Dog & Cat Snakebite Management
Please review the following guidelines for pre-hospital management for all North American pit vipers. Pit vipers in the United States include all rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths (also known as water moccasins). You do not need to identify the species of snake in order to treat in the USA. VenomVet and Rattler brand veterinary antivenoms are approved for all North American pit viper envenomations. While antivenom is most effective in the first six hours, it can still benefit if there are ongoing venom effects.
Pit viper envenomation is GENERALLY characterized by local tissue injury and, less commonly, hematologic abnormalities and systemic toxicity such as low blood pressure, vomiting, airway swelling. Some pit vipers, such as certain populations of Mojave rattlesnakes, cause neurological toxicity.
Pre-hospital Guidelines
NSS pre-hospital management
The most important steps following a bite are:
Distance your pet and yourself from the snake. Do NOT endanger yourself by getting within striking range of the snake in order to catch your pet. If you get bitten, you will not be able to help your pet.
If you can do so safely, take a photo of the snake. ID is not required for proper treatment.
Do not attempt to capture, kill, or transport the snake. Interacting with a defensive snake increases the likelihood of you being envenomated.
Remove collars, leashes, harnesses or anything constricting in areas where the bite or swelling is present.
Avoid excitement or strenuous activity to the best of your ability.
Do not administer any medication, especially NSAIDs (Carprofen, Rimadyl, Miloxicam) as these increase bleeding tendencies and may cause kidney injury.
Head immediately to the emergency vet. Call ahead to confirm antivenom is stocked. Snakebites are medical emergencies and there are NO effective home remedies.
NSS cannot provide wound identification. But we can share some info about what to watch for. While these will outline the proper procedures for a pit viper envenomation, if your pet is painful, swollen, showing signs of distress and/or visible wounds, prompt evaluation is warranted.
Notes on finding an emergency vet
Google 24hr emergency vet to find the closest near you. Call to confirm they have antivenom in stock. Severe envenomations may require overnight hospitalization that many day-to-day vet clinics do not offer.
Vet Funding Resources
ScratchPay and CareCredit are the most widely accepted loan programs. Creating a post on your personal social media pages or sharing a GoFundMe is also helpful. People are more receptive when you share the estimate from the vet along with their contact information in case donors prefer to send funds directly to the vet’s office. NSS also has a list of grants created by Cyn Mobley that may apply. Click here to open the image to save.