Dogs and Rattlesnakes

[OK Corgi Rancher]

We got home this afternoon around 1:45. As usual, it was Corg-demonium once we walked in the house and greeted the herd. I noticed little Rooster (our year-old male) had some slight swelling on the left side of his jaw. I thought he'd been stung by a wasp...it's happens a couple times every summer. I checked him out, he didn't seem to be in any kind of distress, so I gave him a Benadryl and kept an eye on him. After about 5 mins the swelling was getting worse and was all the way up by his snout on his upper jaw. I also saw a small blood spot. That's when I started thinking more about a snake bite. I had my wife wash the bite area and check for bite marks.

I grabbed the Judge and went outside to the only place we'd ever seen a snake here...in the rocks along the south side of the house, between the house and the shop. A couple of months ago I found a pygmy rattlesnake in that same area. Sure enough, there he was...in the rocks up against the side of the house. Well you little bast**d, if you're gonna bite my dog you better be wearing your body armor. He wasn't and the .410 round took care of him. I scooped him up and put him in a bag. I took another look in the same area and immediately spotted another. Shot him, too.

Then I started calling around for emergency vets. I happened to catch one in his office on another emergency. We loaded Rooster up and took him down there. The doc started an IV with antivenom and said he'd need to keep him overnight, maybe even two or three depending on how serious it turned out to be.

This is gonna be a really expensive vet visit. I might have to get busy in the Classifieds now.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

Thank you. I'm pretty sure the snakes won't. But I'm not a veterinary doctor...

 

[SoonerP226]

Damn, that sucks. The two Pygmy rattlers I’ve seen met their end because they were in my dog’s domain and she didn’t have enough sense to stay away from them. Hell, on the second one, she kept sticking her paw out like she was daring it to strike. A pair of linemen’s pliers dispatched that one.

 

[XYZ]

I’d never seen a pigmy rattlesnake before we moved to the home we’re in now. I kill a couple every year it seems. Have had couple dogs bit by them since.

 

[SoonerP226]

I’d never seen a pigmy rattlesnake before we moved to the home we’re in now.

I’d never seen one until maybe ten years ago. There was a big wildfire in the Crosstimbers east of Noble and south of Dirtybird that drove them north and west of the lake, deeper into east Norman. A bunch of people suddenly started having encounters with them after that.

 

[RETOKSQUID]

Prayers for Rooster to make a quick recovery.

 

[tynyphil]

Our 80 acre hideout has what seems like a large supply of Pygmy rattlers. I’ve killed about 7 just around the cabin. That has been the most disappointment in our purchase of that property. We don’t bring our dogs out with us and discourage grandkid trips out there except for the winter months. We wear snake boots whenever getting off a clear trail/road

 

[GnometownHero]

Liquid Benadryl syrup is supposed to help

 

[chuter]

Never seen any kind of rattle snake, and I'm fine with that.

Hope your dog pulls thru ok.

 

[tynyphil]

Keep us updated on Roosters progress. Praying for his recovery. Our dogs are family