rattle snake vaccine

[stinkbelly]

We provide the vaccine at the snake avoidance training at my place every year in August. We ran out this year and I didn't get mine. Thanks for the reminder.

[aironeout]

The vaccine is made by Red Rock Labs, and most vets charge about 20.00 for it. You need the initial shot, and then 30 days later you need a 2nd shot or "booster". After that get them annually. I get my tracking dog the shots, and I've had her snake trained 3 times also.
Wayne Lain with "snake breakers" puts on clinics all over Texas, and I highly reccomend getting your dog trained. It's mighty cheap ins. in my book.

Yeppers^^^^^^^^^^.

>E

[Phi Phi Hunter]

our vet doesn't charge 50 bucks, but she gets a booster each year.

[76aggie]

I have two Jack Russell terriers. One is 30 lbs and one is only 12 lbs. Both are fully grown and have had the initial injection along with yearly boosters. Have never had any ill effects on either one. I was concerned with the smaller dog but still no isssues.
I have also had both of these dogs "snakeproofed". The Lone Star German Shorthair Club puts these snake avoidance seminars every summer. I take my dogs back every year for a refresher course. It costs about $60.00 per dog but well worth it. My lease is real rattler country and I have a lot of copperheads at home.

[Artos]

Scout...the dog that died was due for her shot when she got hit...she had been taking it for several years.

My pup Narco got a big lump / reaction at 6mos with his first shot and they refused to give the follow up booster that was due a week or two later.

I Just took him in for his 1yr check up this week & my vet did some research since then and said they are seeing this swelling a lot for the dog's first go round shot. She gave him a booster and wants to give another one in 6mos.

Sadly, snake bites are common for them here & they get dogs with and w/out the vaccine in all the time...some make it and some don't. LOTS of variables when a hound gets hit.

I recommend it but do not believe it is bullet proof protection by any stretch.

[Jerryg]

We have had three dogs get hit by rattlers, the one died had two series of the vaccine. Too many variables, what we gave seen is if they get hit from the back of the ribs back it can be more serious as there are more blood vessels in the back legs. The ones hit in the head normally live. We administer some dexamethaxone, benadryl, and some antibiotic. We also put DMSO topical on the wound and cover.

Jerryg

[TxAg]

Got the vaccine for my little monster. Cost about $25. I need to go get the booster. The first shot didn't faze her.

[Kdub]

Jerry g.
What is the shelf life for dex ? I've heard good things about using it, but never have heard how it will stay good. I guess you keep it refrigerated ?

[agvet2004]

Sadly, snake bites are common for them here & they get dogs with and w/out the vaccine in all the time...some make it and some don't. LOTS of variables when a hound gets hit.

I recommend it but do not believe it is bullet proof protection by any stretch.

Paul is spot on. I recommend it for working dogs, but there are too many variables to say just how effective it is. If it provides extra time to get the dog to a vet, then it is well worth it.

[Brannon74]

Vaccination

A "snake-bite vaccine" may be useful if you're in a part of the country that has lots of venomous snakes. A snake-bite vaccine has been created by Red Rock Biologics. The vaccine has only a conditional license, so far, and there have been no controlled studies for effectiveness of the vaccine, but the vaccine may create protective antibodies that might be useful in neutralizing some of the injected venom.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the vaccine may lessen the severity of signs if a dog is bitten. However, because there is so much variability in signs due to the different volumes of venom injected during bites, it can be difficult to determine if the vaccinated dog was helped by the vaccine or by the fact the snake injected little (or no) venom into the dog.

Red Rock Biologics states that, on average, antibody levels in recently vaccinated dogs are comparable to treatment with three vials of antivenin. If that turns out to be true in clinical practice, then if the vaccinated dog were bitten by a Western Diamondback, the dog would need less antivenin than if he had not been vaccinated.

Even if the dog has been vaccinated, he will still need to be examined by a veterinarian to determine just how much treatment will be necessary.

The vaccine is venom-specific. (It was developed for Western Diamondback envenomation only.)

The vaccine can cause a sterile abscess at the site of injection.

The vaccine is not labeled for use in cats.

[Brannon74]

Treatment

Treatment for pit viper envenomation involves controlling shock, neutralizing the venom, controlling intravascular coagulation, minimizing tissue death, and preventing any secondary infection. Therefore, veterinarians may need to use antivenin, antiinflammatory drugs, antibiotics, fluid therapy, etc.

Antivenin is a commercially produced serum that neutralizes the effects of injected venom. A specific antibody is needed for each type of snake, so knowing what kind of snake bite your pet is critical. Antivenin is extremely expensive, and can have side effects in some individuals.

Prognosis

A significant factor in the outcome of a venomous snake bite is how much venom was injected, but there is no way to determine that amount. If the bite was dry, the animal will survive even though it was not vaccinated, given antivenin, etc. If the bite injected a large amount of venom, even a vaccinated dog given massive post-trauma treatment may not survive.

However, we do know that quick action on the owner's part improves the prognosis. A venomous snake bite is a life-threatening emergency. Irreversible effects from venom begin immediately after the animal is bitten, so speed of treatment is critical. The size of the snake can sometimes indicate how much venom was injected, and the size of the snake relative to that of the pet is significant; pound for pound, smaller animals are more likely to have more problems, because of the "dose of venom" per pound of their bodyweight.

Your veterinarian's knowledge and experience will help her determine the appropriate treatment for your pet. Snake-bite envenomization treatment is complicated and your pet's well being is best served by taking your bitten pet to your veterinarian as soon as possible.

[Brannon74]

Vaccine Safety and Potential Side Effects
How safe is rattlesnake vaccine is safe for pets? It is manufactured by a reputable company. Hygieia Biological Laboratories, which manufactures the rattlesnake vaccine, has specialized in veterinary vaccines since 1991. The vaccine is not sold directly to dog owners; it is only administered through veterinarians.

Every vaccine batch is tested and inspected before being released for sale. The vaccine uses only quality ingredients and is conditionally licensed by the USDA. The vaccine has long since passed the USDA requirements for proving safety and purity of this vaccine.

The vaccine is widely accepted by veterinarians. Over 4,000 veterinary hospitals nationwide have used and recommended the vaccine since 2003. Hundreds of veterinary clinics per year add rattlesnake vaccine to their inventories. The vaccine is also widely accepted by veterinary associations. It was listed in the American Animal Hospital Association 2006 canine vaccination guidelines and noted for presumed efficacy.

Pet insurance companies now encourage the use of Rattlesnake Vaccine for dogs at risk. VPI Pet insurance, the largest pet insurance company in the United States, thinks the vaccine is so important that it covers rattlesnake vaccination costs without deductible in their pet wellness plan. This is an important endorsement of the vaccine because it indicates that rattlesnake vaccine has become a standard of veterinary care and that the advantages of the vaccine are economical as well as medical.

The vaccine has also been widely accepted by dog owners. Over 500,000 doses have been used in over 100,000 dogs since 2003. This is a tested and proven vaccine nationwide.

What are the potential side effects from the vaccine and how can they be treated? Far fewer than one percent of dog owners report any side effects from the vaccine. This rate is far lower than some human vaccines. Most of the time, these side effects are mild and don’t need veterinary treatment.

The most common side effect from the vaccine is a small, temporary, and painless lump at the injection site. This hard lump will usually go away in three or four weeks without any treatment. These lumps are reported at a rate of about one in fifteen hundred.

Sterile abscesses, or soft fluid pockets at the injection sites, occur in about one in 300 injections. These may need some minor veterinary treatment if they become too large. Lancing an otherwise harmless and manageable injection site reaction is more likely to cause problems than resolve them. A hot moist compress, applied 15 minutes at a time several times per day, has been shown to help these injection site reactions resolve more quickly.

There may be a benefit to some side effects: Dogs that have injection site reactions may be responding more vigorously to the vaccine antigen so they may be getting higher antibody titer levels and more protection from the vaccine. If a veterinary clinic is getting a higher than normal rate of injection site reactions they can call Red Rock Biologics and get advice on how to adjust their injection protocol to help minimize these reactions.

Flu-like symptoms are reported in fewer than one in 3,000 vaccinations. These symptoms are so rare that many may be unrelated to vaccine use. Typically these symptoms go away in two or three days without treatment.

Other miscellaneous symptoms are reported in fewer than one in 15,000 injections. Such symptoms are rare, and don’t seem to follow any particular pattern, so many could be totally unrelated to the vaccine use. About one third of these systemic reactions were reported in dogs with a prior medical history of reactions to other vaccines so some dogs just have more problems than other dogs. Anaphylactic reactions (immediate severe allergic reactions) are estimated at fewer than one in 250,000. Though this could happen with any vaccine, as of 2008, Red Rock Biologics had only had one confirmed case and one suspected case of anaphylaxis in the previous five years of use.

A smart dog owner should intelligently weigh the actual risks and benefits of any type of vaccination. While no medicine or medical procedure is 100% free of the risk of potential of side effects, any rattlesnake exposure is extremely dangerous. Even the most rare and and severe of side effects from the vaccine are likely to be a lot easier for a veterinarian to treat than an average rattlesnake bite. Rattlesnake Vaccine appears to be one of the safer canine vaccines on the market.

[ksebesta23]

Scout...the dog that died was due for her shot when she got hit...she had been taking it for several years.

My pup Narco got a big lump / reaction at 6mos with his first shot and they refused to give the follow up booster that was due a week or two later.I Just took him in for his 1yr check up this week & my vet did some research since then and said they are seeing this swelling a lot for the dog's first go round shot. She gave him a booster and wants to give another one in 6mos.

Sadly, snake bites are common for them here & they get dogs with and w/out the vaccine in all the time...some make it and some don't. LOTS of variables when a hound gets hit.

I recommend it but do not believe it is bullet proof protection by any stretch.

I used to work at a clinic that gave this vaccination. It was common for the dogs to get a lump or sterile abcess from the vaccination. It wasn't usually a cause for concern and we told all of our clients to expect it.