snake bit dogs survival rate

[Ruark]

You said you gave your dogs "benadryl." What exactly are you talking about? Dosage, etc.?

[JWF]

We had a dachshund get bit in the head when I was a kid, he made it. When I coon hunted all the time I had a bunch get bit, I kept a bottle of dex at my truck and I had some Vaseline type stuff that was a mix of DMSO and something else. An old man gave me the gel and said to rub it on the snake bite right after. I never had any dogs die from snake bites.

[southtexaslayer]

We had a jack russel get but on the Face by a rattler when she was around 12 years old and other than a swollen face and a pretty penny spent on anti venom she survived and is still kicked 2 years later!

[MASTERS]

I had a Jagd terrier growing up that was bitten more times than I could count by copperheads. Always knew what kind of snake it was because she would be terribly swole up in the area of the bite, and the dead snake would be near the steps every time it happened. Like she was showing us what could have gotten us instead of her. A little Benadryl and a shot of antibiotic to keep it from abscessing was all she ever got. Blame us for being country, backwoods, or whatever you want yo call it but my dad would have laughed all the way back home if a vet would have told us $1500 for antivenom, much less $400 to do what could have been done for free as soon as we got home....

[tex4k]

Had several dogs get tagged over the years, most developed a deep hatred for rattlesnakes after, dachshunds up to pits. The last 3 were the only ones ( all 3 were pits) that didn't make it, all 3 were bit inside the mouth. The dachshund was bitten numerous times he turned into a snake huntin' fool.

[stagkiller101]

Hey Travis it wasn't DR Gibson was it by chance? Hey just so you know I take my dogs to UC Animal hospital to see Dr Gates or Proctor. Both of these guys are hunters and good guys to boot. They tell you how it is and are real with you. NO BS.

[stagkiller101]

A little Benadryl and penicillin is what we give our dogs.

[EarleyBird]

I only ever heard of one dog that died from snake bite. I just give em Benadryl.

[TX CHICKEN]

Sorry to hear about this but I amazed at how many of you never heard of a dog dying from a rattlesnake bite. I have quail hunted most of my life and have seen 2 die and know of a few others out the 20 or so I know that have been bit.

[ExtremeHunter80]

They make a vaccine we had our dogs get that weakens the venom from a bite from what they explained. I'd look into that...

[mmoses]

sorry for the loss.

My lacy got bit by a cottonmouth. Took him to the vet. decided not give him anti-venom. Next day he was walking and 2 days later you couldnt tell he was bit. We did some antibiotics and gave him fluid. he killed the snake and got a good bit on the leg.

[Ruark]

thanks for all the responses. i have a strong suspicion that the emergency vet was looking for any way to make some cash. pretty sad. for those who are interested, it is the Emergency Vet Clinic in New Braunfels.

MY suspicions as well. I'm curious what his rationale was for charging SEVERAL HUNDRED dollars for a euthanasia. I've had quite a few dogs put down, and it's never been over $40-$50. There are all kinds of vets out there, some of them are quite bad.

Sorry to see your dog go. I'm sure he lived a good life while he was here, and for that you can be thankful.

[agvet2004]

Sorry for your loss. nobody can fix what has been done. My question is why is antiveniom 10 times cheaper for a dog?

One of the main reasons is going to be the current status of our health care system and insurance companies.

One other is that in dogs, there are a few options available. They are Antivenin Crotalidae polyvalent (ACP) an equine origin whole IgG antivenom produced by Boehringer-Ingelheim, Crofab® Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab (ovine) from Protherics (now BTG), Antivipmyn® equine origin Fab2 pit viper antivenom produced by Instituto Bioclon in Mexico. There is one more from Costa Rica that is not used much.

The only one licensed for human use is Crofab (at least the last time I checked) and it is the most expensive one, $5590 for two vials (I just spoke to a supplier). Human hospitals then mark it up significantly more. It is much more pure and significantly less antigenic resulting in a higher cost.

A bottle of ACP costs us around $450-500; we only mark it up a very small amount, I think $25-50 or so the last time I checked. We actually lose money on it when we use it.