Published at
Monroe GA

Monroe Veterinary Clinic

October 2010
Volume 11
Issue 10

A Small Animal Practice

Celebrating 60 Years of Service

© Monroe Veterinary Clinic.
All rights reserved.

Walton Tribone
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In This Issue...

Celebrity Clients Have Their Own Page !

 Poisonous Snakes in Georgia

We have had several dogs in the Clinic over the last few weeks who have been bitten by copperhead snakes.  Dry weather seems to move the snakes into areas that they might not normally visit. The venom of a copperhead is poisonous and can cause death or serious injury if left untreated.  If you suspect that your pet (or someone) has been bitten by a snake, you need to seek medical help for them immediately.  If you can identify the snake, you can increase their survivability.  You may not know that your pet has been bitten until you see swelling around the head or neck, since that is where most bites occur. The pets that were bitten by the copperhead snakes survived, but required specific treatment.  The health and age of the pet  as well as the amount of venom that your pet receives can also determine the damage to your pet.

If your pet has been bitten:

    Restrict movement of the pet.

    DO NOT cut the bite wound to aspirate the venom.

    DO NOT apply a tourniquet 

    DO NOT apply ice to the area. Seek veterinary attention.
 

The veterinary treatment may vary, depending on the severity of the bite and type of snake.  Antihistamines may be administered and IV fluids given to help prevent low blood pressure. Oxygen is given if needed. Antibiotics are used to prevent secondary infections. Pain medication is provided as necessary. Laboratory tests to check for bleeding problems and organ damage will be performed repeatedly. Blood transfusions may be necessary in cases of severe coagulopathies. The area above and below the bite wounds may be measured every 15 minutes to monitor the swelling. 

All snake bite victims should be observed for a minimum of 12 hours, even when there are no clinical signs. If clinical signs are present, the length of observation is increased to 48-72 hours, as damage to organs may not appear immediately.

Identifying the snake breed can be difficult.  The photos and descriptions of the habit of these snakes came from the Savannah River Herpetology Program.  For more information and photos go to their website: https://uga.edu/srelherp/snakes/agkcon.htm.

 Copperhead Snakes

Copperheads are fairly large – 24 - 40 in (61 - 102 cm), heavy-bodied snakes with large, triangular heads and elliptical pupils (cat eyes). The body is tan to brown with darker hourglass-shaped crossbands down the length of the body. Individuals from the Coastal Plain often have crossbands that are broken along the center of the back. The head is solid brown, and there are two tiny dots in the center of the top of the head. Juveniles resemble adults but have a bright yellow tail tip. As pit-vipers they have facial pits that sense heat and are used to detect prey and predators. Male copperheads are larger than females. Many harmless species in our region are confused with this species but copperheads are the only species with hourglass-shaped crossbands (all other species have blotches that are circular, square, or are widest down the center of the back).

Range and Habitat: Copperheads range throughout the eastern and central United States -. Although copperheads are found in forested areas throughout most of Georgia, their habitat preferences change across our region. In the mountains, copperheads are most common on dry rocky hillsides and sometimes den communally with timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) on open, south-facing hillsides. In the Coastal Plain copperheads are most abundant in lowland hardwood forest and swamp margins. Copperheads are quite tolerant of habitat alteration and remain common in suburban areas of many large cities.

Habits: Copperheads can be found during the day or night, but forage primarily after dark during the hotter parts of the season. They are frequently observed crossing roads on warm nights. In the mountains, copperheads are often found by day basking on rock outcrops or coiled in ambush postures. Copperheads are opportunistic feeders and are known to consume a variety of prey, including amphibians, lizards, snakes, small mammals, birds, and insects. Copperheads mate in the spring, at which time males move long distances in search of females. Females give live birth to 7 – 10 (up to 20) young in the late summer and probably only reproduce every other year. The young have bright yellow tail tips that they wiggle to attract prey such as frogs and lizards. Because they are common in forested habitats and are well-camouflaged, copperheads are responsible for the majority of the snakebites in the Southeast each year. Luckily, copperhead venom is not very potent and deaths from copperhead bites are exceedingly rare. Most snake bites occur when someone tries to kill or harass a snake, so the best way to avoid a bite is to leave any snake you find alone. This is why curious animals are bitten on the face or snout since they sniff or nose the snake.

Notice the green tail tip of the juvenile copperhead. 
The snake blends well with the pine straw and dead tree branches.

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest of the 32 species of rattlesnake currently recognized. They are large, heavy-bodied snakes with large, broad heads with two light lines on the face. Adults are usually 33-72 in (84-183 cm) long, but the largest individual on record was 96 in (244 cm). Mature snakes can tip the scales at over 10 lbs. The background color is brown, tan, or yellowish and covered with the namesake diamonds, which are brown and surrounded by lighter scales. Males are larger than females.

Range and Habitat: Diamondback rattlesnakes are restricted to the Lower Coastal Plain of the Southeast, from southern North Carolina to eastern Louisiana, although the stronghold of their range is in Florida and southern Georgia. This species usually inhabits dry sandy areas, palmetto or wiregrass flatwoods, pinewoods, coastal dune habitats, or hardwood hammocks. They generally avoid wet areas but sometimes live along the edges of swamps. They are accomplished swimmers and even travel through saltwater to and from barrier islands. In many locations this species relies heavily on gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows during winter months.

Habits: Like most large pitvipers eastern diamondbacks spend most of their time coiled in palmetto thickets or other thick vegetation to

ambush prey. Most movement between locations occurs during the day, and is mostly restricted to the morning and evening in summer. Diamondbacks spend the winter in stump holes or tortoise burrows but may emerge on warm winter days to bask. This species feeds almost exclusively on mammals, particularly rabbits. Mating occurs in the spring and fall and females give birth to 12 – 24 young in the late summer. Diamondbacks grow slowly, taking several years to reach maturity, and adult females only reproduce every 2-3 years.

Timber Rattlesnakes or Canebrake Rattlers

Timber rattlesnakes, which are  also called canebrake rattlesnake are large, heavy bodied snakes with the characteristic rattles on the end of the tail. Adults range from 30-60 in (76-152 cm) with the record being more than 6 feet (183 cm) long. Canebrakes are usually gray and may even have a pink hue and a pinkish, yellow, orange, or brown stripe running the length of the back. Timber rattlers are typically more brown or yellowish and may even be black. Both forms have solid black tails that appear almost velvet and black chevrons on the back and sides with the point of the (V) pointing forward. The babies are miniatures of the adults but are usually a lighter gray and have only a single button (rattle) on the tip of the tail at birth. Males get larger than females.

Range and Habitat: Timber and canebrake rattlesnakes have a wide distribution in the eastern United States. This snake occurs in a wide variety of terrestrial habitat including lowland cane thickets, high areas around swamps and river floodplains, hardwood and pine forests, mountainous areas, and rural habitats in farming areas. They typically become reduced in numbers in highly urbanized or areas of housing development.

Habits: Timber and canebrake rattlesnakes become active above ground by late spring and can be seen periodically until the onset of cold weather in late fall. Canebrakes are active during both day and night but spend the majority of their time coiled in ambush positions ready to capture prey.

These rattlesnakes hibernate during cold weather. Timber rattlers congregate in dens in mountainous areas whereas canebrakes often overwinter alone in stump holes or beneath ground cover. They eat mostly small rodents when young, and large individuals kill and eat squirrels and rabbits. Females usually do not reach maturity until at least 5 years old and typically wait at least 2 or 3 years between litters. The live young are born in late summer or early fall around the time that courtship and mating occurs. Large male canebrake rattlesnakes are often seen in late summer or early fall in search of mates. Although reaching large sizes, most individuals are docile when encountered in the wild and often will remain coiled or stretched out without moving. If threatened, however, they will not hesitate to deliver a serious bite.

Pigmy Rattlesnakes

This small -- 14–22 in (38-56 cm) -- rattlesnake is commonly referred to as a pigmy rattler or ground rattler. Unlike the larger rattlesnakes, this species has nine large scales on top of the head and a tiny rattle that can seldom be heard. There are three subspecies of pigmy rattlesnakes, of which two occur in Georgia. Both subspecies have a row of mid-dorsal spots and a bar than runs from the eye to the base of the mouth, but the color of this bar can vary from black to brownish red. An orange or reddish brown dorsal stripe is also present on both subspecies. In young snakes, the tip of the tail is sulfur yellow. The Carolina pigmy rattler can be gray, tan, or lavender. Some specimens from northern Georgia and eastern North Carolina are orange or red. The pattern of this subspecies is usually clean and well defined, with one or two rows of lateral spots. The venter is moderately patterned. The dusky pigmy ranges from bluish gray to nearly black. Numerous dark flecks often obscure the pattern of this subspecies. There are normally three rows of lateral spots, and the venter is heavily patterned.

Range and Habitat: The Carolina pigmy rattler is found in the northeastern, northwestern, and central portion of Georgia. Dusky pigmy rattlers inhabits the southern Coastal Plain area. Dusky pygmies inhabit areas near water sources like creeks, marshes, and swamps but can be found in a variety of habitats including pine and scrub oak sandhills, scrub pinewoods, mixed forests of pine and hardwoods, longleaf pine-wiregrass forests,  and swamps. even   When available, this species is known to use burrows as well of small mammals.

Habits: Pigmy rattlesnakes spend most of their time well-hidden among leaf litter and can be very hard to spot. From such hiding places they ambush a variety of prey including lizards, frogs, small mammals, and insects as well as centipedes. These snakes are most often encountered crossing roads on summer evenings. Females give birth to live young in the late summer or fall.

Rattlesnake Vaccine

There is a vaccine that can be given to prevent the problems that come from a rattlesnake bite.  If your pet is an area that you have seen rattlesnakes, or if you have a hunting dog that may go into an area with rattlesnakes, you may want to provide the vaccination.  Not all veterinary clinics carry the vaccine, but we have it at Monroe Veterinary Clinic.  For more information on this vaccine, call our Clinic at 770 267 3690.  Please note that this cannot be given AFTER a rattle snake bite.  Like any vaccine, it is only effective BEFORE the bite occurs.

Rabies continues to be a problem in Walton County

There have been confirmed cases of rabies in Walton County this summer.  A domestic cat was brought to our Clinic with bite wounds from an unknown animal.  The cat developed rabies from the bite wounds. A rabid fox bit two people in Monroe. Are your pets protected from rabies?  Since humans can get rabies from animals, is your family protected from rabies?

Only mammals can get rabies; birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians do not. Most cases of rabies occur in wild animals—mainly skunks, raccoons, bats, coyotes, and foxes. In recent years, cats have become the most common domestic animal infected with rabies. This is because many cat owners do not vaccinate their cats before the cats are exposed to wildlife  that could have rabies. Rabies also occurs in dogs and cattle in significant numbers and, while not as common, has been diagnosed in horses, goats, sheep, swine and ferrets.

Improved vaccination programs and control of stray animals have been effective in preventing rabies in most pets. Approved rabies vaccines are available for cats, dogs, ferrets, horses, cattle and sheep.

Once the rabies virus enters the body, it travels along the nerves to the brain. Dogs, cats, and ferrets with rabies may show a variety of signs, including fearfulness, aggression, excessive drooling, difficulty swallowing, staggering, and seizures. Rabid wild animals may only display unusual behavior; for example, an animal that is usually only seen at night may be seen wandering in the daytime. In addition to those signs seen in dogs and cats, horses, cattle, sheep, and goats with rabies may exhibit depression, self mutilation, or increased sensitivity to light.

What  should you do if your pet has been bitten by an animal with rabies (or suspected rabies)?

• Consult your veterinarian immediately and report the bite to local animal control authorities.
  
  Even if your dog, cat or ferret has a current vaccination, it should be revaccinated immediately, kept under the owner's control, and observed for a period as specified by state law or local ordinance (normally 45 days or more). Animals with expired vaccinations will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
   
• Dogs, cats and ferrets that have never been vaccinated and are exposed to a rabid animal may need to be euthanatized or placed in strict isolation for six months.
  
  Animals other than dogs, cats, and ferrets that are bitten by a rabid or potentially rabid animal may need to be euthanatized immediately

What should you do if someone in your family is bitten by an animal that we think might have rabies?

• Don't panic, but don't ignore the bite. Wash the wound thoroughly and vigorously with soap and lots of water.
  
  Call your physician immediately and explain how you were bitten. Follow the doctor's advice. If necessary, your physician will give you the post exposure treatment recommended by the United States Public Health Service and may also treat you for other possible infections that could result from the bite.
   
• If possible, confine or capture the animal under a large box or other container if that can be done safely. Once captured, don't try to pick up the animal. Call the local animal control authorities to collect it. If the animal cannot be captured, try to memorize its appearance (size, color, etc.) and where it went after biting you.
  
  If it is a wild animal, only try to capture it if you can do so without getting bitten again. If the animal cannot be contained and must be killed to prevent its escape, do so without damaging the head. The brain will be needed to test for rabies.
  
  Report the bite to the local health department. Prompt and appropriate treatment after being bitten and before the disease develops can stop the infection and prevent the disease.

The most important thing that you can do to prevent rabies is to vaccinate your animal and make sure that their vaccinations are current.  Call our clinic at 770 267 3690 and we will be glad to check on your pet's vaccination status.

Depending on the type of rabies vaccination your pet received, the rabies protection will last for 1 - 3 years.  Make sure that you  that your pet is  currently protected from rabies!!!!!

        Current Pet Product Recalls

For information on the most recent pet food recalls, go to the American Veterinary Association's site on pet food safety. http://www.avma.org/petfoodsafety/recalls/2010/default.asp