A couple of Pets getting snake bit today

[dirtlooter]

A good friend had a young Jack Russel get snake bit in the face today, no idea about what kind of snake and the puppy is at the Vet's right now. One of my uncles had found three copperheads, one yesterday and two this morning. My aunt had actually stepped over one snake this morning and their newly acquired cat got bit by the other one around the face as well. The cat took off immediately and hasn't been seen yet. Normally copperhead bites don't kill dogs or cats but they may take a week to get over them. Not quite the case with rattlesnakes and cottonmouths as they tend to be muscle destroyers. The cicadas have been coming out big time and that is what a lot of the snakes are feeding on.

 

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[Professor of Engineering]

Hope all is well with the puppy!

 

[dirtlooter]

My wife has snakes on the brain right now, it is nearly dark and she thought that our cat was after a snake out front. I got out there pretty fast with a walking stick but even before I got out the door, I could see that the cat was after a bug and what she thought was a snake was in fact just a stick LOL. The cat, thought that we were idiots I guess and left the bug to us.

 

[Mudflap]

Wonder if all the hotter weather this summer has caused a lot more snake activity.

 

[Doug H]

Dont know if it's true or not nor if it applies everywhere but someone at my wife's church told her its mating season for copperheads.

 

[RustyGold]

Hope the pets get well soon. Good luck!

 

[ticndig]

I've seen 8 different black snakes this season ,a green snake and a worm snake . I've yet to see a copperhead here.
I'm surrounded by thousands of acres of forest so I know they are here and do watch my step.

When I lived on a tiny patch of dirt in Fredericksburg Va surrounded by thousands of acres of houses I killed copperheads every year for 30 years.and saw plenty of blacksnakes to.

I kill copperheads but let the others live as they are harmless and good at keeping the mice under control .

 

[smokeythecat]

I was in timber rattlesnake territory yesterday digging a field. Didn't see any! Thank you God!

 

[smokeythecat]

How are the pets doing? My adopted cat is very, very ill. Been a bummer day.

 

[smokeythecat]

Has the cat come back?

 

[Simon1]

How are the pets doing? My adopted cat is very, very ill. Been a bummer day.

=====
Hope your cat gets better. One of mine passed and it's tough. Prayers for you and I too would like to know if dirtlooter's aunt's cat has come back

 

[dirtlooter]

nope, cat still gone but it had only been there a few days and not really established as home so we don't know if it will come back. Haven't heard yet about the puppy but will let you know when I know

 

[dirtlooter]

the puppy is back home but still has a lot of swelling and has a protective cone to protect the head and face.

 

[Simon1]

Sounds like progress dirtlooter. Thanks for the update.

 

[gemee]

How are the pets doing? My adopted cat is very, very ill. Been a bummer day.

What is wrong with your kitty? Hope you get it to the vet.

 

[Trezurehunter]

Hope the pets turn out ok. Thankfully, we don't have much in the way of poisonous snakes in my area of Illinois.

 

[BLK HOLE]

Hope your fur faces heal up!

 

[smokeythecat]

No kitty return yet?

 

[Megalodon]

Hope both cat and dog recover from their bites. Sometimes there can be some organ damage from the venom. Even so, it can be a tough decision to seek treatment. If you go that route, I'd recommend doing the anti-venom only and not the commonly used Benadryl in conjunction. I had a cat bitten by a copperhead and raced him to an emergency clinic where they gave him anti-venom but also Benadryl. He was allergic to the Benadryl and it put him into convulsions which took them several days to connect to their treatment. I believe it is a common allergy. He died 10 years later at 12 - which I consider early, of acute kidney disease, and I always wondered if it was a result of old damage from the venom. Our two cats today are strictly indoors.

With all your snakes, I have to assume the anti-venom is kept in stock locally?

 

[Megalodon]

Dont know if it's true or not nor if it applies everywhere but someone at my wife's church told her its mating season for copperheads.

Could be. The guide books usually say they mate in late spring and again in early fall. I consider this to be late summer. I've seen quite a few wrapped together from spring through fall but I don't bother them by getting close enough to tell if they are mating or fighting. They are certainly more active when it is hot and that activity in the heat may be more important that the mating when it comes to being bitten.

At least the southern subspecies of the copperhead's venom contains the chemical called contortrostatin. I don't know if human trials are being conducted yet, but lab mice with breast cancer have had the cancer slowed by controlling blood flow to the tumors. Its believed that growth of other types of cancer can also be slowed with this chemical:
https://www.cancerdefeated.com/newsletters/Snake-Venom-New Hope-For-Cancer-Treatment.html