Snakebite- What really happened.
Blue worked well through the prairie brush. Sage and grass were on the hills above the alfalfa fields, and we made a pass through green, recently cut grass before moving to the coulees around the edges. I was confident we weren’t leaving any birds behind. It was cool in the morning, but the heat of the day was not long coming. September in Montana is usually hot to warm, although I’ve hunted in cold rain many times. I was hoping for one of those cooler days. In fact, I delayed my trip this year to try and mitigate the heat, but the normal cycle of early and late hunts to avoid the heat was the plan.
Truthfully, I’d become casual about the dangers to my dogs. It’d been many years since a skunk encounter and a porcupine engagement usually took a few minutes, plucking quills. After 30 years of hunting Montana and the Dakotas and other snakey states, I’d only seen a few, and the dogs always managed to avoid them.
It wasn’t on my mind when, later, I noticed Blue chewing at his paw. I called him to me, expecting to find a cactus caught in his paw. He came over, holding the paw up, to allow me to pull it. This time, as I lifted the paw, he yelped in pain. I looked closely and didn’t see any cactus, but I did notice a small, bloody mark on the top of his foot. I turned the leg over and saw another one on the underside of the leg, maybe an inch between them. Also, every time I touched his leg, he yelped. I knew then we had a problem. He’d just been working on a very thick clump of tall, green flowering plants. It was so thick, it was difficult to walk through. I peered into the clump, looking for a light brown Prairie Rattler. I never did see the snake, which was probably good for him.
Blue was hurting, and his foot was beginning to swell. I was about a half-mile from the truck, so I leashed him up and we started to walk. He wouldn’t put any weight on the foot now, and the going was slow. So, I picked him up and carried him. That 43# was awkward with my gun, etc., but I was beginning to recall my conversation with my bird-dog-vet friend about snakebites. “Randy, the number one best plan is to get the dog to a vet, if at all possible. Anything else you do, while making you feel useful, will only delay the application of the anti-venom. The anti-venom will make the difference in the recovery, limit the tissue damage, and may even save the dog’s life. Everything else is superficial, and any delay allows the venom to spread.”
Taking that to heart, I got him to the road, then to the truck and in his crate. The leg was still swelling. At this point, he was panting and drooling, and any touch on his leg brought on a yelp. I cranked the Beast and headed to the nearest vet office, about an hour away. Luckily, the gravel roads were in good shape, and I could keep up a good, if marginally safe, pace through the prairie, headed to the paved highway and into town. I had the vet office in my contacts and called them once I got a signal. They were out to lunch when I arrived, and the office was empty. 45 minutes anxious minutes later, a car pulled up and the receptionist arrived. I carried Blue inside and said, “Snakebite!” She said all the vets were out doing pregnancy testing. I won’t say what I was thinking, but she calmly called another town to find out they were closed that day. Then she called another town’s vet and told me they were open and waiting for me. It was 90+ miles away. I will say this about that drive. I drove with intention. On the way, I texted my vet at home, concerned about the time between the envenomation and the application of the anti-venom. She said 4-6 hours would be fine, but she had good results up to 12 hours after the bite. I felt better about my situation and even slowed down a bit. I rolled up to the vet office 4 hours after the encounter and carried him into the office.
I immediately felt comfortable with the vet. 38 years as a country vet in Montana, she’d seen many snakebit dogs and knew exactly what to do. By now, the leg was well swollen, he was still drooling, and the right side of his face was a little slack- all normal reactions to snake venom. The anti-venom was hooked up to the IV, and she came back and said, “He’s in pain, but this will help him feel better.” It was an injection of morphine. “I’ll keep him overnight and will call you in the morning.” That night, I got a text that said he was still very sick, but she was going in to change up the medications. Also, she found another bite mark farther up the leg, near the elbow, and there was no doubt in her mind that he got at least one “full load” of venom. That was a long, sleepless night at the motel.
Early the next morning, she texted that Blue was better, eating, and drinking, and I could pick him up at noon. When I pulled up Saturday morning, she was there with him on a lead. He still looked poor, but he was walking and putting weight on the leg. He got 10 days off and by the end of the trip, he’d recovered completely.
What I learned:
Venom is nasty stuff. As it spreads through the body, it creates havoc with the tissues and organs. The faster the anti-venom can be applied, the better the outcome. Under 4 hours is the goal. Any delay can result in a worse outcome.
There is nothing you can do to help control the venom. Benadryl, Steroids, electric shock (really!), and pain meds only delay the application of the anti-venom. The antivenom completely eliminates the venom by binding to the venom’s toxic compounds, typically within a few hours. They are then eliminated via the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system. It starts working immediately and effects can be seen in the blood pressure and swelling within an hour. It may take 24 hours to fully eliminate the bound venom from the body. The aftereffects can appear for several days and gradually subside.
Prairie Rattlers (the only venomous snake in Montana) have a hemotoxic venom. It affects clotting, bleeding, and coagulation. It also causes tissue damage, swelling, etc. Sometimes there is a small neurotoxic effect, as well.
Know where the local veterinarian is located and have their phone number in your contact list. Have a backup.
Have a pet insurance policy that covers snakebite. I have an accident-only policy that covers the usual hazards associated with bird hunting. It’s a great peace of mind during a stressful situation. I have used it many times (only once for snakebite) over the years.
After consulting with my bird dog veterinarian friend, I chose not to use the vaccine. That is a personal choice. For those of you who use it, according to news reports, their conditional license expired, and they are working hard to get it back.
Snakebite is traumatic, but statistics show it is rarely fatal. The presence of venomous snakes, in my opinion, should not discourage you from heading out to hunt in different parts of the country. In fact, to my mind, it’s way down the list of scary things.
I consider the event a “wake-up call”. Like I said, I’ve been pretty casual about snakes over the years. Will it alter my hunting? Probably not. Will it increase my situational awareness about the heat and snakey areas? Absolutely. I had a “snake bite kit” in my medical bag. It had steroids, antibiotics, and Benadryl in it. I never opened it. When push came to shove, I loaded the dog up and drove like the devil was on my tail. In fact, that was probably the most dangerous part of the event. I learned, or re-learned, that “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast”. So, be intentional, don’t delay, and get the dog to the vet. The odds are well over 90% everything will be fine. Good hunting!
My latest book, “Endless October 3- The Finish,” is now out on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Please take a look. It will make a great Christmas gift for the bird hunter in your life.
