Snake Bit

[RTII]

Let our Black Lab Jessie out last night to relieve herself. Typically she does her thing and then hangs out on the porch for 1/2 hour or so before asking to come in. Last night she wanted in within 10 minutes. She laid down next to the couch I was sitting on and within minutes I noticed her making a huffing noise. Like she was trying to clear her throat. Looked down and she was foaming through her nose. I'm thinking some kind of poison but know I didn't leave anything within a dogs reach that might do this. As I was monitoring her, her snout swelled up to at least twice it's normal size. All right, time to head to the vet before she becomes more distressed...............

1st question asked was if there was a possibility she could have been bit by a snake. Easy answer (yes). I've killed several poisonouis snakes this year at home. Sure enough the vet found and showed us the fang marks on her nose.

Left her at the vet hospital overnight for treatment and monitoring. Good news is the vet says that typically the dogs will respond well to the treatment and pain meds and will be ready to return home in the morning and be fine in a couple of days. Then of course he threw in the "but sometimes................"

Not much sleep last night but the vet said they would call if things changed for the worse, so no news is good news for now.

 

[westbrooklawn]

Hope all goes well... They are part of the family, and just like babies, it is really hard when they can't tell you what hurts and what happened. Glad you got him to the vet quickly...

 

[RTII]

westbrooklawn, Thanks for the kind thoughts. As you said - Like family. Hopefully she'll be mending at home in a couple of hours

 

[sweettractors]

Glad all is well so far. Hope he makes a full recovery. On a side note: One of my loader guys accidently rolled our Golden Retriever under the rear weight box of the tractor about 3 weeks ago. He did manage to walk to the office and then collapsed. Trembling in pain in his rear. I took him to the vet and luckily he had no internal injuries, just bruised up badly. We got him on pain medication for about 2 weeks and he is doing fine now. A Dog is truly "mans best friend" Ken Sweet

 

[GGB]

RTII/Ken,

Glad the "kids" are doing okay. It's so doggone (pardon the pun!) easy to get attached.

RTII, you really hit a nerve-we have a black lab named Jessie, too. She and her litter mate Janie really add to my wife and my lives. We had one of them (long enough ago now to forget which one) end up at the vet's office once with big time swelling on her nose, mouth and head. Really looked awful, but fortunately no long term issues. Our vet wasn't really sure what caused it, but I wondered if she might have gotten stung by a bee or wasp.

Anyway, as I said on another post, the best unconditional love we get to see in this life....someone once pointed out that Dog is God spelled backwards!

GGB

 

[RTII]

Thanks guys. Jess is back home now laying at my feet. Muzzle is still swollen and will be for a couple of days according to the vet. Poor gal is looking sad and generaly feeling sorry for her self. This time of day she would normally be up and busy, tail wagging and exploring for ways to keep herself busy.

Ken, Glad to hear your golden is doing well and wasn't seriously injured. Had to be a scary time.

GGB, Jessie too has had a swollen muzzle on two occasions. Both times we suspeceted bee/wasp/scorpion/spider or some such. Treated with benadryl (as suggested by vet) and she was fine the next day. This just presented more seriously so immediately took her in. Alls well that ends well!

 

[77transam]

Hate to hear this, hope he makes a full recovery. I'll keep you guys in my prayers.
I couldn't bear it if something happened to my Dixie-girl. She's my best friend and I'd be hard-pressed to find another one like her.

 

[brin]

I had an Irish setter and one night she was running in the pasture and came back to the house and her nose was swollen at least twice it's normal size as you described....I rushed her to the Vet and he gave her a shot and we brought her home and she was fine in a few days...The vet who was ablout 65 yrs. old and had been a vet for over 30 yrs. in the country said she had been bit by a Highland Moccasin and said the same bite would have killed a human because we would have gotten scared and sent the venom surgeing through our bodies but a dog just feels the pain....I think your dog will be just fine....ours was.

 

[sweettractors]

Here is a picture of Jake today after I told him there was a storm coming thru this afternoon. Ken Sweet

 

[DJ4wd]

I am pleased to hear she is doing well. We have a white Shepherd named Katie Bell,and just the thought of something happening to her is enough to make me well up.

 

[mbrule]

Glad she is doing OK!!!

 

[SARG]

Hope your baby makes a full recovery. If something like that occurred to one of mine I'd probably spend the next six months seeking to terminate the poisonous reptile population.

 

[om21braz]

Hope your baby makes a full recovery. If something like that occurred to one of mine I'd probably spend the next six months seeking to terminate the poisonous reptile population.

+1 Glad to hear she's OK!

 

[Storm56]

Great news she is doing well! When we were out west last year we had to take our German Shepard to the vet because of an abdominal infection. They have snake bite shots you can give the dog as a preventative measure that is supposed to be a big help if they get bit. Anyone have any experience on how if they actually work?

 

[RTII]

Thanks again guys for the well wishes.

Ken, That picture of Jake is priceless. Glad he was there to have it taken after his missadventure a few weeks ago.

Storm, I actually asked the (emergency) vet about the shot because my wife had heard of them as well. Apparently they are for rattlesnake bites and are pretty effective for that type of bite. We have an appointment with our regular vet tomorrow and this will be one of the queries I will raise. The assumption though from the vet, was that this bite was from a copperhead due to the symptoms pressented. Size of bite (not coral snake), lack of heavy bleeding (rattlesnake), and other factors. Apparently they see this quite often at this vet hospital. Texas A&M teaching hospital.

Anybody know anything about "de-snaking". A friend from another time and another city used to de-snake his lab every other year. Lab was never bit but otherwise I have no other proof this works or not. It involved letting a dog in with a rattlesnake that has been made safe and shocking the dog with a collar when ever he/she got near. Conflicting thoughts there but might be the lesser of 2 evils. Has anyone here on TBN had any experience with this and what thoughts you might have regarding "de-snaking"

 

[IH3444]

Glad Jess is OK, and recovering well. A friend got bit by a copperhead. He was reaching into his skid steer to check the oil, and got nailed. He's OK, went to the emergency room, and they gave him some antivenom. After he recovered, I couldn't help but ask him if the snake was doing OK after biting him. He smirked....then grinned.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Vets sometimes have a lot more experience with snakebites than physicians. Improperly administered antivenom is just as deadly as snake bites. Makes me wonder if I get bitten, would be better to go to the vet instead of the DR.

 

[GGB]

Ken, I had to laugh at your picture of Jake-it reminds me of one of our "girls" who lets us know when the weather gets serious. She is especially sensitive to pending lightning. When the storms get really bad, she will go to the basement! When we finally decide to join her, she'll often want to bury her head under my arm after getting on my lap.

In their own way on some things, they are much smarter than us mere mortals.

Glad to see Jake is doing well!

GGB