BILLINGS GAZETTE (Montana) 31 July 03 Area veterinarians heal snakebite victims (Bryan O'connor)
A few local veterinarians are treating an unusual number of snakebites this summer, but most are reporting average numbers of four-legged snakebite patients.
Alpine Veterinary Service treated 10 animals so far this season, which is more than usual, said veterinarian Jason Johnson. The 10 include seven horses, including two that may have been bitten by the same snake.
Melissa Sipe, of Broadview, came home from work about two weeks ago and found her horses Tango and Tana with swollen noses. The 1 and 2-year-old horses apparently had been bitten by the same rattlesnake during the day. Sipe and her husband hauled the horses to Alpine, where they were treated for a week to the tune of about $1,400.
"Their noses were swollen to about four times their normal size," Sipe said. "They looked grotesque."
Johnson said horses usually are bitten in the nose because they use them as people would use their fingers to explore with. Horses breathe through their nose, which usually swells after a bite, so the main problem with horses is maintaining an airway, he said.
"Horses that die from a snakebite usually die from asphyxia," rather than the venom itself, Johnson said. Horses have about 50 liters of blood flowing through their bodies, so the venom doesn't shock the horse's system as it does a dog or a person, he said.
The swelling of the nose and subsequent blocking of their airway can only be remedied by performing a tracheotomy, Johnson said. After that, horses will get doses of antivenin, antibiotics and steroids. They aren't allowed to eat or drink, so they must have continuous IV fluids as well, he said.
The reason for the increase in bites could be the heat, Johnson said, which usually stimulates snake activity. But snakes need water, too, so they tend to congregate in the same places that other animals do, which can lead to a confrontation and possibly a bite.
Tango and Tana are home and healing well, Sipe said, and they can roam free now. Last night, Sipe's husband killed a rattlesnake behind their house.
Veterinarian Suzanne Roth at Granite Peak Veterinary Hospital said the clinic had treated three or four dogs for snakebite, which is above normal. Community Pet Hospital had not treated any pets for snakebite this year, which is normal. Grand Avenue Animal Hospital had treated just one cat for snakebite.
Most other clinics reported that they were treating their average number of snakebites, which was usually three or four pets. Dogs appeared to be the animals most commonly bitten by rattlesnakes.
As for human victims, Deaconess Billings Clinic spokesperson Lauren Mackay said DBC had not treated anyone for a poisonous snakebite so far this summer. St. Vincent Healthcare officials also said emergency room doctors did not recall treating anyone for snakebite this summer.
Area veterinarians heal snakebite victims