As articles become dated, the editors either delete them, or move them to the archives. Looking for an old editorial or news piece: this is the place where you'll find it.
TRnews
editors:
Roger
Irwin
Tim Amsden
Contact
the editors at:
Advisory
Board
Genghis & Sylvia Kahn
Alfred
E. Neuman
Gyllen (aka Junior) and rattlesnakes:
(Posted 7-15-06)Gyllen (a 6 y/o eighty-pound Golden Retriever) hates water but loves chasing lizards. Yesterday morning a Prairie Rattlesnake struck Gyllen on his right cheek. This was not his first encounter as Memorial Day '05 he was struck by a rattlesnake on his left cheek. Before we started building our home in Timberlake Ranch, we took Gyllen and Rosie (6 y/o Wheaton Terrier) to a rattlesnake training in Tucson. Gyllen passed with flying colors and Rosie failed as she was too busy jumping on the instructors seeking their attention. Rosie flushed out a rattlesnake from the wellhead before Memorial Day '05. She got our attention by her different sounding bark. Gyllen was not so lucky and we can only surmise he went after a lizard under a rock and the rattlesnake struck him and had the lizard for lunch.
Even before we came to Timberlake Ranch we consulted with our veterinarian in Tucson about rattlesnake bites. He recommended having benadryl, a broad-spectrum antibiotic and some prednisone on hand. The dosage would depend on the weight of your pet. In our case we were told 100mg of benadryl. Age has a lot to do with a favorable outcome. Gyllen was lucky in both encounters because of his age and he was not struck on the nose or tongue. Had that been the case we might have lost him due to the swelling which could have obstructed air passages and caused suffocation. We keep a 10" piece of ½ inch hose for a breathing tube just in case the airway starts to close. Immediately after recognizing Gyllens' snakebite, we gave him the medication, kept him quiet and called the veterinarian clinic in Gallup. They validated our actions. We were instructed to bring him in ASAP if he started having problems breathing. We did not have to take him on either occasion. He bounced right back and was eating and drinking by that evening. The swelling on his cheek and neck made him appear to have a huge goiter along with a stroke. The third day he started chasing lizards and the swelling was nearly gone.
A friend whose cat was bit on the nose had to administer benadryl rectally because of swollen air passages and it saved their pet. Another friend's dog was struck on the leg by a rattlesnake that was near an outside water dish (during the hot dry season rattlesnakes are attracted to wet and cool areas). He used ice packs on the swollen leg and took the dog to the veterinarian the next day. The veterinarian gave the dog benadryl and made incisions to drain fluid from the swollen leg.
If our pets are not acting like themselves, we check for bites and blood. If we find them, we immediately giving them benadryl, calm them down and call the veterinarian. WE HAVE BEEN STRONGLY ADVISED AGAINST GIVING THEM TYLENOL. We plan to keep some liquid benadryl on hand in the future because it may be faster acting. Consult with your Veterinarian ahead of time. If an emergency happens then you're prepared.
--Danny Montoya