them all the time. I got some free range game chickens and haven't seen any for quite awhile. I don't think the snakes like the chickens scratching around. Hope your dog is OK.

 

[GoatCrazyLady]

I'd be afraid to be outdoors if we had poisonous snakes where I live.