60-llb lab mix. Russelville area, at my deer camp. Probably 2-1/2 hrs before I got him back to Huntsville, and he was getting in pretty bad shape. Called my vet to say I was on my way, vet said he didn't have anti-venom and to take him straight to Huntsville Veterinary Specialists and Emergency (HVSE). I did.

Dog was bit under the snout but far enough out that the swelling didn't cut off his breathing (I did have to remove his collar and cut off his flea and tick collar on the ride back to Huntsville). He was in a lot of pain and basically just looked drugged. At HVSE he's been treated with anti-venom, pain meds, anti-nausea drugs, anti-clotting drugs (in case a transfusion is necessary). and I don't know what else. Was told he was worse this morning but that was normal and he's staying another day at HVSE. Very impressed with the staff and facilities, also very impressed with what one bite from a timber rattler can do to a pretty big dog!

He's expected to recover; bill will be around $3500. A bargain for all they are doing, and this dog is worth every penny!

Just throwing out a warning--I sure wasn't expecting this. Y'all be careful out there!

--Dilbert

Been there just 2 months ago. Here’s hopin your pup recovers well.

Fingers crossed for a good outcome.

Keep us posted. I hope he does ok. They’re family.

Dang man.. sure hope he gets better.

Anticipating the first frost.

I spent the last 5 days in the woods prepping and planting plots and did not see a single snake the whole time. That shocked me. Plenty of lizards and turtles, but not a single snake of any species. To be clear, I'm not complaining.

Man I sure hope he's ok, love a good dog.

Anti venom is expensive and overrated I hate to tell you. Glad the dog will be alright but you should have taken him to a country vet and you may have spent $3-400. My 8# wiener dog was bitten by a juvenile and adult timber different times and I spent less than $600 on vet bills. Juvenile bite was on the snout adult right behind the shoulder.

I’ve said it more times than I can remember…but I’ve seen more big poisonous snakes this year than I remember ever.
Hope your pup recovers 100%.

Haven't said it in a while, but I HATE snakes. Hope the pup recovers fully.

It is expensive and its not needed for every snake bite (even rattler bites). But I would of been surprised if his dog would of lived without it. Judging by his description.

Hard to really say though, without witnessing the dogs behavior myself. The last snake bite I had, the vet asked if I wanted antivenom, I declined. The dog lived, but I could tell it wasn't to bad.

Had a friend that spent over 5k on his dog for same thing. A lot of people laughed and criticized him for spending that kind of money on a dog. I told him, I would do the same thing, dogs are more loyal than most people!!

I see a fair amount of snake bites, mostly copperheads. This year, I have seen fewer snakebites than in the past years, for some reason. The few I've lost to snake bites were all bitten by large rattlers. Two had been bitten on front legs a day or two before they made it to me, and didn't have much of a chance. Necrotic tissue and septic. I don't keep antivenin in stock because of it's expense, and I don't see enough cases that warrant it, so it goes out of date and I have to throw it away. Most cases will need multiple vials, and many owners can't afford it. If I see a case that needs it, there's an emergency hospital not too far away that keeps it. I did have one not long ago that came in with a bite to the face, and had previously been bitten twice and received antivenin. All was going well until the dog just went into acute anaphylaxis that didn't respond to any therapy I gave him. First one I had ever seen go into anaphylaxis with a snakebite. Did some literature research and there is potentially an increased risk of anaphylaxis in dogs that had received prior antivenin therapy. There was also a few mentions of dogs administered the rattlesnake "vaccine" and risk of anaphylaxis with envenomation. So it could be necessary to save the life, but may have a risk of complications with future events.

Hope your pup makes a full recovery.

dog snake bites threads are pretty frequent in here. Could you explain some of the things you look for in snake bites. Do things like dogs age, bite location etc matter? I know alot of cases involve dogs bitten by a snake thats never seen. How do you determine treatment. I'm very interested in this, so if there's any links you can post or whatever.I would read them, but some of its gonna go over my head.
I know the best thing is to take them to the vet and I do. I can read dogs body language pretty good, but I can't sit home and watch them all day. So its a personal intrest question, not a medical advice question, if that makes sense. I know you have to be carefull about posting "advice" on the internet.

So I'm in the dark on this one. Is giving the dog large doses of Benadryl frowned on if it's bitten by a snake?
What if they get in a yellow jacket nest?

There are many variables that affect it. Location of bite, size of animal, size of snake, etc. Had a friend in south GA that saw rattlesnake envenomation all the time. She said she lost about 60% despite aggressive therapy and antivenin usage. I couldn't ever figure that out. Where those snakes different somehow (more likely to fully envenomate, more effective venom, etc.)? Each case is different. Seen some come in with a head the size of a basketball, wagging their tail happy as can be. Others very depressed, lethargic, painful. I will usually always run a blood clot test, if the clot times are prolonged they likely need antivenin. I will try to post some links, but most of the literature requires an account to access.

Benadryl is unlikely to hurt, but unlikely to help with a snake bite. I know there's all kinds of home remedies out there people swear by, and that's fine. As for insect stings, benedryl can be very helpful in reducing reactions and swelling. What I reach for in most of those cases is a high potency injectable version. Insect stings are typically what's referred to as Type I, IgE mediated hypersensitivities that cause cells to dump histamine, so antihistamines will help with these reactions. Some animals may not have a reaction to insects, and some may be severe.

So is there really anything we can do in the field immediately after a bite to help??

remove collars and keep them as calm as possible is the only things I know of that may increase survival odds.

The crazy thing is. We run dogs all year round except turkey and bow season. You would think running hogs dogs all summer, snakes would be an issue. But we rarely have problems. Its possible they get bit several times that we don't see. And we'll occasionally lose one in the pen. Its hard to tell if they overheated, took some unseen internal trama from a hog, genetic problem or snake bite. Its been several years since I can remember having an issue with a hunting dog from potential snake bite. Had a house dog get bit 2-3 times last year in my back yard. Though. I let 3 dogs all together in that fenced in area. The intact male was the only one that got bitten, sniffing and pissing on every twig, I guess.

Running 10-30 every weekend from turkey season till now. You would think snake bites would be a serious issue. I don't really understand it.
I'm sure you're like me and understand the money and time invested into a good dog. So its something that greatly concerns me. Its also a subject were there isn't alot of info about.