Sunday, August 10, 2014
Not so random doggage
Daniela's Shunkar, who had already survived a bad bite (you can see the damage from the old one) got bitten by a rattlesnake as he was coming in from a walk with Daniela. He is expected to recover, but it is no fun.
Warren's Lola, granddaughter to both Ataika and Lashyn, is one of those dogs who was bitten once and now looks for revenge. She killed her eighth rattler last week, getting bitten in the fight of course. Warren, who is taking care of a sick parent, trying to train two hawks, and raising quail, ducks, and pigeons, understandably doesn't want to have to deal with snakebite, and wonders if there is any tazi fan who would like to own a still- youngish, hunting, intact female with the sweetest of natures, good in the house; her only vice is rattlers. If so, contact me through the blog comments and leave a number. Below, Warren, Lily and Lola.
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4 comments:
Here in the low country of Georgia and SC, reptiles are the death of bird dogs. Gators, rattlers, water mocassins...I know more than a handful of folks who have lost good dogs to the reptiles. I have had my Brittany Abby snake-broke. So far, that is. A retired vet from near Gainesville, Florida, has a huge eastern diamondback and a fat, nasty cottonmouth mocassin. Three years ago this coming September, I took my Abby and two other dogs to the vet. With the snakes' mouths taped closed, he put them one at a time in the grass. The rattler assumed the position and buzzed. With the dog on a 25' lead and a huge E-collar snug to the neck, each dog would approach the snake out of curiosity from downwind and eventually smell, see and hear it. When about 5' from the snake, the vet put enough e-juice into the dog's neck to dim lights in the tri-county area. It freaked the dog out and each did a haul-boogey move from the snake until the leash became taut and her feet shot out from under her. After calming the dog down, and let the dog try and approach again. She wouldn't have anything to do with it and ran away. We then moved to the cottonmouth. Once the dog sensed the snake, it bravely put me between the snake and her body. So much for man's best friend. A year later Dr. Calderwood did a clinic in my hometown. Abby and Karl's Boykin did a refresher course. (Karl's first Boykin died within 15 minutes after getting hit by an EDB during the dead of winter on a balmy day 4 years ago.) Once Abby detected the snake, she ran back towards the truck. She remembered. Same thing happened again this year at last fall's clinic. Point of this, is it works. Find a clinic, usually a gun club, that will snake break dogs. Is it infallible? No, they can still run over a snake coming downwind. But is does give me a little peace of mind. Problem with your buddy's tazi is that she doesn't associate the misery it goes through after being bitten with the snake. The e-collar offers immediate pain and the dog associates the shock with the snake.
Hey, Gil, that's a GREAT idea! Especially for dogs that must run in "snaky" areas! It is far too late for my obsessively snake-killing Bluetick Hound, alas--he kills them all(unless I intervene QUICKLY!), venomous and non-. He got hit by a rattler(timber) last year, but must have not gotten a full dose, as he survived. But I do fear I'll come home from work one day and find him dead! It is interesting how some dogs have really good snake sense, others just don't! The wolf-hybrids I had in the past, both low and higher "percents" were ALL very smart about snakes(as you might expect), but the Siberian huskies I have never seem to have a clue(no snakes in their ancestral home of Siberia, perhaps?)--but at least seem to LEARN after a bad episode(or two)--most of my Sibes have taken a hit from Copperheads(not as serious as rattlers, of course), and now show great respect towards them! My Basenjis both were incredibly cautious around ANY snake--what you might predict from a dog type that originated in the African rain forest! Alas, my present two Tazis DO NOT exhibit good snake sense as yet. But luckily so far have not been bitten. Another interesting obviously instinctive behavior involving snakes from the cougars I've cared for at the zoo I work at--they seem to know IMMEDIATELY if a snake is venomous or not--and avoid the venomous ones completely, but torture and kill with great cat glee any nonvenomous ones! By smell, perhaps? The snake's behavior? Regardless, they KNOW the difference!....L.B.
Sounds like you are east coast with the snakes you have. Location of bite and dog size can make a difference in a dog's ability to survive a bite. An acquaintance lost two Brits to gators and a Jack Russell to a rattler. The Jack had been copperhead bitten so many times that his nickname was "Zipperhead". The rattler was too much. Another buddy 's wounded deer-tracking Blood Hound survived a big rattler bite at night. He was bitten on a leg and he weighs 120 lbs. Cooter was one sick dog and too remote to get to a vet, but he managed to hang on through the night and despite his leg swelling to the point where his skin split, is happily alive, but the owner no longer tracks deer at night with him. Some folks vaccinate their dogs with Red Rock's vaccine which is made from western rattlers. There is controversy in the vet medicine community about its effectiveness. I carry Benedryl as field treatment for snake bite. A bite on the neck can cause swelling and closure of windpipe. Benedryl reduces swelling and can buy time to get to a vet.
Daniela who has had entirely too much experience uses Prednisone too. This may be worth an up- front blog discussion when I get back from a Santa Fe weekend trip.
My impression is that most western species are less deadly but I don't know about Mojaves.
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