Snake Skin

Snake Skin

Quick Action Crucial to Saving Lives of Pets Bitten by Poisonous Snakes

When it comes to your pets, autumn is a critical time to be cautious for poisonous snakes.   There is a danger that frisky pets – especially your dogs – will run afoul of toxic serpents anytime  the weather is warm – April to October for most of the United States.

But the same body temperature issues that drive snakes deep into hiding during the winter also affect them in blazing heat, especially in the southwest.  They appear to be most active – and most likely to be squarely in your pet's path – when the weather is more temperate.  Even when nights start to become chilly in the autumn, snakes are active during the day, and love to sun themselves on rocks, logs and in the brush.

Tens of thousands of pets are bitten by snakes every year – the majority by rattlesnakes.  While a pet has a fair chance of surviving a snake bite – especially the larger the animal – snake poisoning is always serious, and can cause severe damage and complications.

It's important for pet owners to be able to recognize the signs of a snake bite, and to take quick action to give their pet the best chance of survival, according to veterinary experts.

Dr. Mina Youssef, a staff veterinarian at Becker Animal Hospital and Pet Resort in San Antonio, said his clinic treats a number of snake bites every year.

The San Antonio region, on the southeastern side of the Texas Hill Country, is one of the areas of the country in which all four types of poisonous snakes in the  United States can be found.  These include rattlesnakes – primarily the Western diamondback, with its distinctive black and white rings on the tail, just above the rattles – copperhead, water moccasin and coral snake.  The first three are pit vipers, named for heat-sensing "pits" between their eyes and mouth.  They generally have thick bodies and broad, triangular heads.  Coral snakes are related to cobras, and although they bite relatively few pets, their venom is much more deadly.

Dogs are most vulnerable to snakes, as they are fascinated by them and are compelled to investigate with paws and muzzle.  Most snakebites on dogs, as a result, are on the face, neck and front legs.  Generally pet owners who aren't present when the pet is bitten first notice limping, drooling or swollen areas.  Signs of snakebite include:

• Rapid swelling at the bite
• Intense pain
• Oozing blood
• Fang marks, although these may be hard to see on some animals
• Drooling
• Panting
• Weakness
• Collapse

Dr. Youssef said most of the bites seen in his San Antonio clinic are from rattlesnakes.

"The first clinical signs we see are swelling and edema of the limb, muzzle," he said, adding that fever, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, lameness and discomfort are common.  Sometimes the pets suffer seizure and death.

But, he said: "Most of the cases that we have seen at Becker Animal Hospital have done greatly under proper treatment and immediate care."

"The first important part of treating these pets is to get the full history on how long ago the incident happened," he said. "Has the patient received any snake venom vaccine? Did anyone see the snake?" 

"Vital signs, age and breed are the second part of identifying the prognosis and the treatment protocol," Youssef said. "Large breeds have much better prognosis than small breeds, and dogs  most likely will respond to treatment better than cats because of the size and stress level."

"Hospitalization, fluid therapy and treatment are the third part of the process.  We usually recommend antivenin injection in the first few hours after the bite," he said. "But some people will decline this injection due to the cost."

Nationally the cost of antivenin – the snake bite vaccine – ranges from $300 to $400,  making this a tough decision for some pet owners.  Many vets don't normally suggest antivenin for less toxic snakes, such as copperheads and water moccasins, saving it mostly for rattlesnakes, which generally account for the most life-threatening situations.

"Broad spectrum antibiotics and fluid therapy varies from one pet to another to address the needs of the body," Youssef said. "Antihistamines and steroids are questionable; some pets will do well on it but it shouldn't be used for all cases."

For best results, he said, he recommends two to three days of hospitalization.  By that time, skin swelling usually goes down.

Rattlesnake venom contains powerful enzymes that begin "digesting" tissues, leading to sometimes-disfiguring sloughing off of skin and loss of pits of flesh, even if the pet survives.

"At Becker Animal Hospital, we highly recommend rattlesnake vaccine to be given," Youssef said. "If any pet has been bitten by a snake, it needs to have immediate veterinary care.  The quicker the care, the better the results."

 

About the Author

Jon Donley is a career journalist and new media specialist, with more than 30 years as a newspaper reporter, editor, columnist and news web developer.  He was founding editor of the web sites affiliated with the San Antonio Express-News and the New Orleans Times-Picayune, as well as the market-leading MardiGras.com.  He has his own web development and media consulting firm, Dawnsinger LLC.  He's involved in animal rescues and raises dairy goats at his farmstead in rural Wilson County, Texas.   Code is poetry.

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