Rattlesnake Vaccine
It's a little late now, but you should consider vaccinating your dog against rattlesnake bites. It's the cheapest way to go. There's a company out of California (Red Rock Biologics) making a rattlesnake vaccine. It's administered by vetrinarians. Call around for pricing, though. I've seen the pricing range all over the board. Some charge for the visit ($20 or $30), then charge for the vaccine ($30 to $50). If you live in Houston, the cheapest place I've found, which coincidenally happened to be one of the closest, was Spencer Animal Hospital in Pasadena (281.476.0066). As I recall, their total price was around $20.
The vaccination is effective against rattlesnakes and I think some coverage for copper heads, but not for water moccasin bites. My pointer got bitten last summer, but he was in the field and I did't get to see what kind of snake it was. I think it was a water moccasin, based on where we were. It cost me about $1000 at the emergency clinic, and the follow up at Spencer was about another $600. The fang holes were about 3/4" apart, and immediately the wounds turned purple like blueberry juice. The emergency clinic gave him rattlesnake antivenom to the tune of about $800 per vial. They said that was all that was in stock in Houston. Spencer kept him for a few more days and kept him loaded up with antibiotics. He got hit in the chest right at his heart, and his whole chest swelled up like a sopapia.
I spent A LOT OF PHONE TIME talking with the gurus at Red Rock during the whole ordeal. The vaccination consists of an initial injection, and a booster after 30 days. During the initial 30 days and before the booster, there is no coverage against the bite. So you want to time it a month before he's going afield. Most vets are under the impression that an annual booster is required, and Red Rock's published data may even support this. However, Red Rock told me that, in areas where there is no hard winter and long hibernation, such as South Texas, they recommend putting your dog on a 6 month rotation. I give my dog a shot at around the first of September. Quail season starts around Halloween, but he likes to retrieve and I sometimes take him with me on dove hunts. Quail season ends at the end of February, but in South Texas we had warm weather last year by mid february and saw plenty of snakes the last 2 weeks of the season, so I try to boost him again at about the first of February.
He's also been snake trained. Cost of that was about $35. He was trained at 15 months, and it was WELL WORTH THE MONEY. He's seen snakes afield, and you know by watching him when he's on a snake. He gets into reverse real fast with his head locked onto the snake. I'm going to give him a refresher on August 18th. If he sees the snake, he knows to stay away. The one that got him last year hit him while he was on a dead run in some flooded grass, and I think he was on it before he ever saw it. If your in Houston, there's spposed to be a snake clinic on August 18 & 19th. The number is 713.412.4957. There's also a guy in Navasota that can do it. He's at 936.894-1905. With all the time ad training i have in my dog, I'm in a "belt and suspenders" frame of mind when it comes to snakes. Less is not best. However, the de-snaking is something I'll probably only do one more time. The pros say that once they learn it real well it satys with them.
Bottom line is that if your dog did't die within the first 24 or 48 hours, he probably won't. Rattlesnake venom is a hemotoxin, which makes the blod clot. I know of one dog that had been vaccinated and took a direct hit in the heart. He died in a few hours. Obvioulsy the further away he was bitten from an artery, such as in the lip, the least he will be affected.
Hope this helps. Good luck with it. If you're a dog lover, it's never easy to see them hurting.
Cap'n
