Dear Tiffani,
I recently went hiking with my new dog, Luke, and we came upon a rattlesnake. I did not expect to see one so early in the season. Luckily, the snake was as surprised to see us and moved away quickly instead of striking. Do you have any advice on hiking safely and helping Luke avoid rattlesnake trouble?
Signed, Avid Hiker
Dear Hiker,
I, too, have been surprised to hear that rattlesnakes are out already. I don’t know if this is due to global warming, displacement from development, or other reasons, but there have been multiple reports of dogs being bitten by rattlesnakes already this year.
As with so many things, when it comes to rattlesnake encounters, prevention is the best approach. Avoid areas known to be favorite rattlesnake haunts such as hot, sunny areas, and if you can’t avoid them, do leash Luke while in these areas. If you are unfamiliar with an area; it’s best to ask around.
Always carrying a leash when you hike is a good idea not just for leashing your dog in potentially snake-populated areas, but you may also use the leash to “lasso” your dog and pull him back if you suddenly come upon a snake off leash and he goes after it. Never get in the line of fire between a rattler and your pet; your first priority should be your safety. Never put yourself in harm’s way. Trying to protect your dog may lead to both you and your dog being bitten.
An additional way to prevent snake bites is to take your dog to a trainer for rattlesnake aversive training in which they learn to leave rattlesnakes alone.
If your animal does get bitten, any snake bite should be treated by a vet as soon as possible. Unfortunately, dogs most often are bitten while in the wilderness far from medical attention – which makes getting them quickly to the vet an added challenge. The faster you get to the vet, though, the better. With treatment, few animals die from snake bites. While many snake bites are “dry bites,” meaning there is not much venom if the snake has bitten something else recently; even a small amount of venom is serious.
Another excellent preventive measure is the rattlesnake vaccine. It is the equivalent of giving your pet 2-3 vials of anti-venom and costs around $40 for the initial shot and follow-up booster. While the vaccine will not totally prevent your pet from having any symptoms if bitten, it greatly increases their chances of survival and minimizes recovery time. The vaccine will buy you more time to get to the vet, as your animal has already developed some venom immunity, and they will respond more quickly to treatment when you do arrive at the vet. Not only does the vaccine improve your dog’s recovery, it is far less expensive. Anti-venom costs hundred of dollars when your pet is treated after being bitten. Often they also have to be boarded during treatment; so vaccines save time, money, and the heartache of seeing your pet suffer.
Following a rattlesnake bite, keep your animal quiet and calm; you want to avoid heart rate increase which moves venom through their system more quickly. If you carry a cooler with ice or cool water, apply this cooling ice or water to the bite area on the way to the vet if to further slow the venom. A homeopathic remedy suggested by a local Veterinarian is to apply fresh garlic directly onto the bite, so you may want to have both ice and a garlic clove in your “rattler kit.”
Several snakebite treatment myths need to be debunked here: don’t use a tourniquet or make criss-cross cuts and attempt to suck out the venom. They make for great movie scenes, but works less well in real life.
Thanks for asking this timely question. Armed with these prevention techniques and knowledge of how to respond in a crisis, you and Luke should be able to enjoy many trauma-free hikes this summer.
Happy Hiking, Tiffani
Tiffani Zimmerman is the Behavior Specialist at the Stafford Animal Shelter. Email questions to her at behavioradvice@imt.net, call 406/222-1312, or read archived columns at www.staffordanimalshelter.org.