Posted on 08/19/2017 11:10:11 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Two pit bulls are being hailed as heroes after saving children from a copperhead snake.
According to WFLA, Slayer and Paco began barking at the snake when it got close to children who were playing in the backyard.
Thats when the snake struck, and bit both dogs with its venom.
Slayer was struck in he face and snout, while Paco was bit in the leg.
Melissa Butt, the childrens grandmother, immediately rushed both dogs to an emergency vet.
We need to get the anti-venom quickly, in order for them to get a good prognosis. It is very, very painful, Dr. Shelby Loos said. We give them medicine for pain and make them as comfortable as possible. But, we have to act fast.
Paco had to spend one night in the hospital and was then able to go home. Slayer had a harder time recovering as his face and mouth were so swollen that he could barely get his tongue out.
However, after more medication, Slayer was able to go home on Wednesday.
It was devastating to see how bad it had gotten, Butt said.
Both dogs are recovering well.
They do give this smell strong at times. We had an Irish Setter who went crazy while we were playing ball and she wouldn’t let us near ditch where we were playing, she worked herself around and eventually attacked and hit 4 ft copperhead behind the neck and killed it.
Last summer our jack Russell was off in woods near house carrying on and my daughter heard him let out a yep and he came limping toward house in a bit. We found puncture marks on paw and swelling had started, we figured copperhead, a rattlesnake bite would have already killed him with his small size and his symptoms didn’t match rattlers bite. We washed it out with soap and water , put some neosporin on it and gave him 500mg of cephalec antibiots daily for 2 days and he was up and around acting normal.
My brother got nailed on big toe at lake yrs ago getting his boat ready to launch. He had flip flops on. He took one fang the other hit the strap between his toe so half a dose of venom from 3 ft snake. He was in hospital 5 days and out of work for 2 weeks. Years later it still aches on cold winter nights he says,
I hate copperheads worse than any other snake they are aggressive and you can find them anywhere.
I know the president of a pharmaceutical company who was telling me these antivenins have skyrocketed in price over the last ten years because they have to import them.
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