# O. M. G.



## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

Two days ago Zio was again bitten by a pygmy rattler. Not in any conservation or wildlife area, but in a neighbour's front yard.

Yes, he's been through 2 sessions of snake avoidance. And yes it works.... to a point. IF he can see/hear/smell them, he stays away; I've seen him do it many times. But when he's in super-hunting dog mode poking his nose UNDER every bush looking for lizards (AKA prey) none of the training is of any use. Because the pygmy is an ambush predator that often hides under stuff & cannot be sensed.

So a night @ the emergency vet, plus a visit to his regular vet & almost $2K later, he's home with pain meds, antibiotics, and a load of fluids onboard in the form of a camel-hump that has almost been all absorbed into his system. His face is still a little puffy on the side where he was bit on the nose, and the swelling has gone down in his neck. But he's already "bounced back": he's eating drinking well & wants to go run like any crazy GSP does. 

We have hunting-dog acquaintances who own strings of dogs & out of economic necessity don't take their animals to the vet if they are bitten. They amass snake bite kits that have everything in them except the antivenin, which at $600-900 per vial is the most expensive component of the treatment as well as that with the shortest shelf life. But the stories they tell of how much suffering the dogs endure (swelling to the point of skin rupture, etc.) are so harrowing to me that I cannot bear to think of it happening to one of my boys. 

Venomous snakes are a fact of life here in FL. It's not like you can put up a barrier to keep them out. People in our neighbourhood are always on the lookout for them because our little cul de sac is full of kids. It's not uncommon for someone to say "oh, btw I killed a pygmy that was on my lanai this morning" or "there was a pygmy in my driveway yesterday..." So what's the solution?

Even though Zio is the official "neighbourhood mutt" and welcomed by all to come play with their kids in their front yards, I would like Pearce to keep him under stricter control in the Fall when the pygmies are most active. If that means a leash vs. obedience commands, so be it, because Zio's only 4 and has been hit 3 times!

Anyway, sorry for the little rant at the end. Zio getting bitten was only one of several things this week that have either cost us big bucks, been emotionally challenging, or BOTH. 

Guess I'm just a little frazzled....


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Glad Zio is O.K. and it turned out this time. My solution for this problem, MOVE......

By the way, I can't stand snakes of any kind!


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## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

Yikes! The poor guy, I'm glad he's okay. Sorry you had a rough week though.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

Holy crap, I don't blame you either, I would be FREAKED OUT! Thank dog you are such a responsible owner and got him to the ER asap, I couldn't imagine "waiting it out" with one of my dogs were bitten, whether I had the money or not I would also take them to the vet for antivenin! 

I live in Miami and have been lucky not to come across any venimous snakes in the few years I have lived here. But now it's got me thinking... how many could I have passed while taking the dogs on long romps through the state parks?!

So glad Zio is ok!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

OH my goodness...glad he's already on the mend. I have zero experience with venomous snakes...best of luck with it all. 

Sounds like Zio may become immune to these snake bites at the rate he's going LOL j/k 

May he make a full and fast recovery!!!


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I'm really glad she is okay from that ordeal! I have no idea how to prevent that from happening again. I'm just amazed about it happening so many times to one dog. We lived in Tampa for 4 years (Temple Terrace, across from the river) and my MIL has lived there for going on 40 years and they've never had a dog bit. Of course, when we lived there many many many years ago there were a lot less people so maybe the snakes stayed out in the wild more. The dogs were strict house dogs, too. They couldn't take the heat outside.

I agree with whiteleo ....do what we did and flee the state as soon as possible!! Nothing should live there but gators and snakes.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i hope zio is all right from this.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Poor Zio! That would have scared me so much! I agree with whiteleo, just move away! I know that's probably not an option or a really logical solution, but still! I'm glad Zio is ok though, your post had me freaked out at first!


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

The best to ZIO. I relate to your concerns of snakes living in SC...they are everywhere. We have pigmy's but more so copperheads, cottonmouths, timbers and diamondbacks. Every dog we ever owned was bitten by a rattler at least once and rushed to the vet but luckily not Yogi. Lawd keep fingers crossed. I recall the huge swelling where it looks like their skin is going to bust. One of our dogs was struck on the head one time and was awful. His head was the size of a basketball. Hope the best to ya'll!!!


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I would definitely go with the leash option. Maybe it can prevent hit number 4


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Wow, snakes make me shake in my shoes. Thank heavens Zio is going to be okay. Sorry to hear you have had a lousy week. For some reason when life throws us curve balls it seems determined to test us with multiple problems all at the same time. It is truly frustrating. Hoping all will be well!!!


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

So very glad to hear Zio has recovered and back to normal. I can totally understand how stressed out you have been in the past couple of days. 
I guess its just one of those things living in FL. Luckily we don't seem to have many poisonous snakes in this area, at least I've never seen one.
And, hey, I love Florida! Honestly, its not too bad at all. Admittedly I do get weary when it comes to the threat of hurricanes and the standard of customer service, but other than that, its a pretty good place. 

Are you really serious about some dogs swelling so much their skin splits? God, I can not imagine how painful that must be, thats just awful.

Now, go and have yourself a nice cold martini, relax and have a good sleep in tomorrow.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

That is extremely scary! I'm so glad that Zio is okay! he's been hit a lot i'd be frazzled as well, and to boot it isn't a cheap treatment 

Take care I really hope that he doesn't have anymore encounters of the slithering kind!


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