Forum Discussion

winnietrey's avatar
winnietrey
Explorer
May 01, 2018

DD's dog bitten by Rattlesnake

DD and Husband, were hiking on the other side of the state, where they have rattlers. We do not, so I am pretty ignorant as to snake bites. The dog is a 9 month old golden, and was bitten on the front leg. Leg is very swollen, but dog will survive.

What I found interesting, And perhaps DR Doug will comment, is this.

I believe it took them probably 90 minutes to get the dog off the trail and to the vet. The Vet chose not to administer anti venom.

Is that because anti venom is a time frame issue? I know they would have gladly paid the 1K, so money was not an issue.

Second question, what percent of dogs will die from a snake bite if not treated?

Last question, bite was 24hrs ago, dog is doing much better, what is the time frame till, a dog is out of the woods so to speak?

Thanks in advance for any wisdom/comments
  • SAR_Tracker's avatar
    SAR_Tracker
    Explorer
    May 01, 2018
    Not sure of the percentages of dogs, but a significant percentage of human/rattlesnake bites are "dry" meaning no venom is injected. Other than the pain of the punctures, and possible infection from the bite wound, no damage is done.

    A vet is the best source of care for the dog.
  • maddog348's avatar
    maddog348
    Explorer
    May 01, 2018
    So sorry your pet was bitten and pray for a good recovery. We often go out in 'rough' country not knowing the snake population. Our 2 little guys got their 'RattleSnake boosters yesterday as a precaution. Interesting as to the proceedure your vet chose. Thank you for sharing. Keep us posted.

    StayWell ~ TakeCare ~ TravelSafe ~ ~~K~~
  • ksg5000's avatar
    ksg5000
    Explorer
    May 01, 2018
    This article might help. As I understand it depending on the location of the bite, size of the dog etc some vets are electing not to use antivenom.
  • dturm's avatar
    dturm
    Moderator
    May 01, 2018
    Sorry, I live and practice in a rattlesnake free zone (or at least very low populations) so I have no experience with treating them or really know the latest protocols.
  • Happytraveler's avatar
    Happytraveler
    Explorer
    May 01, 2018
    So sorry for your dog and hoping for a fully recovery. My sister's dog wasn't so lucky. He was bit by a baby rattler and died 3 hrs. later. They were in Parker, Az. at the time an couldn't get a hold of a vet that night.
  • Ski_Pro_3's avatar
    Ski_Pro_3
    Explorer
    May 01, 2018
    I had a German Shepard/Chow mix dog bit on the front leg, hit a major blood vessel and died within the hour. I was told there was no chance of survival with the well placed bite.

    I had another dog, smaller pug mix given an anti venom shot as a preventative. The shot darn near killed the dog as he was allergic to the stuff. He had an open wound from the shot for 4 months.

    The best bet is to get the dog rattle snake trained. They basically train the dog to fear the scent, sight and sound of the rattler. So far that's been doing the trick. I killed 11 rattlers all within 15' of my house last year and already killed two this year. I average 5 a year for the past 23 years. Yup; we live in rattler country.
  • LadyRVer's avatar
    LadyRVer
    Explorer II
    May 02, 2018
    I lost a Beagle to a rattlesnake bite. Got him on the nose and face swelled up quickly. Finally got a vet on a Saturday afternoon, 3 hours after bitten.
    Was given the antivenom, but my Beagle died about 8 or so hours later.

    We did not live in that area, his own vet was 65 miles away, so had to find a local one who would come in on a Sat. afternoon. No emergency clinics back then.
  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    May 02, 2018
    A lot depends on where bitten...if on the head/neck it is not going to make it. Had a dog that got hit on a paw that swelled up. A year later on the head and he survived unlike other dogs. These were free range farm dogs and 60 years ago and yes we had that many rattle snakes.
  • discovery4us's avatar
    discovery4us
    Explorer
    May 02, 2018
    Had a queensland that got bit on the tail right where it attached to her back side. We did not see it happen but she wouldn't leave the area alone. At first it just appeared to be a hot spot until we shaved some hair and could see the puncture wounds. We ran her to the vet and they gave her a shot to help with the swelling and I believe a shot of steroids but no anti-venom. She was fine after a couple days but had a large hard cyst like mass at the base of her tail the rest of her life.

    I have heard that baby rattlers are more dangerous than adults as they have yet to learn how to control there venom and will inject the full amount.

About Pet Owners

2,081 PostsLatest Activity: Dec 29, 2024