Rattlesnake vaccine

[redtailgal]

All credit goes to Daisychick for the following link:

http://rattlesnakevaccinefordogs.com/faqs.html

and to Whitemountainsranch for the following link:

http://www.redrockbiologics.com/

We dont have enough Rattlers here, so I had never heard of this vaccine (thank you Daisychick!).

A rattlesnake bite is a nasty nasty thing, so if you live in an area with them please give a look at this and consider if this is an option you may want to look into.

 

[daisychick]

I had never heard of it until my dad got all of his dogs vaccinated a few months ago. Then I read up on it and thought is sounded pretty good. Just for the record, my dad's dogs have not had any bad reactions or side effects from the vaccine. I hope they never get bit by a rattler to have to "test" if it works.

 

[redtailgal]

Thats awesome.

I'm gonna talk to Doc about seeing if we can get a few of the vaccines for here. We have very few Rattlers, but I have some falconry friends who work their birds over dogs and there is one mountain near us that is great for hawking, but thats where the rattlers live. One friend lives on that mountain and has lost two dogs to rattlers in 5 years. I'd like to get some of that vaccine for him.

 

[Remuda1]

I have a five pound yorkie who was bitten on the face by a twelve inch rattlesnake a couple years ago. I saw it happen and she got antivenin within 30 minutes but still spent a week in the hospital. Now she can't have the vaccine. We ended up wrapping 1/4 inch hardware cloth around our backyard fence we haven't seen one in there since. We buried the bottom edge in a cement collar. We had lived here 13 years without ever seeing one when this happened. In the same week, I nearly stepped on another one while working in my garden..... You just can't be too careful.

 

[redtailgal]

Why can your yorkie not have the vaccine? On the website, it was talking about vaccinating dogs that have already been bitten, I think it said you needed to wait for 30 days after the bite before giving it to them........Did your bet tell you something different?

btw.......I'm glad she was Ok.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

At the hospital where I used to work we would give dogs that had been previously bitten the vaccine and they were fine.

Also for note: none of my dogs have ever had a reaction to the vaccine either. They get their boosters yearly because we have a TON of rattlesnakes here.





Also just FYI, the vaccine DOES NOT make them immune to rattlers! Please don't think it does! What it DOES do is lessen the severity of the reaction to the venom in the animal. THE DOG WILL STILL NEED TO SEE THE VET IF BITTEN.

 

[Remuda1]

Yes, the vet said she couldnt have it. She (the dog) had some cushings like symptoms afterward and I was told that the vaccine may exacerbate them, as well as any other strong meds such as anesthesia.

Thanks Red, I'm glad too. Surprisingly, to me, the vet also told me that they are more likely to not make it if they are bitten on an extremity rather than the face or head. Whooda thunk it?

 

[redtailgal]

Thanks for clarifying that Remuda. That makes sense.

 

[babsbag]

Another thing that those of us that live in snake country might consider to protect our dogs in rattlesnake avoidance training.

We had this done with our dogs a few years ago (we should do a refresher every year). A guy came to our home with rattlesnakes and an electric shock collar for our dogs. He let the snakes out, they had tape around their mouths. He also had one is a box. So the dogs could see them, hear them, smell them. Anytime the dog would get interested in the snake he would give them a shock with the collar. I know some people will not like that, but it is another option and it sure beats a snake bite.

Later that day we let our dogs outside and anytime they would walk near the place where the snakes had been they would give a yelp and turn tail and run. We have sinced moved and have not retrained them. I am sure they have forgotten the lesson.

My vet does not push the vaccine. It is for a different kind of rattlesnake than what we have in No. CA and she says that the vaccine has not been challenge tested. I have no opinion one way or the other, just passing on what I have been told.