rjsd1
NW Georgia
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Never seen a rattle snake or copper head at our house before but one our dogs was bitten on the face today by a rattler. Vet thinks she will be okay and she is back home with us. The tramadol seems to be letting her rest some now. She has a fever and is on antibiotics. Anyone with experience know what to expect to happen with the wound area?
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kmbernstein
colorado springs, co
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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Poor baby. Yes, we see it numerous times every year come through our internal medicine and emergency departments (I work at a veterinary specialty center). A lot depends on where the venom was injected, how much, and the concentration of the venom. In almost 8 years, I have only seen 1 dog die...venom was injected into an eye. Since the dogs seem to go in nose first to investigate, they usually get hit in the face...fore legs are the next most common place. The skin at the bite sites may slough a little as time goes on, and may scar, but usually, the area just swells, the dog is lethargic and uncomfortable. If the tramadol is not doing a good job of keeping her comfortable, call your vet; there are other options. We usually have anti venin in our clinic. Although it is expensive, it seems to really reduce the time that the dogs are sick, and reduces the time spent in the ICU. Since your pet was able to go home, I am betting she is going to be fine. Just keep an eye on her, keep her warm and as comfortable as possible. May need soft food, as chewing may be uncomfortable for her. Keep her as hydrated as possible. If she is not taking in fluids, she may need subq fluids for a few days to help her through this. Good luck, and keep in touch with your vet on her progress.
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BCSnob
Middletown, MD
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Read about our Sam
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rjsd1
NW Georgia
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Thanks for the replies. Gertie's face is very swollen this morn. and uzing. She did drink some water and eat some boiled chicken so we are hopefull. Going to burn off some woods area around the house saturday (controlled burn)and do a little snake hunting.
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rjsd1
NW Georgia
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Do you think it's okay to continue benadryl while taking the tramadol? It seems to help give her relief more than the pain med.
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nabi
Ont
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I would check with the DVM about giving the two drugs...I am always on the cautious side of things though....
I hope Gertie is feeling better...I can't imagine a dog getting bitten by a rattle snake....the thought alone is just terrorizing to me....
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dturm
Munster, IN
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rjsd1 wrote:Do you think it's okay to continue benadryl while taking the tramadol? It seems to help give her relief more than the pain med.
I use them together frequently with no reactions.
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rjsd1
NW Georgia
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dturm wrote:rjsd1 wrote:Do you think it's okay to continue benadryl while taking the tramadol? It seems to help give her relief more than the pain med.
I use them together frequently with no reactions.
Doug, DVM
Thank you so much. Normaly I would just call my regular vet and ask but he is out of town. He is the only vet in his small practice and takes lots of vacations (deservedly so) instead or retiring. We had to use one of those emergency places instead.
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Wills250psd
walnutcove NC
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my saint bernards use to get bitten by copper heads atleast once per year. Man you talk about swelling there jaws are floppy already but add a snake bite and it really swells up. The first time it happend we went straight to the vet. our vet said its common in our area and it would not kill our dogs as large as they were. Two years ago while cutting firewood I got bite by a copper head between the fingers. It felt like someone injected fire into my hand, as it spread I got the worst headache I ever had. I told my DW I needed to go to the hospital and she said "THE DOG DID NOT DIE YOU WILL BE FINE". Well it turns out after 3 days the headache an swelling went away and my hand started working again. What I learned was if bitten by a deadly snake "dont ask my DW for help" I am pretty sure I could hear her in the office looking for the life insurance policy when I told her I was bitten.LOL True story, wills250psd
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LadyRVer
Florida
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I lost a beagle to a rattlesnake bite. Trying to find a vet in a small town on a Saturday afternoon was not easy. We did not live in that town and our hometown was 65 miles away. His face swelled up, he got 3 strikes in the face.
He lived from about 3 p.m. to midnight. The vet who did come did everything he could, but could not save him. Devastating in more ways than one.
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