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Author Topic: Copperhead bite!  (Read 5533 times)

Offline Kojba

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Copperhead bite!
« on: June 28, 2018, 09:33:25 PM »
I came home from work the other day, and noticed my coon hound had been bitten on the muzzle.  I know she likes to "nose" around the log piles, and will always head to the pond for a cool drink.  Not sure where the attack happened, but the results were ugly.  Her face was swollen and she seemed dazed.  Our vet was closed and didn't answer the "emergency line", so off to you-tube land for advice.  Seemed most posts recommended Benadryl and rest for dogs, so that is what we did.  In 48 hours the swelling was gone, and Ol'Surely was back to her normal self.  I did find two fang holes in her muzzle, but I think the cartilage might have kept the venom from going all the way in.  The holes were about an inch apart (pretty big snake), the kind that gets your attention. 
I've had friends who have lost smaller dogs to snake bite, but large dogs must have a better chance of survival.  I just hope this old dog, doesn't get bitten.  If so, I'll need a little more than Benadryl.  Not sure what Budweiser will do for snakebite, but I keep a little of that in my system on Friday evenings! ;)
Keep Ole Joe Boy Alive
or
Kiss Ole Joe Boy's Ass

Offline bandmiller2

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Re: Copperhead bite!
« Reply #1 on: June 29, 2018, 06:34:02 AM »
Kojba, what part of the country do you live. Up here in the northeast we have copperheads but I've never seen one in the wild. One of my room mates in the Navy was from western Mass and was bitten when a child. He was stepping from rock to rock in a stream and something bit his ankle. He said he grabbed the snake and went up the banking to the road and passed out. He woke up in the hospital a woman driving by stopped and took him and the snake to the hospital. Snake didn't make it, blunt force trauma to the head. Years ago I was railbird hunting in the salt marshes on Cape Cod and almost stepped on a cottonmouth. Cut him in half with my bird gun but I didn't want to fish the parts out for a more positive ID. I asked a sportsman friend Doc Chandler that grew up on the Cape he said there are a few in the marshes but their rare, but not quite rare enough for my liking. There are a few rattlers to my good friend Butch worked on a local farm and saw one. Of course this liberal state protects them. Frank C.

Offline Kojba

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Re: Copperhead bite!
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2018, 10:34:56 AM »
I live in the "Tide-Water" area of Virginia, about 1 hour North of Richmond.  We have Copperheads, and various non-poisonous snakes in Essex County.  In the Appalachians and surrounding counties, Rattlesnakes and Copperheads are abundant.  I know a lot of folks that have been bitten; most suffer for a week or two with swollen flesh, nausea, etc..  On occasion, they can lose a limb, finger, or foot due the swelling and infection.  The key to recovery is getting to the hospital quickly, and trying to keep the heart rate slow, and the victim calm.

 My brother's friend died from a rattlesnake bite a few years back.  He had purchased an old hunt cabin in the mountains, and was busy cleaning the place up with his friend.  The evening before leaving, they rolled up the carpet from the floor, and let it sit outside for the night.  The next morning, he stuck his arm up in the carpet to move it back in, and a rattlesnake was inside.  Of course it bit him, but he continued to work; putting things away, before going to a hospital.  His age, coupled with the added activity was too much for his heart, and he died within hours.  Best to be overcautious when in remote areas, or when hiking or working off the beaten path.  I now see my log piles, scrap piles, and saw dust heap with a different attitude.  Look before you reach, is important to remember!
Keep Ole Joe Boy Alive
or
Kiss Ole Joe Boy's Ass