Saturday, June 9, 2012

Snake Bit Dog

Tuesday morning found me sitting on the porch, drinking a cup of coffee and talking to Lyn's brother from Las Vegas. He was really enjoying the quiet of the country and the serenity of my gardens, so different from life in Las Vegas. I noticed my Lacy dog, Bonnie, sniffing around the back of the shop where Lyn's clothes lines are stretched. She was just walking along with her nose to the ground, probably trailing what ever had walked there last night. Suddenly, she jumped backwards. I knew it had to be a snake and immediately called her to the house. Great dog that she is, she came right to me and I put her in the house. My brother in law and I went to investigate. Being raised east of Austin where we had a an abundance of every kind of snake I spotted the little rattler immediately, it was only about 18" long but coiled up. I was amazed that my brother in law could not see it until I made it move. I stepped on it to hold it down and got Chris to get my camera so I could take pictures. Looking at the pictures I was amazed at how camouflaged it was.

The closer I got it still stayed camoed.

Up close, you can see the patterns made up of blacks, greys and even white that makes it so camoed.


Lyn came over to look at the snake while I was scooping it up to put it in a bucket. She went back to the house and then hollered that my dog wasn't acting right. Up to this point I hadn't thought that Bonnie had been bit. I really couldn't imagine her getting bit as she is so fast. I went to the house and found her sitting in the kitchen, not moving.



 I called her and she didn't move. I went to her and could see the fang holes in her muzzle. I looked at her gums and they were white. Just then she started to shake and I knew it was bad. I scooped her up and headed to the vet. By the time I got there her body was racked with the shakes and I started to worry. I had called ahead to let them know what had happened so my vet, Dr. Lynne Randoll, scooped her out of my arms as I walked in the door. Bonnie ended up having to stay the night and all the next day before she could be released. She still looked horribly swollen but Dr. Lynne assured me that the swelling was much reduced from earlier. She could hardly keep her tongue in her mouth. I really felt sorry for her.

Her head normally looks like this.

Dr. Lynne said she had five other snake bites in the last week so take this as a warning to be on the look out for poisonous snakes in our gardens and yards.
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20 comments:

  1. CatJune 10, 2012 at 12:40 AM

    Oh, your poor Bonnie. I'm so relieved to read that she is okay. So sorry she had to go through so much pain but so happy that she is going to recover. She is a beautiful dog.

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  2. TaborJune 10, 2012 at 5:49 AM

    I see that triangular head and I am terrified. You stepped on it??? You are brave toget so close. Poisonous snakes are bad news. Glad that your dog is going to be OK.

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  3. Linda/patchworkJune 10, 2012 at 10:55 AM

    Glad to hear that Bonnie will be ok.
    There have been a lot of snakes around this year. Mostly here, it has been non-poisonous ones.
    That is scary, though.

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  4. katinaJune 10, 2012 at 11:38 AM

    So glad to hear that B is fine. My boss said his next door neighbor's black lab died from a rattlesnake bite about a month ago (they live in Steiner Ranch). I haven't seen any snakes around the house in a few years, but I did find a hatched reptile egg that was probably about 3/4" in diameter in my garden bed the other day. Which tells me that there's gotta be a snake somewhere.

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  5. LilyJune 10, 2012 at 3:55 PM

    I'm thankful you were able to get Bonnie is alright. We lost a dog due to a snake bit eleven years ago. We lived in Burnet at the time.
    We took our dog Bella to Winter Kennels this morning for snake avoidance training. Well worth the $60.00! They have a location close to Bee Caves, and one in Burnet. Here's the web site http://www.winterkennels.com/

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  6. BobJune 10, 2012 at 10:34 PM

    Tabor, I have absolutely no fear of snakes at all, but I have great respect for what they can do and know what they can't do. I didn't kill the snake but caught it and gave it to a friend to release on a big ranch in west Texas. I have at least 3 different Coral snakes that live around my ponds and that doesn't bother me at all.

    Bonnie didn't attack the snake when she got bit. She was snuffing around my shop when she got bit. I broke her from jumping on snakes using a rat snake.

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  7. Rock rose June 11, 2012 at 5:04 PM

    Poor, poor Bonnie. I am so glad you were around to diagnose the problem. Funny thing about snakes is you never see them until you see them! You must have been wearing stout boots to step on the rattler. I could never have done that with what I wear in the garden. Better keep my hands away from dark secluded places too.

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  8. DesertSnowdropJune 11, 2012 at 9:18 PM

    Oh my gosh. Thank goodness your pup is ok. Just moved here to Texas and I am keeping my eyes open now...

    Thanks for the warning.

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  9. DianaJune 12, 2012 at 8:53 AM

    I'm so glad Bonnie is ok. What a scare that must have been. Good thing you're so observant and got her right to the vet. We do all need to be watchful.

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  10. MeredithJune 16, 2012 at 12:24 PM

    Poor Bonnie! I hope she's home by now and feeling like herself again. The dogs went after something this morning that scurried into the pond rocks -- now you have me thinking I better (carefully) go investigate!

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  11. Pam/DiggingJune 19, 2012 at 12:23 AM

    Poor Bonnie! I'm glad you were with her when it happened so you could get her the help she needed.

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  12. Elgin_houseJune 30, 2012 at 10:22 PM

    Oh, Bob--poor Bonnie! I'm glad she made it, though! I hope she's back to normal soon.

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  13. JeannetteJuly 1, 2012 at 6:54 PM

    Here I am visiting your blog for the first time and reaching past my aversion to snake to check out your gardening ....but then I read your comment about coral snakes and I think....this guy is going to be crazy...

    The first time I was in Texas, many years ago, I was listening to the radio and I heard that a woman somewhere near the vicinity I was in and feeling mightily displaced in at that, had been bit in the ankle by a coral snake while hanging her laundry outside her back door and all the king's horses, medic helicopter etc etc etc couldn't keep her alive past the few seconds she had after that bite.

    So who lives out by your pond? okay I might poke around your blog...but man alive...you might be crazy, right?

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  14. Melbourne CourseairJuly 25, 2012 at 1:41 AM

    Yes, as the weather is warm, snakes are out and about. We deal with snakes daily in our job doing snake handler courses and tell lay people to keep themselves and thier pets away from snakes.
    The cost of medical or veterinary treatment is huge and certainly worth avoiding.
    All the best

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  15. RobertaJuly 25, 2012 at 11:20 PM

    Oh, I can't stand the idea of one of my dogs getting bit by a snake! I work at a local veterinary clinic and have seen a few snake bit dogs come in. I think time is everything but even getting them in quickly doesn't always guarantee they'll survive. I'm glad to read that Bonnie is doing well. Has she ever had the rattlesnake vaccine?

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  16. BobAugust 1, 2012 at 11:59 PM

    Yes Roberta, she has had the vaccine every year of her life but I think it didn't help and may have hurt. After interviewing several vets about it, I find that no one knows whether it does any good or not. I probably won't get it done again.

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  17. bean bags perthAugust 5, 2012 at 3:42 PM

    Its nice to hear that B is okay. Hope she get well completely. Its dangerous to ones life to be bitten by a snake.

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  18. UnknownSeptember 14, 2012 at 2:00 AM

    Poor dog. I'm so thankful that the dog is alright. I'm so relieved. Nice blog by the way. Thanks for sharing. God bless.

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  19. Vicki @ Playin' OutsideOctober 11, 2012 at 8:25 PM

    Glad your girl will be okay. Wish we could protect them from all danger; but when we can't, it's good to have a great vet like yours.

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  20. NellaDecember 4, 2012 at 3:09 AM

    That's so sad, I almoust started to cry! Thank God she survived, could have been much worst!

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