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NEWS-PRESS (Fort Myers, Florida) 02 January 05 Dog survives vicious snakebite against odds (Brett Dupras)
Jessie the dog never heard the cautionary saying, "Red touch yellow, kill a fellow. Red touch black, friend to Jack."
If she had, the 2 1Ú2-year-old German shepherd would never have chomped on a coral snake, which is poisonous. As a result, she was paralyzed for four days. Today, it's a miracle that Jessie is alive.
The ordeal happened more than two weeks ago, when her owner, Michael Gole, was working in his yard and saw the dog walking around with what he thought was a rope in her mouth.
"At first I thought nothing of it, you know, but I didn't remember the poem for the colors," he said.
About 15 minutes later, the dog vomited. Apparently, the snake bit her in the mouth. Shortly afterward, the family took her to a local veterinarian's clinic, but unfortunately it had no anti-venom.
"They called around, but nobody had anti-venom anywhere," Gole said.
According to Dr. James Bowers, a veterinarian at Eastside Animal Hospital in Fort Myers, most animal hospitals don't carry anti-venom because it costs about $1,200 a vial.
He said the chances of any animal surviving a coral snake bite are slim.
"I don't see many of them survive," said Bowers, who sees at least three or four cases a year where animals get bitten by snakes. "I mean, the bottom line is with the coral snakes is they are so highly venomous and most dogs get (bitten) in the oral cavity so, the chances of survival are not very good."
Dave Kraft, a friend of the family, knows David Weathers, who raises poisonous snakes in Fort Myers. With the help of Weathers, the family was able to get vials from Lt. Ernie Jillson of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Within two hours, the family was heading to Dade County, where they met Jillson and Jessie received two vials of anti-venom for free.
"It was amazing that when we got to meet Lt. Jillson, it was such a relief and that feeling that miracles do happen because nobody had the anti-venom anywhere," Kraft said.
Coral snake venom is neurotoxic and attacks the nervous system. The anti-venom was administered six hours after she had initially been bitten, so Jessie got weak when they headed back.
"That night, we were heading back to Fort Myers and she collapsed at the rest area at Alligator Alley," Kraft said.
The next day, the family went to the Eastside Animal Hospital, where they put Jessie on IVs. She was paralyzed for four days.
Because Jessie couldn't walk, family members constantly changed her blankets. Gole's children would also encourage her to move by calling her and they would help her stand up.
"It was very stressful, because like the night that we thought she was going to die, I was really upset and I slept with her all night long and I cuddled with her," said Katie Gole, 14, Michael Gole's daughter. She ended up sleeping with Jessie on the floor for five days.
Then, in the early morning Dec. 23, Jessie walked toward Katie, who was on the couch.
"I couldn't believe it," she said. "I thought it was Tasha (the family's other dog and Jessie's aunt) at first because it was dark. It was Jessie and she just walked over to me and laid down next to me."
Bowers said Jessie recovered because she was able to get the anti-venom and, he believes, she didn't receive a full dose of venom. Nonetheless, her recovery is astounding.
"I've been doing this for 30 years, and I don't think I've seen a dog survive a coral snake bite before," he said.
Dog survives vicious snakebite against odds

Great story..fine ending. My only problem is the last part, where "full dose" is used. What the heck is a full dose? All the snake has available? If a lethal dose were injected, the antivenin worked. If the snake did not inject a sufficient quantity of venom..a sub-lethal dose..the antivenin was not needed. Sounds to me like the former.

~~Greg~~

What an interesting case.

I would have never believed a comparatively tiny elapid would be able to sink its fangs in an aggresive large canid. As a 2-dog owner, I empathize w/ the family...but as a biologist... Im more interested in the experiment! Apparently w/o the IV's & anti-venin the shepperd would likely have died. If it were mine...Id have to give it 3 months & see its Rx. to another opportunity to chew on a coral.
I also have to wonder what sort of mush for brains the Fire Dept. there is operating with....giving away thousands of dollars worth of public property & worse...temporarily giving away the security of the humans in its jurisdiction for a dog; my understanding is that coral antivenin is not readily available. Perhaps if the generous Lt. was to purchase the replacement vials w/ his own dough-ray-me, he might be a bit more conservative in the future!

Thankyou W-von,for your continual efforts to bring these press reports to the various forums.

Cheers, jg

I feel for the dog and his family but the fact remains...

Coralsnake A/V is just too precious to administer to a dog. Sorry...but it is.

Chris

Got to love the press...

The snake was minding it's own business when the dog chomps it...and the snake difends itself and is branded as "Vicious"

Al
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Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.