Prairie varmints are hazardous to dogs

Reporter's note: I was in the Blaine County Veterinary Clinic when two bird hunters were at the counter with their bird dog. The dog was sitting calmly, on leash, and looking around the clinic waiting room. The hunters were in the Malta area when their dog was bitten by a rattlesnake. With no vets available in Malta, they headed for Chinook. Dr. Roger Baxter had just treated the dog with antivenin for the bite and told me he had treated two additional snakebites to dogs in the last few days.

A few days later the vet clinic called, another bird dog had encountered a porcupine and the dog lost the fight. Asking around I learned there are a lot of 'dog-varmint' encounters around our area. Here's a bit of what I learned about a couple of these local encounters.

A recent snakebite

in Blaine County

In late August, Mike Inman, of Chinook, was on property he owns in northwest Blaine County, near Dry Fork Reservoir. Inman's three year old female Border collie, Star, was with him on the outing. Inman said, "I was taking some photos and stepped off into some high weeds to get a better angle. Star came running up and was bitten on a front leg. The snake never rattled until after it had bitten Star. I never saw the snake until after the strike."

Inman immediately headed for the vet clinic. Star received the antivenin treatment normally administered for a snake bite to a dog. "Within two days," Inman said, "Star was up and running around like she normally does." He added, "I had another dog bitten several years ago near the same location. It was bitten on the neck. The swelling came on so fast the dog died before we could adequately treat it." Swelling of the respiratory system, so severe it closes a dog's airway, is a common cause of death.

What to do

Most dog owners say it's wise to be cautious about where you take dogs during warm weather. Inman said July and August, in his opinion, are the times when dogs are most likely to be bitten-in warm weather when snakes are most active. Several posts on the internet say, "Leave your dog at home in warm weather when you go to an area known to have snakes." That's pretty straightforward, but maybe not always practical.

Another approach is administering 'rattlesnake vaccine' to dogs that will be in areas with snakes. Proponents of vaccine (the most popular seems to be a product by Red Rock Biologics) say "...vaccinated dogs experience less pain and have a reduced risk of permanent injury from rattlesnake bites." Other owners are opposed to the vaccine as it has risks in and of itself. Best advice on vaccines, ask your own veterinarian for their opinion and recommendation.

Some owners carry and inject antihistamines which can reduce a dog's reaction to a bite-minimizing swelling and giving the dog some pain relief. Benadryl, an over the counter remedy used to treat allergic reactions, seems to be the preferred choice. Injected antihistamine, in proper proportions, gives a dog relief before veterinary treatment.

Another option is "snake proofing." This approach uses a defanged rattlesnake in a confined area. A dog is introduced into the area with the snake and if the dog approaches the snake, a shock is administered to the dog via a shock collar. Opinions run strongly for and against this one-some arguing it can confuse a dog that already has an aversion to snakes.

And then there

are porcupines...

Two bird hunters, from Virginia, brought one of their bird dogs in for porcupine quill removal. Barry Wright, the dog's owner, said the dog got quills in its tail and then encountered another-quills full in the face and mouth. He said the dog kept hunting for a time, then was getting so agitated they came to the clinic. He and his hunting companion, Dr. Russ Dennington, together couldn't restrain the dog to remove the quills for fear of getting bitten.

In the same hunting area, Dennington's dog also got stuck by quills from another porcupine. He carries a small Swiss knife with scissors. Dennington said, "I use the scissors to clip off the quills which are filled with air. They tend to collapse after cutting and then I can more easily pull out the quills myself. If there are a lot of quills, I will take the animal to a vet.

Wright's dog was sedated by the vet to remove the quills. Dr. Baxter, at the clinic, told both men that a dog that gets hit by more than just a few quills needs to be brought for treatment-mainly for shots to avoid infections from the quills. Both the Virginia hunters had owned dogs that had been hit by quills, one that avoided porcupines and this latest one that seems to want to conquer the porcupines.

Some experts say a dog will either be cured one time after being hit by quills or see it as a fight to be won and continue trying to subdue the next porcupine it meets.

An experienced bird hunter told me a dog can smell a porcupine. He said, "My dog will stop sniffing the ground and hold its head up. That's a good sign it's found a porcupine and I go pull it away. That usually solves the problem."

One of the hunters from Virginia said he once had a dog that would actually point a porcupine and he could go pull the dog away.

Can you 'porcupine proof' a dog? Opinions vary but there are a few clinics listed on the internet. If you'll be in porcupine country, common advice seems to be to carry a tool (pliers) to pull the quills and a mild sedative (Gravol). The sedative is to calm the dog while pulling the quills. Caution: experts say Gravol doesn't work on every dog. And you'll likely need someone to hold the dog while removing the quills.

Dogs and varmints will have their encounters. Dog owners can take some steps to prevent encounters, but the inevitable will likely happen at some point. There are treatments that can be made in the field, but any serious encounter should be followed up with a veterinarian. The long term health of the dog could be at stake.