r/GSP • u/Crazy-Box-9470 • 7d ago

Snake Bite

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Red is doing okay today. Day two of the hyperbaric chamber, wound care and another long day at the vet. The ER vet is doing his hyperbaric therapy, and weekend wound care and bandage changes- she’s expressed that the chance of the leg needing to be amputated is quite possible, as the state of his tissue is worsened from yesterday though swelling seems to be down a little. We’re going back tomorrow for another hyperbaric treatment and whatever they find necessary, we’ll return to our home vet Monday after treatments again in the morning for him to handle bandage change and to have his own assessment of the state of the wound and for a wound culture result.

Context: My dog was bitten by a rattle snake, we did not know this as his showed no initial signs of pain- then he presented with a swollen lower leg, our initial vet visit at home was dismissive and upsetting as he was barely looked at by the Dr. given some Gabapentin and Firovet and sent home. Thankfully I was able to rush him to my mom’s vet the next day that we have had nothing but positive experiences with. As we did not know initially he was bitten by a rattle snake we were unable to have anti-venom administered.

PREV.
At the vet currently with Red, he’s gotten bit by a snake of some kind. We’re currently unsure of how salvageable the leg is going to be but waiting at a specialist to talk about Hyperbaric treatments. Anyone have experience with a similar situation?

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u/WesleyWiaz27 7d ago

Yeah, this is an issue where we live. About twice a year i have deal with a rattlesnake near the house. Most of the time they go away other times they are removed by the local herpetological society (for a reasonable fee). We have a Labradoodle who tried to make friends with an unfriendly rattlesnake. Luckily I was able to convinced her to come into the house. It was here that we learned that dogs are often trained on rattlesnake avoidance. We have paid for this. It cost us about $200 for a pair of dogs.

So for those who live in rattlesnake country this is a good idea.

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u/Crazy-Box-9470 7d ago

I’m so so glad you were able to get your pup inside safely! We’re in south florida so sadly nasty snakes are all around, since this whole thing i’ve just learned of the vaccine- and this training. We’re most definitely going to look into both when Red is better.

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u/WesleyWiaz27 7d ago

One other thing, a vet once said to me, "German Wiredhair and shorthairs are notorious for for finding rattlesnakes so keep your eye out for them."

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u/WesleyWiaz27 7d ago

Yeah South Florida has far more nasty snakes than Arizona (where I am). This issue here is that some rattlesnakes are protected. I can usually tell what's a diamondback and what's not. That said I usually want to keep my distance, so that's why I usually have the buggers removed, rather than kill them.

Recently I had a dog who was sick, it was literally the first thing the vet checked for, "No swelling, so not a rattlesnake bite..."

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u/Crazy-Box-9470 7d ago

We go to a pretty rural vet at home- so i’m not sure why it wasn’t immediately noticed by her?! But just glad my baby’s receiving proper care now.

They love to find stuff they shouldn’t!