In case you missed Day 1 of A Rattlesnake Bit My Dog!
Early Morning!
At 1:30 this morning, she woke up, sat up, and I offered her some water and she drank about a bowl and a half and she is not a big water drinker. So then, I thought I’d see if she was hungry and she was all over the little box of Caesars food. I only wanted to give her soft food, because I figured her mouth and muscles must be sore. She ate four and a half boxes of those, which is not quite two cups, a little bit more than she would normally eat in a meal, but she hadn’t eaten all of her breakfast and she didn’t have all of her treats through the day. And of course, no dinner. I then asked her if she needed to go out. She looked at me but didn’t cock her ears, so I don’t think she’s quite ready for that. She’ll be ready to get up in the morning and pee for sure.
I hear her moving around, so I check on her and she’s now lying on her right side, so her recovery from the rattlesnake bite is much better. Hopefully, she doesn’t get any skin erosion or further problems with this once the swelling goes down. We can’t put a collar around her neck for a week since she’s so swollen, so taking her out for walks might be a bit interesting. We did get one of those slip knot leashes from the vet and we’ve wrapped it around her belly, but she has such a deep chest it is kind of hard to control her that way. Back to the vet in a few hours for a checkup and more antibiotics. Hopefully this will be the last thing she’ll have to deal with this year.
Back to vet’s office
The vet said she is past the immediate danger. He removed the tape and took her catheter out of her front leg and she didn’t flinch. He rebandaged her leg to stop any bleeding and risk of infection. Next week will tell if she gets any skin erosion. The vet stated it could be months to see if she gets a blood disorder that would affect the clotting of her blood. The swelling is still moving from her neck and down to her chest. I am surprised how quickly it seems to dissipate. Trixie can’t have any unsupervised walks for a few days. Thankfully, she has a harness, though she doesn’t like it, but it will be awhile before she can wear a collar or have a leash pull on her neck. Antibiotics twice a day for her and more rest. She is doing much better. I ask the vet if the rattlesnake vaccine we had given her mid-May for $18 and a booster helped. He stated it was hard to say, but for $18, I think it was well worth it.
Saturday Afternoon
She is still sleeping a lot and isn’t playing with any of her toys. I continue to give her soft food because I think that is what I would want if my neck, face and mouth were swollen. She has been so swollen that some crumbs from a few treats we have given her falls out of her mouth because her mouth on the sides can’t close. She also isn’t shaking her head, as she usually does several times a day, because of an itch she has in her ears. We go out for bathroom breaks and then right back home. I think if a rabbit or squirrel did appear in front of her she would ignore it.
Sunday
Her lower jaw is normal again and her mouth can close on both sides. She is still swollen around her neck, but not as much. Today, she chomped a few times on a squeaky toy, asked me to play and even ran a few steps tonight. Still sleeping alot. Not sure how the venom is really affecting her body. She never complains. They finally cut down the corn in the field next to where we walk and we were able to walk our usual path, which was a bit of a distance for her. The weeds and corn stalks had gotten so overgrown we haven’t been able to walk where we usually do for several weeks now. She ate when we came back and went right to sleep.
Monday
What a big difference! Her face is almost back to normal. She is still sleepy though. She went out for her bathroom break early this morning and then went right back to bed. I just gave her breakfast with her medicine at 11:30 am and she’s back in bed. On our afternoon walk, she decided to dig a little bit. Probably after a mole or something she thinks she smells. She made a path about 10-15’ long, but only a few inches deep. Trixie can dig deep enough that her body fits in the hole, but she isn’t up for that yet.
Trixie continues to regain her energy, but even on Tuesday, she isn’t up for too much play. I roll her ball in the house and after 3 times, she is tired. She is drinking a lot of water, not her favorite, maybe it is due to the antibiotics? Her appetite seems better than usual, but she is also getting soft food so I make sure I get her antibiotics into her. She should be about ready for her early evening walk.
Rest of the week…
The swelling continues to recede. She still doesn’t play much, but our walks are getting longer. Around 7pm, we take her out for her last pee break and to see if she will play some ball. It is still just too hot earlier in the day, whether you are man or animal, to do too much. I bought her another ball on Friday, since the poked a small hole in one last night. She was having a good time playing and running, but the ball only lasted 3 minutes. I wish they could make a 14” ball, that won’t go flat and isn’t heavy or hard rubber. It would be perfect! Saturday, I tried her collar on her and it seemed to fit without being tight. I took her for a walk and unleashed her when we got close to the house. Getting back to our normal routine. Later that day, we started our walk with her unleashed and will continue to increase the time. I still usually leash her next to the cornfield since she can get into the woods and I can’t follow her.
Trixie continues to increase her energy and the swelling is still reducing, but she pretty much looks like my pretty and silly girl, Trixie.
Has your fur friend ever had a tangle with a poisonous snake? What did you do? What was their response? Had they received the rattlesnake vaccine?
Hi, I’m Trixie! I love treats, sleeping, chewing up my toys and I especially like chasing small critters that enter my yard. (Don’t worry, my mom makes sure that I don’t catch any of them.) I was rescued when someone dumped me in the driveway, expecting 10 little puppies. Though my mom had dogs as a kid, she realized there was a lot she didn’t know.
We decided to create this website to help you with issues that you may not be aware of and to share information about the best foods, toys, treats, and places to explore with your fur friend. You’ll learn all about raising your dog to be happy and healthy and we will have some fun along the way!
If you want to find out how my mom makes money from home so she can spend more time with me, just click here.
P.S. This site may contain affiliate links, but know that I only recommend products that I believe in. Since this is a for-profit business, you should assume that any website I refer you to, I may earn money either directly or from an affiliate relationship.
