Snakebit Dog, He's OK. Benadryl Worked? Snake Pic WARNING Copperhead!

[Attack Chicken]

Snake isn't to bad

 

[Opa]

As much as I hate shoveling snow, it's better than shoveling snakes.

 

[ranchhand]

Give me the snow any day. I tend to stay calm during the crisis and get the willies later. I am now at willie stage! Every time I open the fridge, my hair stands up.

 

[Country4ever]

I like trying to understand nature/evolution, etc. And it seems like sometimes a certain animal's defenses are really overkill......like poisonous snakes........and poison ivy!
Yes, it lets people know for sure to avoid them, but it seems like overkill to me. any thoughts?
(I guess its not overkill to the organism, if it gets the job done............of making other organisms avoid it).

Ranchhand........be sure to let us know how the vet visit went!

 

[toredano]

This was one of our cats after a snake bite. He made it thru ok ,but sadly, it didnt do anything for his personality.He is still the bottom he was before.He is grumpy as ever

Vet gave him a few shots, meds and a cold rag on his forehead for the swelling.
His head on this pic is after 3 days of him looking like a football.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Quote:
Chickens do not like snakes and they will kill them if the snake is small enough for them to do so and for a larger snake they will attack it until it leaves.

I have first-hand experience that this isn't always true. Eggs and small chicks were disappearing, so I figured a snake was using the henhouse as a supermarket. Went out after dark and found a 4-foot long rat snake winding it's way through the chicken's legs on the roost. Nobody was attacking it (except me)... they just stood up when it approached so it could crawl by.

Non-venomous or not, I do NOT like rat snakes. They kill chickens, and they have a nasty attitude. And they make old ladies like me freak out when we find them in the nestboxes.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.CountryChickens.com, www.PivotalForce.com

I should have mentioned that the chicken behavior I explained earlier is behavior during the daytime, definately not at night. If you are having a problem with rat snakes in the coop than I would predator proof the coop or catch and remove the problem snakes. In this hot weather snakes are on the move early on the morning or late at night when it cools down.

 

[rhodiegal]

Please keep an eye on your dog for the next couple of months!!

Our lab was bit by a Copperhead in the mouth area. His head swelled up and he eventually was fine. About a month after the bite, we noticed his bark was hoarse sounding. Then he started losing weight and was not eating. I took him into the vet and they thought it was a rotten tooth. We put him on antibiotics, and a week later, he still was not back to normal. I noticed he would try to eat, and the food would drop out of his mouth and he would be salivating alot (which did seem like a painful tooth).

We took him back to the vet thinking the antibiotic did not work and they put a camera down his throat. Turns out the snake venom deteriorated the nerves and muscles in his throat and head area and he was not able to eat or swallow even though he wanted to. We had to put him to sleep. I don't want to scare you or anything, but it was a shock for us. I don't know if there is anything that can be done if the situation is caught early or not.

Vet said it does not happen to often - but they have seen it once in a while.

 

[Country4ever]

Yes, the effects seem to be far-reaching and delayed. I'll hope the best for your dog Ranchhand!

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Poor dog! Thankfully, here in IA, at least where I live, we only have timber rattlesnakes, and they are not nearly the problem that other hot snakes are for y'all down south! But Diesel, my pit is allergic to black wasps. He got stung trying to bite one once, and welted up like a pot of bubbling water- raised, half-dollar sized welts all over his entire body

We rushed him to the vet ASAP, and he recieved a shot of epinepherin and steroids. They vet gave us an epi shot to take home and tolod us to give him benadryl, aslo. That was 3 or 4 years ago. Now that we're prepared, he's not been stung again

I wish the best for your hound, please keep us updated

 

[chilling in muscadine]

What happens is when the snake bites it starts the digestion process. This process can cause all kinds of problems for the dog. Depending on how mad the snake is when it bites determins how much venem the snake will inject into its victim. The madder the snake the more venom it will injet.