Ask the Vet ??????

What is your opinion of the Rattle Snake vacination vs. Snake breaking.
I mean, i am in AZ and think that once you snake break a dog, they don't want to mess with them. But in your opinion is it worth it to get the snake vacine.
 
I would recommend snake breaking. The vaccine seems to be safe, but there is zero evidence that it helps in any way. We do know from people the incremental dosage of venom given to people can produce effective protection against snake bites and lesson the effects of a bite. The theory behind the vaccine is good but is is just a theory. FDA will never alow a study to be done to prove one way or another. There are so many varribles in snake bites its hard to pedict or know how much venom is passed making cases where dogs that were vaccinated and bit almost useless. Dogs rarly die from snake bites, but alot do get very sick. You can bet though if you have a great dog he is the one that will get bit and die.
 
Thank you for the information.. I was sitting on the fence about giving my new 6mnth old dog the vacine.
I wasn't sure about it because I was thinking about the fact that some snakes are Hymo, and some have Nero toxin venom, and i found it hard to believe that one shot could handle both types effectively.

Is there anything you could share, other than snake breaking that does work in your opinion, and what you would suggest to do in the event of a bite. If there are any home things that we could do? or a type of drug I could order and carry in the truck that might help save the dog.
 
Last edited:
Thank you, I went and read all of them.. There was a large number.
However they didn't address the Dog question.

I know what to do if I get bit. But wanted to know, since i will be out in the middle of no where, what i can buy to carry in the truck for the Dog. If there is something that i can get for the dog if she is bit, to help keep her from dying, i would like to know.
 
Tbone-Dexamethasone and Benadryl. Many will live with or without intervention...but its almost a sure thing your best dog will die if bitten.

Take care.
 
I use mineral spirits. Rub it in to the bite areareal well. After i rub it in i wash the area with dawn dish soap. Try to keep the dog locked up.
 
Sorry I don't get over here that often.

As someone said dexamethasone for post bite tx is great.

There was a retrospective study on dexamethasone vs antivenom and it showed that it was just as effective. Antivenom is very expensive and hard to find at times.

Supportive thearpy like fluids for shock and dexamethasone work in most cases.
 
Brannon

I have a 7 year old male black lab. Today i noticed a dime sized growth of sorts on his nose just behind the nostril. I feels spongy almost. I just don't know if it's a spider bite, bug bite or something serious. There aren't a lot of good vets around these parts. I did not notice this until today. I have taken a picture of it with my iPhone, so i could show some fellow dog owners. My question is should I truck him to the vets or wait a a week or so and see if it gets better.

Mark2
 
I recently picked up a 8 week old catahoula/collie male that I was gonna pair of with my aussie mix. Well i had him a few days and then he died tonight, I gave him his first shot the first day I had him. Yesterday morning he was acting great running around being a puppy, eating, drinking. So I went to sleep since I worked night shift, I woke up around 12 to him being really tired and acting funny. I gave him some more water and food he drank alot of water but not a lot of food. His gums were white as could be, he hadnt thrown up or had diarrhea. Vet ran a test for parvo that came back negative but they still wanted to treat him like parvo so we got some iv bags, pepto and pedialite. We kept him pretty hydrated but the little guy couldnt hardly breath, he was breath fast and hard and eventually died around 730 or 8. Doesnt seem like parvo to me just looking for some help.
 
Back
Top