On Saturday, March 20, Barney had an unfortunate run-in with a rattlesnake. We were on a training run and he was trailing the subject wonderfully. We were moving through weeds and grass just tall enough that you couldn’t see through it. Barney and I didn’t see the rattlesnake until after he stepped right on top of it. The snake was about five feet long, and the bite mark showed that his fangs were almost two inches apart. Barney was bitten on the side and front of the back leg, just above the foot. He saved me from stepping on it, as I was just a few feet behind him.

Thankfully I had taken the American Red Cross’s Pet First Aid/CPR course at the local Humane Society a few months ago, where snakebites were discussed. Their handout says:

“If you suspect a bite by a poisonous snake, attempt to identify the snake, but don’t get close enough to get bitten yourself.

• Check pulse, respiration and temperature [Kat says: please see a pet first aid manual for normal ranges for various sized dogs].
• Administer CPR if needed [Kat says: please see a pet first aid manual for proper procedure, or take a pet first aid/CPR course for hands-on instruction, which I found very helpful]
• Check for signs of shock [pale gums, cold and clammy, unconscious . . . ]
• Attempt to keep the animal calm and still. Movement may cause the toxin to spread more quickly.
• Wearing disposable or rubber gloves, gently wash the wound with water and mild soap.
• Do not cut open the wound or attempt to suck out the venom!
• Do not place ice on the area or use a tourniquet.
• Transport immediately to a veterinary hospital for treatment. Time is of the essence in treating venomous snakebites.”

If the bite occurred on a limb, and if you cannot get the animal to a vet within 30 minutes, then it is okay to put a pressure bandage (not a tourniquet) around the leg above, not over, the bite and then transport. It should be loose enough that you can slip a finger under it. Time is critical – antivenin should be administered as soon as possible, as the venom immediately begins destroying tissue, which process continues for quite some time. This results in an area of tissue that looks like it’s been charred (it turns black because it’s dying), which then becomes very bloody as the skin sloughs off. Serious swelling also occurs. In this case, Barney’s foot to his hip are severely swollen. It is also a very painful injury; sedatives, painkillers, antihistamines, antibiotics and IV fluids are necessary.

Should you choose not to have the vet administer the antivenin, be sure to ask them the consequences of that decision. Per the ER vet, loss of limb (if a limb bite), system shutdown (the venom affects the whole body), even cardiac arrest can result. Snake bites are serious. The antivenin is very expensive (in Barney’s case, $470; $575 at another ER clinic in town). But, weigh that against the cost of ongoing vet care due to system damage, as well as dealing with the necrosis of tissue and possible surgery later to close the wound (which can include skin grafts). Do know that sometimes an animal can have an anaphylactic reaction to the antivenin, so be sure to ask about pros and cons of this treatment. Also, once they’ve received antivenin, the risk is substantially higher that they will have a reaction to it if administered for a second bite. However, it is thought that dogs retain some degree of immunity to future snake bites, meaning the body’s reaction and tissue damage may not be as severe.

For a few sites which talk about venomous snakes in the U.S. and worldwide, see:
http://www.barefootbushman.com/venoms.htm
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1134/6_109/63290990/p1/article.jhtml
http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/mar/stories/rattlesin.html  Information at the end of this article regarding what to do and not to do when a bite occurs.

3/23: I was able to bring Barney home late Sunday night. Now, Tuesday evening, the area of dying tissue is about 3”x5” and will enlarge for a while as the skin sloughs off. We have weeks of wound care and rehab ahead of us including daily hydrotherapy. The wound was bleeding a lot (bandages had to be changed every 2-4 hours), but that’s slowed down today as a result of using deep sea mineral salts in bath water to soak his leg in, and active hydrotherapy (using a hand-held showerhead). Infection is a serious concern. He has to be walked on leash and have his activities restricted to avoid further damage to the leg and the wound. Which isn’t a problem right now because walking causes great pain. I estimate he won’t be able to train for 4-6 weeks, maybe longer. If the wound does not heal and close properly, skin grafts will be necessary. Tonight he’s wimpering from pain; unfortunately the medication is as strong as possible. All I can do is offer Reiki energy and Bach flower essences to him as additional soothing and healing. It’s very hard to watch him struggle with the effects of this ordeal.

4/03: Barney is back to his normal playful self! Keeping him quiet and moving slowly in the back yard is a challenge, but it’s so great to see him lively and peppy again. The first week he did nothing but sleep in between hydro sessions; it was awful to see him so sick. Brought back memories of working on him when he first came to me 2 years ago so ill with hookworms, anemia and pneumonia. He is such a trooper – I don’t think anything can keep him down for long. He gets in the tub voluntarily 3x/day! The “soak-n-splash” sessions really seem to soothe the tissues. The deep sea mineral salts are wonderful for this, they’re not as harsh as Epsom salts.

It’s been two weeks since Barney’s rattlesnake bite, and it’s going to be a long road to recovery. We saw the vet yesterday; he’s very pleased with how the wound is healing. The wound itself is 5x6” (between foot and hock; I actually measured it!) with some tissue damage above the hock as well. The leg is still swollen (tissue damage up to mid-thigh) about 3x normal size. The wound is filling in nicely; the next step is to continue hydroing it 3x/day and work on minimizing any scarring. A horse products company has donated two wound care products that should help with that. The vet says it will be 3-4 weeks yet before this wound is fully healed over, and that a wound this severe can take 2-3 months to fully repair. Hopefully skin grafts won’t be necessary (which would happen only if the skin doesn’t regenerate). He will not be able to resume his SAR work for another 4-6 weeks.

Barney and I send big thank you's to those who have generously offered support, encouragement, love and healing energy to Barney. I know it has made a difference in both his overall recovery and in how this wound is healing. I am deeply touched by how much you have been there for us.

8/01: It took 8 weeks for Barney's snakebite wound to heal. Finally, we started back into SAR training July 1 and Barney is doing very well! We are working on more difficult trailing scenarios (including buildings, schools, parks and other areas where the area has been contaminated by the scent of other animals and people), and are training 2-3 times a week.

10/01: Well, Barney's snakebite has healed as well as it will, and the tissue is very very delicate. The spot where the one fang entered tends to ulcerate from time to time and it takes several weeks to heal each time. Frustrating, but I'm happy to say that it could have been worse (skin graphs, or loss of limb). If all I have to do is bandage the ulcerated area for periods of time, I can live with that!

2005 For a variety of reasons, Barney and I retired from Search and Rescue training. It was a fabulous experience in so many ways.  The dedication and devotion of my teammates and their dogs, and that of others I met through seminars and courses, to the service work they do was inspiring. Support your local Search and Rescue team by asking what they need (such as people to lay trails and hide for the dogs, there's always a need for that). Your help and donations would be gratefully accepted!