# Pup bit by copperhead



## fishingtiger (Jul 12, 2009)

my 6 month old lab pup stepped on a copperhead down at the chattahoochee today. Got bit right between the toes on her right paw. Started swelling up pretty good but she didnt seem to bothered by it. I took her to the emergency clinic anyway. They are keeping her overnight with an iv drip and some anti inflammatorys. Hopefully she will be ready to come home in the morning.


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## Capt Quirk (Jul 12, 2009)

I really hate hearing these stories, but at least they usually have a happy (If not expensive) ending. I hope your pup does ok.


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## fishingtiger (Jul 12, 2009)

Capt Quirk said:


> I really hate hearing these stories, but at least they usually have a happy (If not expensive) ending. I hope your pup does ok.



She should be ok but expensive is right! Going to run me about $700. Emergency vet clinics usually arent too cheap. oh well...


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## Capt Quirk (Jul 12, 2009)

After all this worry and expense, this dog best not eat your shoes


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## lt kennels (Jul 12, 2009)

*dog bite*



fishingtiger said:


> my 6 month old lab pup stepped on a copperhead down at the chattahoochee today. Got bit right between the toes on her right paw. Started swelling up pretty good but she didnt seem to bothered by it. I took her to the emergency clinic anyway. They are keeping her overnight with an iv drip and some anti inflammatorys. Hopefully she will be ready to come home in the morning.


Put bacon grease on her food for one week after you get her back good luck!


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## Capt Quirk (Jul 12, 2009)

lt kennels said:


> Put bacon grease on her food for one week after you get her back good luck!


Sure... then she'll go out looking for snakes


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## fishingtiger (Jul 12, 2009)

bacon grease on her foot? She would chew right through her flesh if I coated it with bacon grease.


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## shakey gizzard (Jul 12, 2009)

Are you sure it was a copperhead? Hope for the best!


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## boz614 (Jul 13, 2009)

The good news is that (if you're correct in your identification of your snakes), it was a copperhead.  The copperhead (Akistrodon contortrix) has both a low venom yield as well as a low venom toxicity.  Though I cannot recall from my herpetology studies the exact toxicity, I do know it is among the lowest toxicities of snakes in the US and the lowest of all commonly found in our state.  In fact, often the case with human bites, the anti venom can cause more problems than the actual bite.  Dogs are resilient, and though they get themselves into some of the craziest predicaments, we can't help but love them.  Good luck to you, we'll keep you in our thoughts.


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## weathermantrey (Jul 13, 2009)

My friend's pup got bit by a copperhead a few weeks ago on its paw. After a trip to the E-vet and some TLC the pup is fine.  No long term problems...


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## fishingtiger (Jul 13, 2009)

shakey gizzard said:


> Are you sure it was a copperhead? Hope for the best!



Pretty positive it was a copperhead. It was about 18 inches long, had the arrow shaped head with the typical copperhead markings. Got a good look at it before I took a stick and moved it off the trail. 

I picked her up this morning from the clinic and the swelling is all gone and she seems fine. She is a bit lethargic but that is probably from the pain killers. Keep your eyes open. Seems to be a lot of slithery fellas out now.


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## zzweims (Jul 13, 2009)

One of mine was bit two weeks ago on the face.  I immediately shoved four benedryl down her throat, and took off her collar to prevent choking (the swelling around her face and neck was pretty bad).  I called the vet about bringing her in and he said "don't bother.  Wait two hours, give her two more benedryl, then as needed to keep the swelling down."  I've been through snake bites before and it is not fun.  It is extremely painful for the dog, but there is very little a veterinarian can do unless 1) you know the exact species of snake, 2) the vet carries anti-venom (most do not), and 3) you get the dog in immediately.  Even then, there are no guarentees.  All they, or you, can do is treat the symptoms and try to keep the dog hydrated.  Then you wait.  Either the dog will live or it will not.  If the dog was bit by a copperhead, chances are it will survive.  If it was bit by a rattlesnake--and it received a full dose of venom--chances are the dog will die, and usually within an hour or two.  If the dog makes it through the night, then it was most likely a copperhead or *maybe* it received a very low dose from a rattler.

My girl survived and will be fine.  I started her on anti-biotics a day after the bite.  She still has a wee bit of swelling and the puntcures have left a scar, but she's back to swimming and chasing the cat.

Get yourself some benedryl for the future.  It is a lifesaver.


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## bobman (Jul 13, 2009)

zzweims said:


> One of mine was bit two weeks ago on the face.  I immediately shoved four benedryl down her throat, and took off her collar to prevent choking (the swelling around her face and neck was pretty bad).  I called the vet about bringing her in and he said "don't bother.  Wait two hours, give her two more benedryl, then as needed to keep the swelling down."  I've been through snake bites before and it is not fun.  It is extremely painful for the dog, but there is very little a veterinarian can do unless 1) you know the exact species of snake, 2) the vet carries anti-venom (most do not), and 3) you get the dog in immediately.  Even then, there are no guarentees.  All they, or you, can do is treat the symptoms and try to keep the dog hydrated.  Then you wait.  Either the dog will live or it will not.  If the dog was bit by a copperhead, chances are it will survive.  If it was bit by a rattlesnake--and it received a full dose of venom--chances are the dog will die, and usually within an hour or two.  If the dog makes it through the night, then it was most likely a copperhead or *maybe* it received a very low dose from a rattler.
> 
> My girl survived and will be fine.  I started her on anti-biotics a day after the bite.  She still has a wee bit of swelling and the puntcures have left a scar, but she's back to swimming and chasing the cat.
> 
> Get yourself some benedryl for the future.  It is a lifesaver.



thats what I do with copperhead bites and I save all unused antibiotics from my kids mishaps for these events

the upside is the dog is probably snakebroke


rattlesnakes scare me

rattlesnakes are deadly and you should do the same thing you did this weekend if that ever happens give benadryl and rush to the vet

red rock biologic keeps making noise about making a eastern rattlesnake vaccine ....google them


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## hawgrider1200 (Jul 16, 2009)

Fact is, a 18" snake is not fully mature yet. Copperheads and Cottonmouths are first cousins. Until a cottonmouth gets mature they look just like a copperhead. I had a B&T coonhound that was about 6 months old to get bitten by one about that size. A coonhound follows its nose with the nose usually inches from the ground. That dang old snake bit her right in the snout. Her poor little face started swelling almost immediately. $900 later after the antivenom was given and an overnight IV, she recovered very well. The vet said that an immature snake like that will inject all it's venom into anything it hits, a mature snake seeing that it can't eat the very large thing it's fixing to hit maybe injects no venom or just small amounts. Said a little snake is more dangerous because of that.

Good luck with ur pup, hope she pulls through with no harm.


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## TripleXBullies (Jul 16, 2009)

If you know your vet at all, just call and ask them to call in a perscription to Publix. Most antibiotics for things like that are free.



bobman said:


> thats what I do with copperhead bites and I save all unused antibiotics from my kids mishaps for these events
> 
> the upside is the dog is probably snakebroke
> 
> ...


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## 7Mag Hunter (Jul 16, 2009)

Hope your dog is OK....
I had a small (30lb) dog bit right on the end of the nose once
and the vet gave him some kind of injection at the bite area, and
sent him home...He stayed on the carport for about 2 days while
the swelling went down, and finally ate after 3 days...Recovered
fully....The snake was a Copperhead about 2.5 ft long...I killed
it about 5mins after it bit my dog...
I am sure your dog will be OK....


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## fishingtiger (Jul 16, 2009)

it has been 4 days and she is back to 100% now. She was a bit lethargic on Monday but she bounced back pretty well.


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## shakey gizzard (Jul 16, 2009)

Great news!


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## rholton (Jul 17, 2009)

I had a chocolate lab that was bitten on the nose by a snake. We dont know what it was, but the vet checked him out and gave him something like Benedryl. The dog would dig around in the barn and he ended up getting bit about 3 other time, all on the nose. We just gave him large doses of Benedryl. You could actually see the fang marks on his nose almost everytime. His whole head would swell up but he never acted like anything was wrong.


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## Steve Thompson (Jul 17, 2009)

We had a boxer that got bit on the neck. His head and neck got pretty big for a couple of days however he was ok. He quit attacking snakes after that.


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