Dogs and Rattlesnakes (Phoenix: insurance, house, buying)

[easyman]

I am thinking about moving to Arizona. I live in Western Oregon where there are no rattlesnakes, so my dog gets to go with me on hikes, etc, with no posibility of my dog being bitten by a snake. How do dog owners in Arizona, deal with concerns that their dogs may be bitten by a snake.

[kdog]

If you want your dog to go on hikes with you with no possibility of getting bitten by a rattlesnake, then you need to keep your dog on a short leash. Otherwise you can play the odds and reduce your risks by knowing rattlesnake habits and avoiding hikes when and where they are active.

[swbell6]

I had my dog snake trained a few years ago. You could look into that. There's no guarantee that your dog will remember the training over time, though. The training is based on sight and smell. The smarter dogs get shocked once; dumber dogs might take two shocks before they get it.

I take my dog hiking in the desert in the winter and in the mountains in the summer and haven't had a problem.

I strongly urge you (and your dog) to avoid hiking at night, especially in the summer. That's when the rattlers are active and hunting for prey. On my second - and last - night hike we saw probably a dozen snakes between us hiking up Wasson Peak at night. It's not worth the risk.

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by easyman

I am thinking about moving to Arizona. I live in Western Oregon where there are no rattlesnakes, so my dog gets to go with me on hikes, etc, with no posibility of my dog being bitten by a snake. How do dog owners in Arizona, deal with concerns that their dogs may be bitten by a snake.

1/...Definitely have your dog put through what is officially known as :Snake Avoidance Training....aka "Snake Broke".

2/....Have your Vet innoculate him with "Snake Vaccine". (Ist time is 2 shots 30 days apart......then an annual booster. (Produced by "Red Rock Biologics"...a CA based company.

I wouldn't think of taking my Brittanys out for a hike or hunting in the desert (Quail), or really any outdoor activity.....without protecting them as mentioned above.

[Subie2]

Agree with above- do the annual Rattlesnake Booster. You can easily learn to give it to your dog yourself.

[MonkeyClaw]

We snake-trained our dogs this year. We're still undecided on the vaccine, we've heard mixed reviews from vets. We'll probably do it next year though. We have a lot fewer rattlers here than in the Valley so it's less of a concern. I've seen on so far in the past two years. Saw a baby King the other day though, that was nice.

How do you get the booster to give to your dogs? Does your vet give it to you?

[Subie2]

I wouldn't worry about the vaccine MonkeyClaw- we've been giving it to our German Shepard for years now. No ill effects, and she has a defective pancreas and the vaccine doesn't phase her. We're very health concious with her because of the pancreas so if my very stringent parents give it to our dog, yours should be fine.

I believe you order them online, or you may ask your vet- online would be cheaper. All you do is draw the vaccine out of the bottle with a very small syringe (1 mL) full and inject it into the scruff above the space between the shoulder blades. Easy as pie.

Here's a site that even gives instructions on how to give it:
http://rattlesnakevaccinefordogs.com/
http://www.rattlesnakevaccines.com/

Buying vaccine:
http://www.redrockbiologics.com/

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by MonkeyClaw

We snake-trained our dogs this year. We're still undecided on the vaccine, we've heard mixed reviews from vets. We'll probably do it next year though. We have a lot fewer rattlers here than in the Valley so it's less of a concern. I've seen on so far in the past two years. Saw a baby King the other day though, that was nice.

How do you get the booster to give to your dogs? Does your vet give it to you?

Here are a few more facts that may help you decide about the Vaccine Program:

.....IF your dog gets bitten (a wet bite) by a rattler in AZ ...and has not been vaccinated, the cost of treatment and the antivenom could easily reach $2000.
Plus, the lasting effects of the "bite and tissue damage" to your dog will be permanent: I have seen disfigurement in dogs resulting from a full dose of venom, that "would break-your-heart".

IF your dog gets bitten (a wet bite) by a rattler in AZ and HAS been vaccinated, the cost of treatment would probably be approx $400..maybe less. AND......the overall effects of the "bite" would be substantially less on the dog: much less swelling (that sometimes lasts up to 3 months (in an unvaccinated dog), and the other negative effects are far less severe.

I have nothing to gain if you vaccinate your dog......I simply have seen the "Unbelievable" permanant damage done to some "bird hunting dogs" that have received a wet bite (not all bites are wet) and had not been vaccinated.
Both my Brittanys have recevied the Vaccination Program and have shown no ill effects whatsoever. My 5 1/2 yr old got his first series of two shots at 11 & 12 months, and then his annual booster every fall since then. My older Britt (13 1/2) had the same series of shots with no ill effects either.........I consider it "damn cheap insurance" that I'll have a "normal" dog if he ever gets "hit" and I get him to a vet within 8 hours or so..........That's another benefit to the vaccine:................it gives you from 5 to 8 hours more time to get your dog to a vet. I sometimes am hunting birds several hours from a vet's office.

If you want a real shocker................check out the cost of the Antivenom Treatment for a human who gets "nailed (wet bite) by a rattler". (to my knowledge, there is no "Snake Vaccine for a human....if there was, I sure would get it for myself.)

[jamies]

Dogs as you probably know get bit on the nose or neck. A wide thick collar can offer a little protection as can leather leg chaps, like hikers sometimes wear. (I usually wear flip flops...) Carry a stick when you hike. Some people like snake shot in a pistol. I've tried to practice with that a couple of times using some wood for a target, I'm far better off with a stick.

BTW - big snakes are HEAVY, don't try to pick one up like you see on TV or try to hook it with your stick, the stick is for knocking it away if it strikes or heads your way, until you can RUN!

The key mainly is learn when they are active. I'm in NW AZ so it's a little different. The south they are active all year but less and more sluggish in the winter from around Nov-Mar. Then they will be day active looking for heat. Nights they will be inactive. As summer heats up they go inactive during the day seeking shade and active at night.

So by early summer you don't want to be walking around in the dark without a GOOD bright flashlight.

We often hike in the winter ONLY in a very rocky area. I went up there about the end of May this year when it was getting into the 90's and saw three within 100 feet right on the trail. My guess was there was one under every rock. LOL (Not really...) There's a little water so it draws mice and other tasty snake food - I'm not telling yew people where it is cause if I ever go broke I'm gonna be a snake wrangler and cash in up in those hills.

[R_Cowgirl]

Ok - I've lived here since 2002. Lived in Hawaii (no snakes) for 30 years. I've got little Chihuahuas and live in the north part of Phoenix. Up till tonight, never heard of any snakes in our subdivision (this is about a 30-year old subdivision).

Neighbor across the wall from me just rang the doorbell to warn me he saw a (his words) "sidewinder" in his back yard... Not sure what it was, but he said it was tan and about 3" in diameter. It came out of the ground when he was watering and "slid sideways away" from him. I heard on the news the other day that "the snake babies have hatched" and we should be careful. First I've heard of that and first I've heard of something in my neck of the woods.

So -- help?
What do I do? How do I watch for them? How can you tell the venomous ones from the non-venomous? Where /When do they come out of their little caves? What do I do if I see one? Sorry - I've just not been around snakes for decades! My little dogs live in the house and go out only about 5 times a day. (you can walk a Chihuahua by playing chasemaster around the dining room table )

I looked at other sites on this forum but the links that are there don't work. Any advice would be welcome. Thanx!