Advice Please: Copperhead bite

R

regis2259

Boxer Booster
Last night Reece was bitten 3 times on his front leg and once on his face by a Copperhead. I rushed him to the EmergiVet and he was administered the anti-venom, IV Fluids, antibiotics, steroids, anti-histamines and pain meds. When I picked him up this morning he still had a lot of swelling in his neck and front leg. It is difficlt for him to walk and he is still extremely groggy.

I would love to chat with someone who has experienced snake bites and what to expect. He was sent home with a ton of medication and while I want to give him everything he needs I am concerned about some of the anti-inflammatory and pain medication effects. He was also prescribed 5 adult benadryl tablets twice daily.

Regina
 
Gatorblu

Gatorblu

Boxer Insane
How terrifying! How much does your dog weigh? That seems like a lot of Benadryl. I had a dog with extreme allergies and at 70 lbs. she got 3 Benadryl every 8 hours.

My main concern in what you have written is you said he was given a steroid and sent home with an anti-inflammatory. If the anti-inflammatory is a NSAID like, Rimadyl, Carp or Deramaxx. My understanding is they sould not be administered together. Considering everything your dog has been given you want to keep an eye out for ulcers or liver toxicity. Symptoms to look out for are vomiting,
decreased to no appetite, decreased activity level, and diarrhea. Considering what your dog has been through I would expect a lower activity level, but he should want to get up to eat and potty. When my dog went through this he didn't even move when offered a treat and he was extremely food driven. I was on my way to the vet immediately.

I hope Reece recovers quickly! Keep ups updated.
 
Jan

Jan

Reasonable Moderator
Staff member
Fortunately, I haven't had any experience with a snake bite.
I am sending lots of positive vibes your way.
 
R

regis2259

Boxer Booster
Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Yea, it was awful! Every time I close my eyes to go to sleep I see it happening all over again. He is also very cautious about going outside and I am too.
He is a big boy and normally weighs in about 88 pounds, I thought he had put on a couple of pounds but was totally surprised when he weighed in at 97. He does have diarrhea and it is yellow, I was concerned from that about liver issues. He was given Tramadol and Previcox along with the Rilexine. I have been giving him 4 Benadryl and I spaced the last dosage out to 10 hours. I also only gave 1/2 dose of Tramadol and he has only had 1 Previcox.
He is not interested in his food, but has been eating some fruit. I just got back from purchasing some marrow bones and was about to research making him some bone broth.
He is feeling somewhat better and a significant amount of the swelling has gone down.



Gatorblu said:
How terrifying! How much does your dog weigh? That seems like a lot of Benadryl. I had a dog with extreme allergies and at 70 lbs. she got 3 Benadryl every 8 hours.

My main concern in what you have written is you said he was given a steroid and sent home with an anti-inflammatory. If the anti-inflammatory is a NSAID like, Rimadyl, Carp or Deramaxx. My understanding is they sould not be administered together. Considering everything your dog has been given you want to keep an eye out for ulcers or liver toxicity. Symptoms to look out for are vomiting,
decreased to no appetite, decreased activity level, and diarrhea. Considering what your dog has been through I would expect a lower activity level, but he should want to get up to eat and potty. When my dog went through this he didn't even move when offered a treat and he was extremely food driven. I was on my way to the vet immediately.

I hope Reece recovers quickly! Keep ups updated.
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