Health
SNAKEBITE IN HORSES WHAT TO DO UNTIL THE VET ARRIVES
BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
T
he rattlesnake, the most common poisonous snake in the U.S., is often found in California. Similar to people and other animals, horses can be susceptible to snakebites.
Rattlesnakes belong to a larger family of snakes called pit vipers, which includes the water moccasins and copperheads. All of these can be dangerous, but the potency of a bite depends on the amount of venom the snake injects, the types of toxins in the venom, and 34
the size of the bitten animal. Very small animals such as rodents and birds die quickly; this is how the snake kills its prey. Larger animals are less at risk for immediate death, but a bite can still be dangerous, especially for a small child or pet. Large animals such as horses or cattle are less likely to be killed by the venom itself but could die from complications such as swelling on the face or infection from the bite wound. Dr. Jen Haugland, an associate veterinarian at Sorensen Veterinary Hospital in Belgrade, Mont., has treated many snake-bitten animals. “Most of the bites in this region are
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from the prairie rattlesnake (Crotalis viridis) and several sub-species,” she said. “Te rattlesnake vaccine that’s available to give protection to horses or dogs is not tailored to this type of snake, however. It is more specifc against efects of western diamondback venom—a snake that is more common in Texas and the Southwest—but this vaccine may provide some cross-protection. “Tere are three kinds of bites, but only two are actually a problem. A dry bite injects no venom. Tere is also a bite for killing prey and a bite for defense. Most of the bites in cattle and horses are defensive bites.” In those cases, the snake is startled by
GETTY IMAGES
Western diamondback rattlesnake
