Do you live in a region where rattlesnakes are a problem? We have a lot of garden snakes but thank goodness nothing venomous. In fact, I'm not sure which snakes in our region would cause problems for the dogs! Our hounds try to eat garden snakes which is a real problem.
In Oklahoma, several puppies were attacked by a rattlesnake. Five Great Dane pups were severely injured and a local veterinarian had the rare injection that saved them! Can you imagine? Should your dog get a rattlesnake vaccine?
Dogs will absolutely get themselves in trouble and are curious about just about everything.
KFOR News interviewed the ICU nursing manager at Neel Veterinary Hospital,
"With swollen faces and legs, the 8 week-old great dane pups are soaking up all of the love and attention they can get after they were bitten. This is a first for me to have five puppies bitten by the same snake. Three of the pups took a bite to the face. The other two were bitten on their legs. It happened in their owner's backyard."
Thank goodness there is a happy ending to this story.
Check out this story reported by KFOR News,
News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |
KFOR News also reported that the vet injected the anti-venom in each pup, something not many veterinary hospitals in that region have yet! It decreases the amount of tissue damage and organ damage and other symptoms that can occur from the venom.
One of the main reasons the vet hospital was prepared is because of the number of snake bites that occurred last summer. Many pet owners are aware this can happen so they know to rush their pets to the vet immediately.
What do you think about a rattlesnake vaccine? If I lived in a region where this happened a lot over the summer I'd consider this without question.
There are so many venomous snakes pet owners need to be concerned about and even a few puncture wounds are enough to kill a dog. These bite wounds are life-threatening and need immediate veterinary care.
Which snakes do you need to be aware of? Water moccasins, copperheads, the coral snake, pit vipers or rattlesnakes are all on the list.
If you can see bite marks and the location of the bite, rinse the wounds with water or a baby wipe to get the venom off the dog's body.
Remember that rattlesnakes are usually are brown or reddish with clear patterns on the back and rattles on the end of the tail. Rattlesnake bites are a problem so get to the vet or emergency clinic right away. Don't try to google the amount of venom that may have an impact!
Staff note: The State of Texas is home to 15 potentially dangerous snake species or subspecies.
What if this happened to your dog? Do you know the types of snakes in your region? Please leave us a comment below!
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