Rattlesnake bite experiences?

[MysticOakRanch]

In California, so different type of rattlesnake, but I’ve dealt with a horse, two dogs, and a cat that have all been bitten. Pain meds, anti-inflammatories (steroid and non- ), antibiotics, are standard treatment. It is too late to do anti-venom, nor should it be done unless you are SURE it was a rattlesnake. At this point, swelling isn’t bad, there is no real point to do anti-venom, it is more about reducing acute swelling (for example, our dog’s leg swelled so much, so quickly, there was danger of it splitting open). The cost to do anti-venom on a horse would be - horrific! It is based on animal weight.

I would ask about putting the horse on an oral broad-spectrum antibiotic - I think we used SMZ on my horse. Also used orals on the dogs and cat.

You are out of the danger zone for necrotic skin in about a week to 10 days.

We have a lot of rattlesnakes here in the foothills of Nor-Cal - my vet treats quite a few snake bites, and said most bigger animals survive - they have so much body mass to absorb the venom, it isn’t as deadly as it is with smaller animals or children. The risk is the necrotic tissue. My horse survived with no long term issues at all, whew… Our cat and one dog survived with no issues too, but the other dog didn’t - he had secondary immune system problems as a result of the bite, and made it a few months before we had to put him to sleep.

[cswoodlandfairy]

My horse this summer (in June) got bit in the face by a copperhead. We didn’t realize it until a couple days later when the wound started to seep and drain. We shipped him to my vet and she had to cut away the necrotic part of the skin. She gave me a white powder to use with neosporin to put on the wound and keep it wrapped for a couple days, until it stopped draining and filled in (to keep flys out of it). He was then put on Chloramphenicol for 8 days.

Unfortunately the would cleaned up and healed too fast and he ended up blowing and abscess under his cheek bone and we swapped his antibiotic to Exceed because giving the first was such a pain, and it cause my horse to stop eating his grain.

Overall he healed well. It took about 3 weeks for everything to close up and stop draining. He didnt have any reaction to the bite that made him sick, but it was a pain to keep clean and clear.

Good luck!!!

[rockymouse]

We have friends in the south portion of our county who have lost three horses and a dog to bites from Mojave rattlesnakes in the last three years. One of their horses has been bitten three or four times and survived.

Mojaves are short-tempered little buggers, eager to bite if they are annoyed.

[Amwrider]

I found photos I took of my horse after the snakebite. Just for a reference.

http://s1076.photobucket.com/user/updownupdowntrot/library/?sort=3&page=1

[Ms_Red_Britches]

It probably wouldn’t hurt to give LSU a call and see if they’ll do a remote consult with photos and whatnot. At least then you’ll have an idea of the protocol and prognosis from local-ish experts.

[TheMountainsAreCalli]

We had a Belgian that got bit in the face years ago-- a rattlesnake in the pasture. He swelled up but we were able to keep his airway going, and with anti-inflammatories and pain meds, he shed some skin and healed up over a couple of weeks. His right nostril was permanently droopy forever-more, but he had no further problems. As long as you are able to keep it clean (which it sounds like you have under control!) I bet your horse will recover beautifully! Hopefully with less blood flow in the lower leg, you’ll have less chance of damage. Good job catching it, and good luck for recovery!

[Hampton_Bay]

Thanks for the stories. I’m starting to wonder if maybe we missed something. He was 3 hours late for pain meds tonight and was extremely lame. He had been a bit less lame, but tonight he is bad. Still a good bit of swelling, but no open wound or draining. The second bite is a hair swollen but otherwise seems ok. It’s the one on the heel bulbs that is so bothersome to him.

I will try to get a second opinion this weekend when I can haul him to the horse vet a few hours away. I would hate to think we have been blaming a snake when maybe it’s something else? He clearly has puncture wounds consistent with two bites, but maybe that’s a coincidence? Or is this severe lameness normal?

[snowrider]

That’s what you worry about with infection. I’d call the vet asap.

[js]

You should at least call the vet again or seek an opinion elsewhere. Snakes don’t always inject venom so there is a chance, while he got bit the snake either didn’t inject any venom or very little. Call the vet and if possible take photos of the leg and bites and send to the vet, let them determine what you should do.

As a kid, we had one of our horses bit in the face by a rattlesnake, he was quite sick for awhile and his face was quite swollen but he did recover. Vet had him on IV a couple of times (I have no idea what).

[Hampton_Bay]

I have a message in to the original vet. If I need to take him elsewhere, I will do that. I teach, so my time off school is extremely limited, but if its bad I will take a day if needed.

[bumblesmama]

My TB was bit by most likely a copperhead 4th of July weekend. I went out to feed at 3:30pm, no issues, went out at 7:30pm for evening feed and his leg was swelled from coronet to above his hock and he was HOT, 104F! I called vet right away and first thing he thought was snake bite for it to happen so fast. We do have copperheads in my area but usually you don’t see them. We cold-hosed right away, compression over night but opted not to do that the next day because the swelling was above the hock and not draining. LOTS of IV antibiotics the first week, then oral ABs for 10 days ($$$) :/, banamine IV for fever, cold-hosing frequently and slow, frequent walking to keep circulation in that leg; Previcox for pain. The pressure in the leg was so great, blood serum was oozing through. I rubbed his leg up, including the other three as he was carry so much extra on those, to help with circulation. It was a rough month.

He is doing better but he will stock up a little in that leg if I don’t spread his hay around in very small piles to encourage him to walk often. He has a funky growth ring in his hoof from that injury and funny wear on his other hooves from shuffling along, so monitor that and have farrier trim accordingly.

Also to note, I thought that we weathered risks of founder from that injury but we didn’t, 8 weeks after initial injury he did founder on the front. I thought we were out of the woods and we got through the uneven weight distribution and we didn’t. Working through that now.

Summary: aggressive treatment from day one, ABs for secondary cellulitis plus lots of movement at whatever pace is comfortable to aid in circulation, massage and cold-hosing, pain management. No anti-venom because we couldn’t confirm exact species of snake.

If the vet didn’t come out when he did, I would have had a dead horse in the morning. As it was, we still weren’t sure he was going to make it with aggressive treatment. If I had to do something differently, I would have had farrier on board with a week not a few weeks after. I was so focused on the swelling, therapy and meds, I wasn’t thinking of founder down the road from severe lameness.

[kasjordan]

With the sudden lameness, I would worry hard about infection. How much Penicillin has he been getting?

[stargazer08]

My horse got bit 2 years ago by a rattler while I was riding him. Within minutes he was in distress. Breathing hard, sweating and shaky. His bite was on his right hind heel bulb.

Spent a week at the vet with the first few days hooked up to an IV and given fluids and DMSO along with antibiotics. Vet poulticed his heel. Thankfully there was no necrosis of the tissue at the bite site. I was extremely lucky there was no damage at the bite site. Vet was very surprised about that.

He did have cardiac issues for the first year. Just didn’t have the stamina or endurance pre bite. He is fine now.

My friend wrote up this experience for Arabian Horse World.

[Hampton_Bay]

He had his last dose of Penn yesterday morning. He was getting 65 to 70 cc a day, split morning and night into 10-12cc shots. He seemed worse this morning, until I found half his pain meds uneaten. He was walking almost normally the day before. There is still swelling though, so I will ask the vet about continuing abx. Still no open wounds. I am trying to get him so.ewhere with ultrasound and x-ray equipment newer than 1964. Easier said than done here.

[Amwrider]

Checking in to see how your horse is doing…

[Hampton_Bay]

He’s been in the horsepital for a few days now. They are doing IV antibiotics for a potentially infected tendon sheath. The vet couldn’t get enough fluid to test, so he is just treating it as though it is infected. No tears or adhesions on the US, which is good. When he became sore upon palpation in that area, we took him up ASAP. He was more sound last night than he had been, and he isn’t on bute right now, so that is promising. He may have to come home with a drain to be flushed once or twice a day, but that depends on how he handles the antibiotics into the tendon sheath. The vet was more positive last night though, so that sounds good.

Apparently this is one of those one-in-a-million types of things where the snake bit exactly where it should not have bitten.

[jawa]

Glad to hear he is doing better.

Jingling for continued positive progress!

[Amwrider]

Just posting here because not long after I last visited this thread, my 30 year old gelding appears to have been bitten, probably by a pygmy rattler.

He is doing well but has lost weight. He had a decreased appetite for the first week and for the time he was on antibiotics.

I am having to keep the wound wrapped because he was chewing at it and the flies were making a summer sore.

The venom ate a hole in his leg but it has filled in nicely and now just waiting for it to close.

[Hampton_Bay]

Sorry AMW. I hope your outcome is better than mine.

My boy was at the horsepital for a month. He came home a week ago on previcox. He is mostly sound at the walk, but it ends there. The vet said that he will most likely never return to endurance, and its questionable if he will be pasture sound without medication. The snake appears to have nicked the tendon sheath and caused infection to travel to the coffin joint and possibly the navicular bursa (from my non-vet understanding). He goes back for a recheck in a month. I am weaning him back to 1/4 previcox now.

[jawa]

Hampton Bay, I’m very sorry to hear this update.