Rattlesnake Vaccine
Does anyone have experience with this vaccine. I work at a vet as a vet tech and we had 2 rattlesnake bites in 3 days, neither dog was vaccinated, both did fine with treatment. BUT it got me thinking of possibly getting the vaccine for Franklin. I'm a bit wary because UC Davis vet hospital does not recommend the vaccine and they are pretty much a top vet hospital in the country. I've also done a lot of research and read many many many stories of dogs developing serious adverse reactions and even several dogs who have died from the vaccine so I can't decide if I should get it or not.
I have 3 experiences with rattlesnake bites, and all make me think that a snake bite is not as bad as everyone fears it is (though it certainly needs medical treatment). The first was with a border collie, was bit on a trail ride, never received medical attention survived just fine to the ripe old age of 17. The second and 3rd happened last week. One was a 60 pound pitbull who was bit on the muzzle by a large rattlesnake, he had some swelling but nothing major, received anitvenin and was put on IV fluids for the night and did fine. His owner didn't get treatment for him until about 5 hours after the bite. The vet said if you get them in within the 1st 4-6 hours they usually do fine with treatment. The last dog bitten was a 20 pound (or less) labradoodle who was bitten by a baby rattler. Babies are supposed to be the worst. Anyway, she also received antivenin and was doing fine a few hours later. She actually had a reaction to the initial rate the antivenin was given and collapsed and became shocky but we decreased the rate it was given and she did fine. Was wagging her tail and happy as can be and swelling was almost totally gone by the time she went home the next day.
So again I wonder....to get or not to get? Anybody have any good advice or any good websites with actual scientific data about the efficacy of the vaccine? Red Rock Biologics who make the vaccine pretty much say it works, get it, with absolutely no proof or statistics. Thanks for any info!Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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I don't know about the vaccine, but I did a lot of hiking with dogs in copperhead areas. I used to carry a snakebite kit. Have you looked into something like that? My dogs were always on leash or on a tie-outs at camp and there were no incidents over many years. I did have a dog bitten in his doghouse in our suburban neighborhood where copperheads were unheard of. There was a lot of new construction going on and clearing of a wooded area, so animals that were there must have moved into surrounding habitats because of the bulldozing of trees, etc. That dog recovered.
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Permalink Reply by Peggy Woods on
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I was thinking of getting the vaccine also but am scared of reactions.
I have been considering serpent training as an alternative. Where the dog is taken to a professional trainer & taught to avoid snakes. I just need to find one & save up for the cost.
In the mean time, just not taking the dog to snake country (SO has property where rattlers dwell; corgi loves to fun unfettered on the acres & acres but we're not willing to take the chance while the snakes are not hibernating)
Does anyone have experience with the training alternative?
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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on
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Hi Peggy, we've done the aversion training as well. The really effective ones use a shock collar and teach aversion to the scent, then the sound, and finally the sight of a rattler. It needs to be updated every year or every other year, so some experts say. We've never done the refresher, because the man who ran the course passed away and our trainer had not found a suitable replacement. Then Sid suffered his hip dysplasia injury and we weren't sure if we'd be hiking anymore. Now that he's healed and we're hiking again, I'll take him to the next session. Here it costs $75. We haven't yet to see how it "took"...we encountered one rattler on a hike, but one of my kids spotted it way up the trail and we avoided it. As we passed where it had been, Sid didn't act like he even knew it was there.
It is a tough thing to put your pup through, as they do yelp when the shock is given, and they are obviously terrified when they are done. I compare it to taking your young child to get vaccinations at the doctor. You know it's for their own good, but they are going to cry and scream and you think your kid is going to hate you for taking them, but within minutes the crying as stopped and everyone is fine :)
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Thanks for the feed-back Geri! I saw it used on "Dog Whisperer" once - Cesar had one of his own dogs go through it. I think it's still the route I would prefer. Plus "daddy" is cleaning up the areas of his property where the snakes tend to hide, so that they'll hide somewhere else... farther away, hopefully (well the ones that have escaped his shovel)
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Permalink Reply by Kari & Quin on
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I think most of the time when a dog gets bite the snake isn't using it's full venom most dogs do, just swell a bit and are fine but.. my friends dog was bitten and died and they did go to the vet and get anti-venom. My brother also was bitten but the DR. said the snake didn't use it's venom so he was fine. (it would have killed him if it had as my brother was diabetic) Avoidance is best, the vaccine is only good for the western diamond back, and it doesn't save them.
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Permalink Reply by Sondra on
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I asked my vet the same question. She said that with the vaccine, if they do get bit, its hard for the vets to tell the severity of the bite. She did not tell me one way or the other... to vaccinate or not, so I did not vaccinate. We live about 40min from the closest vet in town which bothers me :-(
My friend did have her Aussie vaccinated and she did not have any reaction.
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