# Danged Copperhead got in my Kennel!



## JuliaH (Sep 5, 2013)

But it went into Salsa's kennel. She is 11 years old and quite the old girl! Still wants to hunt... I am calling the vet in a few, but here are the pictures... along with a healthy picture of her on point...


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## Luckybuck (Sep 5, 2013)

I gather your dog got bit, hope she is ok.


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## JuliaH (Sep 5, 2013)

yes, her lip is swollen, shown in the second picture, but so far she is drinking water okay and does not seem in distress.


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## gsppurist (Sep 5, 2013)

I am glad it was only a copperhead and hopefully she will make a full recovery.  Did she kill the snake?

What is up this Season!!!!.  Hunting season hasn't even opened yet and there are problems with snakes.  Not only did I find a timber rattlesnake in my backyard last week but saw another 4 footer on the road while driving up near Manchester.


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## Luckybuck (Sep 5, 2013)

Hope she recovers, keep a close eye on her for sure.  Good luck.


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## JuliaH (Sep 5, 2013)

She sure did kill that snake. It is pictured in the first picture. I am taking her on to the vet, just to be sure.... 

Some of the dogs were pointing something in the barn the other day while running around, so it might have been the snake. I think this one was about 18 inches long. So far we have not seen any until this one.


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## Wild Turkey (Sep 5, 2013)

copperheads travel in groups, you will see more.
old man told me once to dispose of the dead one way down the road and the others will go there.


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## JuliaH (Sep 5, 2013)

Oh dear....but this is good to know! Thanks for the heads up on these things traveling in groups!

Julia



Wild Turkey said:


> copperheads travel in groups, you will see more.
> old man told me once to dispose of the dead one way down the road and the others will go there.


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## David Parker (Sep 5, 2013)

She's a pretty ole girl.  Tell her to get well soon.


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## C.J. Pearson (Sep 5, 2013)

Prayin for your dog Julia. Let us know how she turns out.


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## JuliaH (Sep 5, 2013)

Her bite is not life threatening according to the vet exam, but my vet is gonna flush her out with fluids and give her some antihistimines. It's more than we MUST do but it gets her back eating and the swelling down quicker. At 11 yrs old, she deserves this... but she ain't a gonna like it much 

Julia


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## ghadarits (Sep 5, 2013)

Old faithful friends deserve us going the extra mile for them. You are doing the right thing by an old friend.


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## JustUs4All (Sep 5, 2013)

Glad to hear she wil be OK.


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## Jim P (Sep 5, 2013)

Sorry to hear this Julia, she looks like a tough girl, sending a prayer for a quick recovery.


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## king killer delete (Sep 5, 2013)

*I sure hope she comes out ok.*

I have killed one already in the woods on one of my deer stands. Copper heads are bad news. Hope your dog will recover. Please let us know how she is.


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## The Original Rooster (Sep 5, 2013)

Glad to hear she's recovering well.


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## GLS (Sep 6, 2013)

Thank goodness it wasn't a rattler.  A buddy killed a rattlesnake that was living under the dog house.  It had bitten his dog, but it survived.  Glad she's on the heal.  Gil


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## JuliaH (Sep 6, 2013)

I am thankful for that too!  And that the blamed copperhead did not decide to visit younger, less experienced dogs!  Salsa is a tough old girl, doing ok and at the vet. I am glad I took her in as the swelling grew some more but she should be home this afternoon 

Thanks to everyone for thoughts and prayers for a grand old dog!

Julia




GLS said:


> Thank goodness it wasn't a rattler.  A buddy killed a rattlesnake that was living under the dog house.  It had bitten his dog, but it survived.  Glad she's on the heal.  Gil


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## L.C (Sep 6, 2013)

Hate to here that miss Julia, you may want to try some old school stuff to keep snakes away from the kennels. They say surfur in the powder form and moth balls crushed around your kennels keeps them away also lime works too. I hope she is going to be ok and I hope to see you soon at the club.


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## GLS (Sep 6, 2013)

Julia, have you considered snake avoidance training for your dogs?
My Abby was trained 2 years ago this coming October.  Last September Dr. Calderwood "refreshed" her and as soon as she whiffed the snake, turned on her pads and exited as fast as she could.  The only thing that stopped her was the 25' lead which went "twang" when she reached the end.  Might not have made a difference in a kennel, but I don't think Abby would attack it.  Gil


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## JuliaH (Sep 6, 2013)

Well, the old girl is home now, not a bit impressed with veterinary care...lol. She literally drug my 200+ hubby into her kennel and scarfed down her dinner (usually eats slowly... a nibbler). Other than looking like her mouth and neck are twice the size they should be on both sides, she is fine 

Julia


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## JuliaH (Sep 6, 2013)

I have thought about it but I am actually glad she killed that copperhead. If that thing had continued to crawl through my kennels and had bitten another dog in a worse way... I would hate to think of the outcome. I have a few youngsters who would not know how to do what Salsa did, and it could have been much worse. 

So, I have mixed feelings. Out in the field, I would be very happy if my dogs knew to stay clear of slithery things. But in the kennel, I would not want the snake to have the advantage of a good dog avoiding it. 

Julia




GLS said:


> Julia, have you considered snake avoidance training for your dogs?
> My Abby was trained 2 years ago this coming October.  Last September Dr. Calderwood "refreshed" her and as soon as she whiffed the snake, turned on her pads and exited as fast as she could.  The only thing that stopped her was the 25' lead which went "twang" when she reached the end.  Might not have made a difference in a kennel, but I don't think Abby would attack it.  Gil


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## JuliaH (Sep 6, 2013)

I have never tried sulphur, but I do use lime (the yucky powdered kind) to keep the odor down on dirt areas. I had not put any out in the last few days and did not know that it would repel snakes, so I will now go out and lime all the areas where they might come in! 

Thank you!

Julia



L.C said:


> Hate to here that miss Julia, you may want to try some old school stuff to keep snakes away from the kennels. They say surfur in the powder form and moth balls crushed around your kennels keeps them away also lime works too. I hope she is going to be ok and I hope to see you soon at the club.


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## eddevelasco (Sep 6, 2013)

Several Benadryl tabs immediately along with antibiotics is what my vets have always recommend. Have had numerous dogs bitten by moccasins and rattlers. Always pumped at least 6 Benadryl tabs never had a problem beyond swelling.


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## Fat Albert (Sep 6, 2013)

Hey Julia... I'm glad to hear Salsa is on the mend. That's scary sure 'nuff! Old timers around here used to say the racket guineas made scared off snakes so they usually kept several around the yard. I don't know if it was true but hey sure could raise a ruckus!


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## Fat Albert (Sep 6, 2013)

Another totally unrelated fact about the guineas was that when dad rung its neck for Sunday dinner it would fly straight up as high as it could before it figured out it was dead! Chickens were not near so exciting to us kids as they only ran round and round before they fell over! Like I said... Totally unrelated.


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## JuliaH (Sep 7, 2013)

Interesting on the benedryl. That was my first thought... but I went on and took her to the vet and glad I did. He did benedryl and antibiotics but also fluids to flush her system... 

FA, this old girl is the great, great aunt to your pup!  Her registered name is FC Saddlesores Chile Pepper, daughter of FC AFC Gabbes High Plains Hurricane and FC AFC Wildfires Brown L Dot Com    Salsa's daughter, FC Royalerun All Bets are Off, Sam's mother, is an ALL AGE champion!

Bets is pictured below. 

Interesting on the guineas.... I know they are loud and interesting birds... a man I worked for long ago had a whole bunch of them.... they were always funny!


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## turkeykirk (Sep 7, 2013)

Seems like a bad year for snake bit dogs. Had two puppies get bit by a copperhead in my yard about 6 weeks ago. Girl across the road had her dog get bit about about 3 weeks ago. Guy next door to her killed a copperhead in his yard about 10 yards from his front door. One thing about it, it sure has made my dogs leery of anything that even looks like a snake!


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## GLS (Sep 7, 2013)

turkeykirk said:


> One thing about it, it sure has made my dogs leery of anything that even looks like a snake!


That's unusual.  Dogs have such short term memory that most don't associate the snake with the misery that starts in 20-30 minutes after the bite.  That's why some dogs have repeat snake bites.  They don't learn.  A quick,powerful jolt from an ECollar is what is needed for dogs to associate snakes with pain.   Last September, I saw about 30 dogs put through snake avoidance training by Dr. Calderwood.   Every dog's reaction to the huge rattlesnake was curiosity rather than aggression.  Only one dog after getting zapped in the presence of the rattler showed interest in the cottonmouth.  He got cured of that pretty fast. 

 As for Benedryl, I carried a turkey baster bulb and liquid Benedryl for getting the liquid into a dog's system faster than a pill.   There are smaller hypodermic (without needle) type liquid delivery systems for dosing liquids into a dog's mouth.  I now use one of those.

I won't use Abby today dove hunting.  The heat and snake population are deterrents.   A buddy hunted a field in SC's low country earlier this week.  Six rattlers were killed in the field.  The snakes came out about 5 pm in search of field rats in the cornfield.  Be careful out there and be safe.  The life you save may be your pooche's. Gil


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## wildman0517 (Sep 7, 2013)

Moth balls around your kennel keep snakes out


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## turkeykirk (Sep 7, 2013)

GLS said:


> That's unusual.  Dogs have such short term memory that most don't associate the snake with the misery that starts in 20-30 minutes after the bite.  That's why some dogs have repeat snake bites.  They don't learn.  A quick,powerful jolt from an ECollar is what is needed for dogs to associate snakes with pain.   Last September, I saw about 30 dogs put through snake avoidance training by Dr. Calderwood.   Every dog's reaction to the huge rattlesnake was curiosity rather than aggression.  Only one dog after getting zapped in the presence of the rattler showed interest in the cottonmouth.  He got cured of that pretty fast.
> 
> As for Benedryl, I carried a turkey baster bulb and liquid Benedryl for getting the liquid into a dog's system faster than a pill.   There are smaller hypodermic (without needle) type liquid delivery systems for dosing liquids into a dog's mouth.  I now use one of those.
> 
> I won't use Abby today dove hunting.  The heat and snake population are deterrents.   A buddy hunted a field in SC's low country earlier this week.  Six rattlers were killed in the field.  The snakes came out about 5 pm in search of field rats in the cornfield.  Be careful out there and be safe.  The life you save may be your pooche's. Gil


I thought the same thing but they don't seem to run up on things like they use to. They seem to notice things such as sticks that have fallen in the yard, etc. Don't really know why but it's what I have observed.


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## JuliaH (Sep 7, 2013)

What is it that actually attracts the snakes?  They are not like constrictors that look for prey to squeeze and eat.  Could it be small critters like mice or chipmunks?  What is the diet of vipers such as rattlers, copperheads, cottonmouths?  

Maybe if we cure the critters problem, the snakes won't be so interested?  

Just curiosity here folks... but it is sure worth discussion I expect.  Will the home remedies keep the snakes away because we are putting out stuff that repels critters, or does it actually repel the snakes, critters or not?   For instance, what if I have puppies in a nearby kennel  (not saying I do for the moderators). Why would not the snakes be attracted to them instead of a full grown, tough old girl like Salsa?  They cannot eat her.... why did the snake even go into her kennel?  What might it have been after?


Julia


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## turkeykirk (Sep 7, 2013)

JuliaH said:


> What is it that actually attracts the snakes?  They are not like constrictors that look for prey to squeeze and eat.  Could it be small critters like mice or chipmunks?  What is the diet of vipers such as rattlers, copperheads, cottonmouths?
> 
> Maybe if we cure the critters problem, the snakes won't be so interested?
> 
> ...


Don't know about the home remedies. My problem was that I had let the wooded area near my yard grow up because my tractor was tore up. Have since got it fixed and have bush hogged it down to where it is clear of undergrowth. Is your kennel in a yard or woods? In my opinion, the copperheads were just crawling through. The guy down the road from me has his hog dogs staked out in the woods behind his house. Over the years a couple of them have been bitten and an older dog even died. The snakes just happen to crawl through where the dogs are. I have found the best thing is to keep things clean ( no boards laying around, no junk for them to hide under, etc). Copperheads like to hide under woodpiles, etc.Try to make it a habitat that the snakes don't like to be in. Most pit vipers eat small mice, birds, rabbits, etc. Haven't heard of one trying to eat a puppy although anything is possible. Good Luck with your dogs. This seems to have been a really bad year for snakes in peoples yards. One guy on one of the other forums has killed 4 cottonmouths in his yard in the past week!


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## JuliaH (Sep 7, 2013)

Good thoughts   I would never think of a copperhead wanting to eat a puppy, but a lot of dogs will investigate something like a snake (which lends credence to snake avoidance training) and younger dogs or pups probably won't understand to kill that thing before they get a bad bite, or several bites. 

The investigation without doing what Salsa did might get them killed. 

My yard, where the kennels are, stays pretty good, but there is a shed next to this one, and maybe that's where the snake was going after some sort of critter?

We are very wooded, but the kennels closer to the woods don't seem to have this problem (yet).. The kennel by the shed is the one where we found this one.

Julia


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## turkeykirk (Sep 7, 2013)

They always seem to like to hang out around old farm buildings. My uncles were always finding them around the barns, corn shed and storage buildings on my grandmothers farm. When I was young and stayed at my grandmothers, my cousins and I were always care full when turning over things. You never knew when one was hiding under an old slab of wood.


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## JuliaH (Sep 7, 2013)

Well, that makes plenty of sense. The last one we saw was in the hay barn!   We used to have a big king snake that hung out in the barn too, but have not see that one in a long time... he was huge, but we never bothered him


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## turkeykirk (Sep 7, 2013)

King snakes are my favorite. I haven't seen any this year around my place. I know a guy who tries to catch everyone he sees and turns them loose around where he lives. Figures that is a good way to keep the poisonous snake population down around his house!!


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## JuliaH (Sep 7, 2013)

I wish the big guy was still around.... it was always fun to point out that huge snake up in the barn rafters, and we did not have many critters then... but I have not seen it in a couple of years.

Julia


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## L.C (Sep 7, 2013)

Snakes have a great sense of smell and they can be attracted to the smell of puppies and kittens. Thats why surfur and moth balls work. If you find some king snakes and turn the loose around your barn , they will take care of all the cooper heads. We hand serval king snakes around and I watch one take on a copper head. After 30 min the king had the copper half way eaten and was pretty cool to watch.


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## gsppurist (Sep 11, 2013)

Julia how is your dog doing?  I assume the swelling had gone down quite a bit?


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## JuliaH (Sep 11, 2013)

Hi gsp  

She is good now. Swelling all but gone and she is perky as ever! I hope she makes it to 14 or 15   When it cools down some I am gonna take her to the bird field for some fun... she is quite the hunter, but at her age, I don't want to get her too hot or tired 

Julia


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## TheNewOldGuy (Sep 11, 2013)

Now that's a good girl!!!


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