[nickcarraway]

Brandon family's pit bulls save young children from venomous copperhead snake (Video)

[Daffynition]

These things happen

I'm glad the pups are going to be OK.

[Innovative]

Great dogs.

I hope both are going to recover well.

[Innovative]

doggieping

[Innovative]

doggieping

[I want the USA back]

Dogs are our best friends!

[libstripper]

They look like a pair of really sweet dogs. Please note that their ears have not been mutilated. That’s a sure sign of pit that are proper family dogs.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Hero dog!

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[vetvetdoug]

Thirty years ago we kept antivenin for Copperheads and Cottonmouths on hand. At that time it was $40 dose/cost and was administered IV with the caution to observe for anaphylactic shock. We used it with regularity. Today, the cost per dose is over $500 with specific instructions for use with the chance of lawsuit at every move. Owners of dogs bitten by these snakes are counseled as to the cost at the referral center that administers the antivenin and given the choice to either go there for standard treatment or go conservative. The conservative route is to use benadryl at a high dose for 24 hours and observe for any signs of hemolysis and run kidney functions and CBC after 12 hours post bite. If the dog's kidneys are not affected then antibiotics and benadryl are the treatment. If kidney function is affected we diurese aggressively. If the venom is injected directly into a vein or artery, the dogs don't make it to the clinic alive. Rattlesnakes are lethal whether they are pigmy, Cane Break, or Eastern Diamondback. I feel for the veterinarians that have to deal with the Mojave Rattler’s bite. The cost for treating a dog with antivenin at Mississippi State or the referral center is $3-5K and have seen a bill as high as $10K.