Psa

[chernmax (Premo)]

I'll bet that was the first (and last) Copper Head that puppy ever saw, thus got both curious and bitten!!!

So glad the pup will recover!

[StadEMS3]

I found small Hog Nose snakes by my deck the other day. My first thought was copperheads! My dogs are very curious of that stuff. I relocated the snakes to the woods.

[smilin]

That time of the year. It's getting colder so snakes are out and about sunbathing on the warm roads and decks, trying to get ready for winter hibernation.
Saw a blacksnake in a tree the other day. A small copperhead got very agitated when I diturbed his den and started going after me then scooted. Most snakes just want to be left alone but will defend themselves.
Except the Forum snakes who attack without provocation.
Keep an eye out.

[Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by chernmax

I'll bet that was the first (and last) Copper Head that puppy ever saw, thus got both curious and bitten!!!

You never know. My mom's dog didn't learn and got bitten twice.

[CalvertNewbie]

I know this is going to sound ignorant but please tell me how I'd know if my dog got bitten by a snake. What symptoms would he have? I've only seen 2 snakes in the 2 yrs we've lived here. Both were black & probably about 2 ft long, no idea what type of snake it was. Thankfully, both times my dog was inside. Didn't really see too many snakes up in NY so this is still new to me.

[happyappygirl]

Here is a good site:
Wayne Booth's Dog Training Blogger

Copperheads are NASTY, and do indeed bite, and bite fast. My daughter's Jack Russell was bitten on the face this past Spring, she was on a flexy lead, and walking past the dumpster in her condo parking lot in P/Frederick. The snake narrowly missed my daughter's flip flot shod feet and was between her and the dog, biting her 3 times in succession in the blink of an eye. They are nocturnal coming out at dusk. If your pup was bitten by a copperhead and it made contact and shot venom in, it would most likely NOT be doing well right now. The bitten part would have swollen immensely, and he would be in a LOT of pain. Jilly-Bean had to have her collar cut off her neck so it wouldn't suffocate her. Then the whole side of her face went black, with a good portion sloughing off. She now has only a dime sized divet and jagged scar from where it healed, but it was NASTY. And this was with anti-venom given within a few hours of the actual bite.

Hubby found a nest of newborns (they are live bearers) and their momma last week when moving a pile of rotted wood that was parallel to the foal field, along the path to the barn. UGH. All babies and their momma were scooped up, plopped in coffee cans and put in the deep freezer, and will eventually be stored in formaldehyde and used during Horse Science School next year to show the kids what they look like. The newborns look sort of like baby black snakes they're grey and black checkered but they have shiney emereld green tails. Babies are far more dangerous than adults. They can't measure the venom they produce and shoot everything they have with every bite.

[Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by happyappygirl

Here is a good site:
Wayne Booth's Dog Training Blogger

Copperheads are NASTY, and do indeed bite, and bite fast. My daughter's Jack Russell was bitten on the face this past Spring, she was on a flexy lead, and walking past the dumpster in her condo parking lot in P/Frederick. The snake narrowly missed my daughter's flip flot shod feet and was between her and the dog, biting her 3 times in succession in the blink of an eye. They are nocturnal coming out at dusk. If your pup was bitten by a copperhead and it made contact and shot venom in, it would most likely NOT be doing well right now. The bitten part would have swollen immensely, and he would be in a LOT of pain. Jilly-Bean had to have her collar cut off her neck so it wouldn't suffocate her. Then the whole side of her face went black, with a good portion sloughing off. She now has only a dime sized divet and jagged scar from where it healed, but it was NASTY. And this was with anti-venom given within a few hours of the actual bite.

This is interesting. My mom's dog (greyhound) was bitten on the muzzle first. The vet said anti-venom is hardly ever given to dogs, because it is very pricey (several thousand dollars). He also said bites on the face are not that bad, because there is so much blood flow in that area that it quickly disperses the venom so it's not so concentrated. Mom's dog was on supportive care (fluids, that's all they really can do) until the swelling went down. There was no sloughing of skin and no lasting marks.

The dog was bitten for a second time on the paw, and same deal. Supportive care, no sloughing, no lasting marks.

[CalvertNewbie]

Originally Posted by happyappygirl

Here is a good site:
Wayne Booth's Dog Training Blogger

Copperheads are NASTY, and do indeed bite, and bite fast. My daughter's Jack Russell was bitten on the face this past Spring, she was on a flexy lead, and walking past the dumpster in her condo parking lot in P/Frederick. The snake narrowly missed my daughter's flip flot shod feet and was between her and the dog, biting her 3 times in succession in the blink of an eye. They are nocturnal coming out at dusk. If your pup was bitten by a copperhead and it made contact and shot venom in, it would most likely NOT be doing well right now. The bitten part would have swollen immensely, and he would be in a LOT of pain. Jilly-Bean had to have her collar cut off her neck so it wouldn't suffocate her. Then the whole side of her face went black, with a good portion sloughing off. She now has only a dime sized divet and jagged scar from where it healed, but it was NASTY. And this was with anti-venom given within a few hours of the actual bite.

Hubby found a nest of newborns (they are live bearers) and their momma last week when moving a pile of rotted wood that was parallel to the foal field, along the path to the barn. UGH. All babies and their momma were scooped up, plopped in coffee cans and put in the deep freezer, and will eventually be stored in formaldehyde and used during Horse Science School next year to show the kids what they look like. The newborns look sort of like baby black snakes they're grey and black checkered but they have shiney emereld green tails. Babies are far more dangerous than adults. They can't measure the venom they produce and shoot everything they have with every bite.

Thanks so much. What a horrible ordeal, glad the dog is ok now.

[LadyCoyote]

Holy cow. I'm glad your pup is okay. I need to read up about venemous creatures in these parts. I'm from AZ and we have lots of nasty critters there - rattle snakes and scorpions, to name a few! But, anyway, I'm going to look up the copperhead right now. Thanks for the warning, and I'm so glad your dog is okay! I'd freak out if my pup got tangled up w/ a snake!

Lady Coyote

[happyappygirl]

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

This is interesting. My mom's dog (greyhound) was bitten on the muzzle first. The vet said anti-venom is hardly ever given to dogs, because it is very pricey (several thousand dollars). He also said bites on the face are not that bad, because there is so much blood flow in that area that it quickly disperses the venom so it's not so concentrated. Mom's dog was on supportive care (fluids, that's all they really can do) until the swelling went down. There was no sloughing of skin and no lasting marks.

The dog was bitten for a second time on the paw, and same deal. Supportive care, no sloughing, no lasting marks.

Vet in Prince Frederick, next to Dr Spatz's office. She wanted a guarantee of money up front, the bill was 1100.00. The dog's entire head swelled, down to the collar, and it had to be cut off. She almost strangled on her own collar.
Adult Copperheads can determine how much comes out when they bite, your dog is a lot bigger than a jack russell. The snakes also have much less venom if they've recently used it, and can give a "dry bite" for that reason as well. Your mom's dog either got lucky or the bite wasn't from a copperhead.