Are You Prepared for Rattlesnake Season?

You and your horse are walking along the trail and you hear a sound that ignites both fear and uncertainty.  Rattlesnake!  That unmistakable sound can get a rise out of the most hardened veterans of the Chatsworth trails, because we all know that a bite can be both quick and deadly.

Dogs and horses tend to look at the situation a bit differently.  While we humans are doing our best to avoid the situation, oftentimes our animals will be intrigued by the hissing and twitching and get bitten.  In the case of horses who tend to keep reinvestigating the situation, they can be bitten several times.  As the old adage goes, “Curiosity killed the cat.”

So what do you do if your horse is bitten on the trail?

According to Barney Fleming, DVM (Rattlesnake Safety While Trailriding, www.myhorse.com) you shouldn’t panic as most adult snakes don’t produce enough venom to take down a horse.  The problem with snake bites and horses is the tissue damage and swelling they cause.  Fleming recommends the following steps in the event of snake bite on trail:

Step 1. Don't panic. Snakebites in horses are usually nonfatal and the resulting swelling could take hours or even days for it to reach a point where it'd block airflow.
Step 2. Return to civilization. Walk, don't run, back to your barn or trailer. Running increases your horse's circulation and respiration, which may intensify/speed up his reaction to the poison.
Step 3. Call your veterinarian immediately.
Step 4. Apply ice. Ice reduces swelling and reduces the action of the venom. (If you have ice with you on the trail, apply it right away.) While you wait for your vet, ice the affected area 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off, or per your vet's instruction.
Many old timers carry with them three to four inch pieces of garden hose in their saddle bags just in case their horse is bitten in the face.  If your horse gets bitten in the nose, there is a chance their nostrils can swell shut.  According to the experts at the Mar Vista Vet Hospital in Los Angeles, rattlesnake bites can cause nearly a third of the body’s total circulation to be diverted to swelling.  Inserting tubing into the nostrils will allow your horse to breathe should the nostrils swell shut.

With rattlesnake season in full swing, its comforting to know that there is a vaccination available for dogs and horses.  Red Rock Biologics out of Woodland, Calif., developed the vaccine for dogs and began distributing it back in 2004.  The horse vaccine was introduced this year and the good news is that out of 700 horses that were injected, not one of them had any type of a reaction other than some minor swelling at the injection site (37 horses experienced this).   The cost of the vaccine is less than $50. 

Martie Janway, a spokesperson for Red Rock explained, “The vaccine causes the body to start releasing anti-bodies immediately when a horse (or dog) is bitten.  This is like being pre-loaded with a dose of anti-venin.”  The result is a milder response to the snakebite and a quicker recovery.

Local large animal vet Marta Granstedt, DVM has a dog that was vaccinated against rattlesnake bites and was bitten recently.  She said that her dog experienced a “remarkable recovery” and the only thing left of the bite is a very small scar.  Granstedt also warned that because a dog or horse has been vaccinated, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to treat them if they are bitten.  They must see a veterinarian immediately if bitten by a rattlesnake.

For more information on the rattlesnake vaccine, contact Red Rock Biologics at 866-897-7625 or visit their website at www.redrockbiologics.com.  Their website is being updated with the equine vaccine information and will be completed within a couple of weeks.