One of my beagle mix dogs (the older one) got bit on the side of the nose by a copperhead today. No doubt about it being a copperhead (now deceased). Swelling of face and neck, and apparent pain. Took her to the emergency vet, they gave an injection for pain. Did blood work, coagulation test was about five percentage points low (it took them three tries to do the test — I don’t have a lot of confidence in the lab work, and they said they had been having trouble with it). They recommended leaving her overnight and administering antivenom. I declined this treatment, and we’ll take her to our regular vet tomorrow.
This is not our first time around with snakebit dogs, we’ve been down this road four or five times. I don’t believe we have used antivenom with any of them, and so far all have recovered after a few days. But I acknowledge that every case is different. The emergency vet gave us gabapentin, which she is taking, but I can tell she is still suffering. I don’t want to put her through unnecessary treatment, but certainly will if it’s necessary this time. We’ll see what our regular vet says, but I would like to hear from guys who have more experience with this. Have you found antivenom to be necessary for a 25-lb dog?
This is not our first time around with snakebit dogs, we’ve been down this road four or five times. I don’t believe we have used antivenom with any of them, and so far all have recovered after a few days. But I acknowledge that every case is different. The emergency vet gave us gabapentin, which she is taking, but I can tell she is still suffering. I don’t want to put her through unnecessary treatment, but certainly will if it’s necessary this time. We’ll see what our regular vet says, but I would like to hear from guys who have more experience with this. Have you found antivenom to be necessary for a 25-lb dog?