Rattlsnake Vaccine

[hoku's mum]

It's snake season here in the CA foothills, and I'm pretty worried about Hoku finding and 'playing' with one of our local snakes. I've heard there is a vaccine for Rattler bites for dogs, and am wondering if any of you amazing folks out there have any info, thoughts, or experience with it.

 

Thanks - Kristin and Hoku, too

[Allie Oop]

Not personally, but a friend had a yellow lab that got bitten like 5 times in the snout area (poor, poor pup!) in the foothills above where we live.

 

He got the vachine and came out of it okay, although he is very cautious in the brush these days. I talked to her about it and she said it was amazing how well he did once he got the vaccine.

[Kerrigan]

Kristin ~

 

If you are in Grass Valley, you might consider checking with Loomis Basin Vet Clinic in Loomis, CA. They are one of the best vets in the area and do emergency care. They sent out literature on the Rattlesnake vaccine last year to their clients. I didn't keep what they sent me as I'm not in the foothills all that often with the dogs. Because they are in the foothills they deal with quite a few rattlesnake bites each year they should be able to answer any questions you might have and give you some idea of how effective it might have been on dogs that had it and were also bitten.

[hoku's mum]

Thanks for the input, Deb and Jeanne. I am leaning on going the safe route and getting him vaccinated, as we have so many snakes here on the property. We see 3-5 a year just in with the chickens, and 3-7 more just around, and I am sure that is only a small percentage of the snakes that are moving through here. Hoku is so curious about anything that moves, and if it makes noise, all the better. I would just be crushed if anything happens to him. He is just the greatest guy (along with all the other greatest dogs out there!)

 

Kristin and Hoku the humorous (with sprinklers!)

[Northof49]

Here is some information from UC Davis on Rattlesnake Vaccine

 

"Canine Rattlesnake Vaccine

 

The canine rattlesnake vaccine comprises venom components from Crotalus atrox (western diamondback). Although a rattlesnake vaccine may be potentially useful for dogs that frequently encounter rattlesnakes, currently we are unable to recommend this vaccine because of insufficient information regarding the efficacy of the vaccine in dogs. Dogs develop neutralizing antibody titers to C. atrox venom, and may also develop antibody titers to components of other rattlesnake venoms, but research in this area is ongoing. Owners of vaccinated dogs must still seek veterinary care immediately in the event of a bite, because 1) the type of snake is often unknown; 2) antibody titers may be overwhelmed in the face of severe envenomation, and 3) an individual dog may lack sufficient protection depending on its response to the vaccine and the time elapsed since vaccination. According to the manufacturer, to date, rare vaccinated dogs have died following a bite when there were substantial delays (12-24 hours) in seeking treatment. Recommendations for booster vaccination are still under development, but it appears that adequate titers do not persist beyond one year after vaccination. Adverse reactions appear to be low and consistent with those resulting from vaccination with other products available on the market. The product licence is currently conditional as efficacy and potency have not been fully demonstrated. Based on existing evidence, the UC Davis VMTH does not currently recommend routine vaccination of dogs for rattlesnake envenomation, and the vaccine is not stocked by our pharmacy."

[Hector]

The concept of getting a dog vaccinated against rattlesnakes sounds good, but from reading the UC Davis article it doesn't seem practical.

 

My dog Pattycake (may she RIP) was bitten by a rattler on a mountain east of Salt Lake City (Grandeur Peak). She was bitten on the foreleg and within ten minutes her leg from the knee down was swollen to three times its normal size. I carried her off the mountain (85 pounds, 1 mile) and that was as hard as I have ever worked in my life.

 

I got her to the Emergency Vet (it was on Sunday morning) within 1.25 hours of the bite, and we had anti-venom serum in her within 2.25 hours.

 

She recovered fully. At the site of the bite, the skin died in a circle 1.25 inches in diameter. It took about 6 weeks for the skin to heal back in from the sides, during which time she had to wear an Elizabethan Collar, which certainly didn't please her. That was a $600 snake bite.

 

If she had not been on the trail just ahead of me it is highly likely that I would have been bitten instead. Rattlesnake bites are VERY nasty.

 

I knew a man who was bitten on the forearm while hiking. He almost died before he was emergency airlifted out by helicopter. When all was said and done, he lost about 50% of the use of that arm.

 

An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure when it comes to rattlesnake bites.

[Mona Howard]

I was at the emergency clinic just a week ago with one of my dogs. There were two lab littermates there being treated for snakebite.

The vet said snakebite is not as drastic in dogs as with humans and the dogs were'nt in danger of dying with the treatment and kept for observation.

Of course, here in Virginia it's mostly Copperhead bites or Water Moccasin, in Arizona

we had a certain rattlesnake in the hills called a Mojave that was bad news. Mona

[Allie Oop]

My friend's dog (mentioned above) didn't get the vaccine in advance of the bites, but as treatment for the bites - sorry if I misunderstood your question.

 

My own vet doesn't recommend getting the vaccine in advance of an actual incidence. There are a lot of 'rattlers around in the foothills, mountains and desert areas here in Utah and I do worry about running into them. However, as some of the others posted most dogs do okay if they are treated within a few hours of the bite.