MamaSheepdog
Well-known member
Chase, my JRT, got bitten by a rattlesnake in his right foreleg yesterday evening. :x Hubs had been weedwhacking, and was working on the neighbor's side of the fence. They have a little "party barn" and we think the snake was under that. The kids found Chase lying by the gate and carried him home.
He was in shock, very cold, eyes glazed- I thought he was a goner. We gave him 3 Benadryl in a a ball of cheese, called my friend who is a large animal vet, who recommended 3cc's of Dexamethasone, which our neighbor has on hand for treating his horses and donkeys in case of snakebite, so I dosed him with that and he improved dramatically- his eyes cleared and he became more aware. We warmed him up with towels and an electric lap throw. Sometime during the night he got up and laid under our bed.
He came out briefly this morning and I carried him to the water bowl where he drank quite a bit of water. The swelling has gone down somewhat on his paw, but his upper leg is still very swollen, and he has edema on his chest now. He made his way back under the bed, and I tried to get him to take 2 more Benadryl, but he wouldn't eat the cheese. I don't want to drag him out and force them down his throat, but I will have to if he doesn't come out on his own soon.
I am going to call the vet back around 8:00- we are going to be putting him on SMZ's, but other than that I am not sure what he will prescribe for him. Poor Chase looks pretty miserable, but at least he made it through the night.
He was in shock, very cold, eyes glazed- I thought he was a goner. We gave him 3 Benadryl in a a ball of cheese, called my friend who is a large animal vet, who recommended 3cc's of Dexamethasone, which our neighbor has on hand for treating his horses and donkeys in case of snakebite, so I dosed him with that and he improved dramatically- his eyes cleared and he became more aware. We warmed him up with towels and an electric lap throw. Sometime during the night he got up and laid under our bed.
He came out briefly this morning and I carried him to the water bowl where he drank quite a bit of water. The swelling has gone down somewhat on his paw, but his upper leg is still very swollen, and he has edema on his chest now. He made his way back under the bed, and I tried to get him to take 2 more Benadryl, but he wouldn't eat the cheese. I don't want to drag him out and force them down his throat, but I will have to if he doesn't come out on his own soon.
I am going to call the vet back around 8:00- we are going to be putting him on SMZ's, but other than that I am not sure what he will prescribe for him. Poor Chase looks pretty miserable, but at least he made it through the night.