GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE (Montana) 23 June 05 Beware the rattlesnake (Jacqueline Davidson)
Tom Enott was watering his pine trees when his Pomeranian started barking erratically. The dog scampered from under the tree, bleeding heavily around the mouth.
Enott pulled back the branches to see what had happened.
"It was a rattlesnake. And it was about three inches from my face," Enott said.
Hard of hearing, Enott didn't hear the rattle.
"Before I could stop him, Tuffy ran under the branches again and tried to bite the snake," he said. "Then Tuffy yelped again, this time running out with a bloody eye."
Enott took his 18-pound pet to a friend for an initial antivenom shot, but Tuffy's condition worsened. Enott rushed Tuffy to Best Friends Animal Hospital where Mike Norton immediately worked on the severely swollen-faced dog.
"Tuffy's blood platelet count was so low he needed a blood transfusion," Norton said.
Rattlesnake venom changes the body in two ways: it lowers potassium levels in the muscle cells, causing the heart to beat improperly, and it rapidly depletes blood platelets, leading to hemorrhaging.
"Tuffy received all new blood from a chocolate Labrador in the clinic," Norton said. "The anti-venom alone was not enough to save him."
Venom is a toxic saliva consisting of a complex mixture of chemicals called enzymes. The two general types of toxins are neurotoxins and hemotoxins. Neurotoxic venom attacks the central nervous system, usually resulting in heart failure and/or breathing difficulties.
Hemotoxic venom attacks the circulatory system and muscle tissue, causing excessive scarring, gangrene or permanent disuse of motor skills. Amputation of the affected area sometimes is required.
Rattlesnakes employ mostly hemotoxic venom.
Dr. Steve Lowery, of Big Sky Animal Medical Center, said a single vial of antivenom costs about $425. Other clinics charge upward of $750 per vial. Often, dogs require more than one dose.
"The procedure is risky because not all animals can handle an antivenin," Lowery said.
Lowery said horses are injected with a small amount of venom then its body creates the antibodies for the venom.
"The antibodies work fine in a horse, but giving the antigens to a dog can cause an allergic reaction or in worse cases anaphylaxis."
Lowery stressed identifying the snake is critical to the pet's treatment.
"Giving antivenin to a dog with a "dry" bite can trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis," he said.
There are a couple of alternatives to antivenin shots, Lowery said. Some veterinarians use cortisone shots to neutralize the site of cytotoxin.
"As a conservative treatment, cortisone, like antivenin, also reduces swelling and costs $250 per dose," Lowery said. "But in some cases cortisone is an insufficient course of action."
Red Rock Biologics offers a rattlesnake vaccine that provides pre-emptive protection against a rattlesnake bite.
"The vaccine is not yet FDA approved, but some pet owners favor it anyway."
Best Friends Animal Hospital adminsters the vaccine.
"The vaccine may not be FDA approved yet, but the vaccine has protected several pets so far," Norton said. "The price for prevention is also much lower than several anti-venom shots or a blood transfusion."
The average cost per vaccine is anywhere from $17 to $20.
Though pit vipers are the only poisonous snakes in Montana, Norton said all snake bites warrant medical attention.
"Snakes have some pretty nasty bacteria living in their mouths," Norton said, and without treatment the microbes likely will cause serious infection or necrosis.
In some cases, amputation may be the only way to save a pet that suffers serious limb infection. Norton said the smartest decision is to take bitten pets to the vet immediately.
Enott carried Tuffy to the car after the dog was bitten.
"I was so worried about him, I didn't even think to get rid of the snake," Enott said.
Norton said dogs may be a little skittish after a bite, but contrary to widespread belief, typically won't bite their masters — even if they are in extreme pain.
"Pets will seek the comfort of their owners rather than be provoked by their care."
Unsure of Tuffy's chances for survival, Norton stayed at the clinic two nights of the dog's week-long hospital stay.
Enott said he doesn't think Tuffy would be alive today had it not been for Norton and his expertise.
"The total cost of Tuffy's hospitalization was around $1,000," Enott said. "Regardless of the cost, we treat our dogs as if they were our children; we would pay any price to keep a family member alive."
Beware the rattlesnake