# *Update with pics*My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake



## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

We had a rough night with Ruby. My husband took her out for potty at 8:00pm and she was sniffing near our fence. He said she jumped up and ran into the house. When she got in she started shaking and crying and called me to see. I didn't see any bite marks at the time and noticed her breathing was odd so I said let's go to the animal hospital. Once there, one side of her muzzle was all swollen and she had bite marks near lip under her nose. They gave her antivenin and admitted her in ICU. 

We were told worst case scenario is nerve damage or death and depends how well she responded to antivenin. We waited for a call all night and she made it through the night and recovered very fast. She was already discharged and now home with us. She has pain meds and antibiotics for a bit. Her muzzle is still swollen and has swelling on her neck so has a little turkey neck going. 

We still don't know for sure if a venomous snake but this same thing happen to my neighbors Weimaraner about a yr ago. I was always worried that this may happen and always keep a close eye on her in the backyard. I don't let her off the leash when in the backyard at night for potty. My husband learned from his mistake by doing this. She is still a baby, only 15 weeks and doesn't need to be roaming in the dark. 

Anyone else have experience with snake bites?


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## bamcisman (Jan 25, 2010)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

scary! So glad ruby has recovered.


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## MaggieD (Jan 28, 2011)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

Omg thats so scary! So happy she made a fast recovery


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## Chilli monster (Sep 16, 2010)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

poor girl!!! Glad all went ok....


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## BamBam (Feb 14, 2010)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

That must have been very scay for you and Ruby. Glad she has made it through ok!


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## Jinx (Apr 6, 2011)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

Wow! I'm glad everything is going ok. What part of the country do you live in? I don't have to worry about anything EXCEPT rattlesnakes snakes here in Wisconsin. After reading this I'm going to go ahead and snake train my dog.


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

I live in Tampa Florida. I never knew we even had venomous snakes especially in my back yard. Ruby is already getting back to her old self. I will post a picture of her swollen face and bite marks later. 

Is there a way to train your V to not go near snakes? I would love to know because I have no way of snakeproofing the yard 100%.


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## szalpeter (Apr 3, 2011)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

Waoo!Glad ruby has recovered!

Maybe you do not have to train her because it could leave a very bad memory for her so she won't touch or sniff any more snakes!Hopefully


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## Jinx (Apr 6, 2011)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*



RubyRoo said:


> Is there a way to train your V to not go near snakes? I would love to know because I have no way of snakeproofing the yard 100%.


Yes, the way I know of involves a rubber snake or harmless snake, and an electric collar. A lot of the hunters that may encounter snakes use a method like this to "snake proof" their dogs. You should find a few methods using Google. This is one excellent use for e-collars.


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## DixiesMom (Feb 5, 2009)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

So glad that things turned out well for Ruby.

You may try to contact the Tampa Bay Vizsla Club or one of the other V clubs, they usually hold a snake avoidance clinic with experienced trainers and real live snakes that have been defanged or devenomed. Most trainers will not allow this to be done on dogs younger than 1 year.


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## Crazy Kian (Aug 10, 2009)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

Glad Ruby is doing better.
Here are a few links you may find interesting.
http://snake-avoidance.com/

I know there is another one in this blog but cannot find it at the moment. If you use the search function in the blog I am sure you can find it.
http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/

Good luck.


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## labar349 (Oct 14, 2010)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

Sophie just went through snake school on Sunday here in Arizona - it teaches them to stay away from rattlesnakes through sight, smell, and sound. Worth doing and boy did she learn to stay away from a rattlesnake fast - quick learner. You should see if a class is offered. It supposedly will last her for life and can be retested for free if I ever think she has forgotten.


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## Big Rick (Apr 14, 2009)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*



RubyRoo said:


> I live in Tampa Florida. I never knew we even had venomous snakes especially in my back yard.


I was born and raised in Tampa but now live in Apopka. I was bitten by a rattlesnake when I was eight years old but had no ill effects. I'm surprised you never heard of the annual Rattlesnake Festival that's held in San Antonio, FL each year. San Antonio is a small town between Tampa and Dade City.

http://www.rattlesnakefestival.com/


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

Glad Ruby is doing well!


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## Ro-Ro (Aug 30, 2009)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

How frightening. Hoping all turns out okay.


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## JillandDan (Sep 8, 2010)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

I am so sorry to hear this happened to your poor little baby. But glad to hear she is recoving well from it. I hope all turns out okay. So scary!!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

Wow! That's just awful... Hope your little Ruby continues to heal well. Bless her little heart. Very frightening. I hate snakes... can't help it.

The county park where I sometimes take Willie for walks has a lot of Michigan rattlers. They bask in the sun, lying right across the walking trail. When that happens, there is no choice but to turn around and go back the other way. Dogs must be on leash in that park, so there is no running ahead and getting into trouble. Best wishes for Ruby's speedy recovery!


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

*Re: My puppy was bit in the face by a rattlesnake*

Ruby is doing great. Her swelling is gone and just has her puncture wounds that are slowly healing. This is her last day of restricted activity and is already getting back to her crazy self.

The last picture (not my signature one) is from yesterday and you can see how quickly she is healing.


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

Poor little Ruby! I would certainly be worried if that happened! Yesterday I found two snakes while mowing, but both were pretty small. I think one was a garter snake and one a corn snake. If I recall correctly, we have four venomous species of snakes in Illinois (or maybe it's the entire United States) and they are not all that common, so I don't worry too much. After some wiggling I managed to pick them up and move them out of the path of the mower.

So how long til your husband is out of the doghouse


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Ouch! That looks painful, but I am so glad she was treated and came through unscathed. You did great to act so quickly getting her to medical attention. My guess is she won't need to be taught to fear snakes--that's fear learning the real-world way...


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## Jinx (Apr 6, 2011)

Kobi said:


> If I recall correctly, we have four venomous species of snakes in Illinois (or maybe it's the entire United States) and they are not all that common


Wisconsin only has Timber rattlesnakes and the Massasauga or swamp rattlesnake. The first is very rare and the second, exceedingly so. I've only seen one Timber rattler up here my whole life.....wouldn't mind keeping in that way either. I believe you have to get to southern Illinois before you'll find copperheads. The northern water snake we have up here looks a lot like a copperhead though. Come early summer I've got nonvenomous snakes in droves on my property thanks to the rock bluffs and streams.

From a quick google search it seems that, in the U.S. , the naturally occurring venomous snakes are the various species of rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, corral snakes and politicians.


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

Kobi said:


> So how long til your husband is out of the doghouse


LOL - he is officially out of the dog house. He was so upset over this I think he learned his lesson to remember she is still a puppy even though she is so smart


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## RubyRoo (Feb 1, 2011)

Our trainer is coming over on Friday to do another session with Ruby. I mentioned the snake bite to him and he said to try to find a plastic snake and do not show it to her. He wanted to do some work with her on it when he is here. Do you really think using a fake snake will help?


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## MaggieD (Jan 28, 2011)

Wow! I grew up in Tampa and just brought my V there 3 weeks ago, I did not know we had rattlesnakes!


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