# Snake bites



## Skip Morgart (Dec 19, 2008)

I saw in another thread where it was mentioned that many dogs recover just fine with not much fuss...here is a big exception: Warning: this is pretty graphic:

http://www.vkwrottweilers.com/rottweiler-snake-bite-copperhead.htm


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## Dave Martin (Aug 11, 2010)

WOW.. no desire to move to venomous snake country anytime soon, unfortunately I think copperheads can be found virtually everywhere


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Jeez, and I thought Copperhead bites didn't get nasty like that. I've seen mojave rattlesnake bites on horses before and it gets gross like that.

So is that pretty new or has the dog recovered? Are there pictures of the aftermath and scarring?


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## Josh Smith (Jan 14, 2009)

I seriously doubt that was a copperhead bite. I had a 10yo jrt get bit in the face by a copperhead a couple of years ago. I caught and verified the snake was a copperhead and she was swollen up real bad but was given steroids and saline iv and was fine a couple of days later.

a rattlesnake would do that.


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## Brian McQuain (Oct 21, 2009)

I've never seen a Copperhead bite before, but I do see several Western Rattlesnake bites every year, and they do look similiar to that...


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## Ricardo Ashton (Jun 3, 2010)

Damn frickin snakes!!! Poor thing must have been in a lot of pain VKW has some really nice dogs. I hope she made a good recovery.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Wow, I have seen 4 dogs that got bit on the face by copperheads and all they did was swell up a little bit and recovered fine.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

We have prairie rattlesnakes here and all the bites I have seen swell up, get a little nasty, but are mainly treated with anti-inflammatories and IV fluids. OR, the dogs are not treated, sneak off and then return 3 or 4 days later (a lot of dogs do not get vet care around here)....

I keep IV fluids, tubing and IV anti-inflammatories in my jumpkit just in case......and will start that and get to the vet. 

Maybe that dog just had a bad reaction or was super sensitive to the copperhead bite....poor girl....


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I'm guessing not a Copperhead or just a bad reaction. 
I've seen a few dogs get Copperhead bit with nothing more then swelling and they were small (11-14 lb) dogs
As a kid I was bitten on the hand by a small copperhead and kept it to myself because I'd get worse at home. 
Hand swelled a bit and hurt like hell but it only lasted a week or so.


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

The dog got bit at night? And they did not discover it until a day later? I don't see how they could know what snake bit it. Just looking briefly at reptile lists, here could be timber rattlesnake or eastern massasauga in the area too...

Also, the right term is venomous, not poisonous. Poisonous means you get sick if you eat it (like a mushroom), venomous means it has to inject venom into you for you to get sick. You can eat rattlesnake and even drink the venom, without reaction.

eta, just looked again, and dog got bit at night and noticed next morning. Still, no way to be sure.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

They based the copperhead call by saying that was the only poisonous snake in that area. 
That would be somewhat unusual. 
The Massausauga is small but has a really nasty bite.


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