With spring upon us and the weather starting to warm, I saw my first rattlesnake bite of the season.
Hiking with our dogs is a great way to get some exercise for both dogs and their owners. But dangers lurk on the hiking trails. Snakes are not looking to attack you or your dog and most often strike to defend themselves or to scare away larger predators that find them accidentally or intentionally. The variables for snake bites are many.
Most dogs are bit on the face or neck area because they are curious about the rattling sound coming from under a rock or bush and have to poke around to see what it could be. The front legs are another common area as the dogs are usually barking and jumping at the snake if it is in sight. I have seen very few dogs bitten in the back half of the body but when running across a snake unseen by the dog it has occurred. The closer the bite is to a major artery or vein, the worse the location. Although swelling of the neck can occlude breathing, it is rarely the demise of the dog. It is how close the bite is to the jugular vein that can pose a very dangerous situation. Also a dog bitten in the rear inner thigh near the femoral artery is at great risk.
Size of the dog makes a large difference. Smaller dogs have a faster circulatory system and transfer the venom quite quickly throughout the body.
Size of the snake doesn’t matter. The younger snakes have slightly smaller venom sacks but they also have less control of the release making them not more toxic than adults but equally as toxic if when they bite. An adult rattle snake has more control of their strike and often will do a “dry” strike, injecting no or very little venom into the dog. Their goal is to scare the menacing but unknowing dog away. A snake that has recently eaten also has less venom in the sack to release when they bite the offending dog.
The reaction of the dog also plays an important factor. Just like in bee stings, some dogs are less reactive to the venom than others. But all reactions are generally pretty nasty no matter how immune the dog may be.
A rattle snake vaccine is available through veterinarians. It requires two vaccines a month apart initially and then annually. Recommendations are that you give it at the start of the rattle snake season which would be early spring most of the time. The vaccine has very little reaction issues. Most commonly if a reaction is to occur is a temporary swelling at the injection site. Rarely a sterile abscess occurs that needs to be lanced by your veterinarian. These reactions are so rarely seen or in need of treatment that most veterinarians feel the vaccine reaction ratio is virtually none. For more info about the vaccine you can go to http://rattlesnakevaccinefordogs.com for more information.
If your dog is vaccinated it does not mean that you are free and clear if your dog is bitten by a rattle snake. Treatment should be sought by a veterinarian immediately. I have seen many vaccinated dogs still need anti-venom and treatment. What it does mean is that the recovery period and the lasting effect from the venom is supposed to be lessened. I have some vaccinated dogs recovery in amazingly a short period of time and others take longer. It may again be the difference in the severity of the bite, the location, and the dogs natural response to the vaccine and against the venom.
Another factor for treating snake bite is the variables in giving anti-venom. Anti-venom is best when giving as soon as possible by the veterinary staff. The problem is anti-venom is hard for veterinary hospitals to get as it frequently becomes unavailable for pets, and it is very expensive to the veterinarian and that cost is passed on to the dog owner. Some animal hospitals that rarely see snake bites rely on the pet emergency clinics to keep some on hand and will send you and your pet there for treatment. This may mean your pet goes for several hours before actually receiving treatment. You may want to verify if your veterinarian keeps anti-venom on hand and if they do not where do they recommend you go. So now you are at a veterinary hospital that has the anti-venom but how much should they give. The vet can best determine this by monitoring your pets blood.(another quite expensive procedure) but even they are giving their best guess. It is not uncommon for a human to require up to 4 vials of anti-venom and many more. It is neither practical nor affordable for the average pet owner to give more than 2 vials of ant-venom. It is also important that the anti-venom being used is most effective for the snakes in the area. Unless you are in the Mojave Desert, most veterinarians carry anti-venom to treat all western rattle snakes. But be cautious and ask your vet, as some veterinary hospitals are using a cheaper and more available anti-venom from So. America. The problem with this is that some feel although the results have been good, it does take twice as much and can take longer for recovery.
Fortunately the recovery rate of a treated dog is great. Unfortunately it is pain staking when your dog is the one that does not survive. It is highly recommended that you and your dog enroll in a snake avoidance class. The positive avoidance classes are most helpful and will help you how to distract your dog away from a rattle snake and how to reinforce your dog to avoid them in the future. My dog was very affectively trained in this method and does not require “reminder” training from a professional but just reinforcement from me once a year. I do not recommend the shock method because it can cause displaced aggression, needs frequent “reminder” sessions, and if the dog ever realizes the stock collar is not on when it encounters a snake, beware. They often attack with more intensity and are now more likely to get bit. Plus, unless you have an extreme case with a large bully breed, it just isn’t necessary anymore to resort to training anything with shock.
Snake bite: Recognize snake bite symptoms:
- Local or general swelling
- 2 parallel strike marks
- Bleeding due to bite and anti-coagulation effect of venom.
- Intense pain not just at the site of the bite
- Weak pulses-Low blood pressure
- Dead tissue around the wound
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness
- Renal failure
What to do if you think your pet’s been bitten:
- Remember to stay calm.
- Keep your pet calm, too, by limiting his activity.
- If your pet was bitten on the neck, remove his collar.
- Seek veterinary care for your pet immediately.
- Treatment options such as cold packs, ice, tourniquets, alcohol, bleeding the wound and trying to suck out venom should not be attempted in place of getting your pet to the vet—they may just waste precious time. Tourniquets can actually make the bite worse when the sudden blood flow increases upon releasing the tourniquet.
- Always keep your personal safety in mind and do not try to catch or kill a snake yourself.
- Even if you think a snake is dead, never handle him. Some dead snakes are capable of inflicting a bite by muscle contractions.
Hoping everyone is prepared for the wonderful spring weather and all the fun it contains for you and your dog. Also hoping that your dog will not get bitten by a rattle snake, but if it does come in contact with one this Spring and Summer, I hope you are properly prepared either by avoidance class, vaccination, or emergency care.
For info on Pet CPR & Emergency Care classes please go to www.petalthedog.com
