Dog and Copperhead

[TNGW1500SE]

My dog wanted to see what this Copperhead was.

LINK

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Colliehauler - I *tried* to instill snake fear, with Jack and Ike (Cattle dog and my Aussie) by showing them a sluggish Blue Racer I spotted one cool day, so I went into a bunch of drama about how bad it was/"leave it", etc etc. Ike the Aussie looked at me like I was deranged, and walked over and touched it on its tail, to show me it was harmless

Here in Michigan, snakes just aren't something we remember to teach our dogs to leave alone, and most dogs find them "interesting". Which goes back to keeping my idiots on leashes when we leave our state.

[colliehauler]

Had a rescue Collie from TX. She had been bit by a rattle snake before I got her. She hated snakes. We have non- poisonous garden snakes. When she would find a garden snake she would mutilate it.

Sadly Lassie passed earlier this year a month before she turned 16.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

toedtoes wrote:
This is one of the reasons why my dogs are always on a leash when out exploring.

Same here. When in the south, my boy dogs seem to think that Fire Ant mounds would be great to mark....eeeks! They are Michigan dogs - would not recognize the danger of an alligator or snake...

[Pawz4me]

A lady on another board I'm on just got out of the hospital following a copperhead bite. She spent three nights in ICU and two more in the hospital and says she's still in a lot of pain. No telling how long it'll take her to fully recover. That was apparently a very nasty bite. I can't imagine how much worse it would have been for a small child or a dog.

[toedtoes]

This is one of the reasons why my dogs are always on a leash when out exploring. I don't want to hope that my call will get them away in time. The leash makes it easier to get the dog moved fast.

When the snakes come into your yard, it's not so easy, but a vet is usually closer by. When out camping, the closest vet could be an hour or more away.

[LJAZ]

My dogs have all been through snake avoidance training. It does work, but if they don't realize the snake is there they can still get bitten. We also have gotten them the rattlesnake vaccine. It's pretty cheap insurance and minimizes the effects of the venom until you can get them to the vet.

[Greyghost]

For those that frequent the southwest I would highly recommend having your dog attend snake avoidance training. I do my own snake avoidance training and so far it has worked. When my dogs see or smell a snake they stop and bark at it. His could work for other types of snakes but since I am only concerned with rattle snakes, that is my focus.

Google "Snake Avoidance Training" you'll find videos that will give you some idea of what it entails. Having a shock collar can help, but not necessary.

[Happytraveler]

Last week my sister's doxie was bitten by a baby rattler in Parker, Az. They couldn't find a Vet. open after hours. The poor dog died 4hrs. later.

[TNGW1500SE]

Farmerjon wrote:
That was close. I've never thought of wasp spray.
Did the wasp spray kill him?.........

I read about it someplace. It allows you to stay far back from the snake. It sure made him unhappy. Not sure if it would have killed it since I didn't wait for the final result of the spray to kick in. A trusty shovel divided it into two pieces.

I took a stick and opened it's mouth and there were two fangs.

My son got bit by one some years ago. He was in his 30's. I've seen what they can do. I thought the hospital was going to kill him with pain killers. It put him in a wheelchair for months. 26K hospital bill & off work for months. Nasty critter! They say Rattlers are 10 times worse.

[nineoaks2004]

We have more cottonmouth that anything other snakes, we just killed one the other day in the yard, one of my dogs has been bitten twice and got over it in a few days but still pursues them when we go in the swamp behind the house, I carry a sawed off 410 that is mounted on my tractor and carry a pistol on my hip when walking in the swamp. We do have rattlers but very few. an having chickens and geese we naturally get oak snakes (no poison) but
have to watch the chicken house as chickens and eggs will disappear.

[Farmerjon]

That was close. I've never thought of wasp spray.
Did the wasp spray kill him?
we have a constant problems with copper heads. The last several years we have killed 2 or three each year.
I was struck in the calf once but I had tall boots on and it didn't get me. Our Doberman Quincy wasn't so lucky. She was bit in the face and we rushed her to the vet and they gave her a dog version of BENADRYL, steroids and antibiotics for the puncture wound.
Her face swelled up and she felt bad for a couple days. Several weeks later she found another one and was bitten again. This time we treated her at home with the medications that had been sent home with us for the first bite. Her head swelled up this time and she was miserable but again she recovered just fine,
I was right there each time and called her away from the snakes but to late.
It's a horrible thing to see your dog get bit like that and each time the snake died for his actions. I don't think Quincy connected the later pain with the snake. I did show it and other dead copperheads to her and tell her NO and I think she learned to leave them alone.

[LadyRVer]

That was too close for comfort. I lost a Beagle to a diamond back rattler.
That was devastating. Did get him to a vet but he died that night.

[Little_Kopit]

I have been within 3 feet of a copperhead 2x.

First time I heard snake hiss and called for help. My then boyfriend brought a long rod tool, maybe an axe and whacked it.

The second time was walking near a river with rocky shoreline. Again I called for help and this time my then husband threw a rock to make the snake go away from me.

I don't know that I could have thrown with such accuracy had our positions been reversed.

You all did well.

:B

[romore]

I have never seen a Copperhead but have heard they can really ruin a dog's day.