Snakebite
Venom and infection pose two-prong issue.
The rattlesnake is the most common poisonous snake in the United States. Bites on the legs of a cow or horse are not as dangerous as on the face.
There are two things to worry about in a snake-bitten animal, according to Salmon, Idaho, Veterinarian Robert Cope: swelling and infection. Swelling on the face can shut off the airways, and dying tissue around a bite can send infection through the body, causing high fever and blood poisoning.
Antivenin, if given soon, can reduce tissue reaction. Cleaning and disinfecting the bite can also help. A portion of the antivenin can be injected in the bite area. He also advises giving the animal antibiotics until danger of infection is past. Your veterinarian can prescribe the appropriate antibiotic.
Ice packs can help reduce swelling and inflammation. DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) will also reduce pain, swelling and inflammation, Cope says. DMSO gel or liquid can be rubbed over the area. If the animal was bitten on the face and is having trouble breathing, liquid DMSO can also be given orally by mixing it with a little warm water and using a syringe to squirt it into the back of the mouth, where it is rapidly absorbed and can keep the air passages open by halting the swelling.
Another drug for reducing swelling and inflammation is dexamethasone, says Cope, but it should not be given to cows that are heavily pregnant. Steroids during the last trimester of gestation can cause abortion.
If swelling on the head is severe, to the point where the animal is in danger of suffocation, your veterinarian may do a tracheostomy, making an incision into the windpipe for the animal to breathe through. This may save its life until the swelling is resolved. Once the windpipe is no longer restricted, the incision can be sutured.
Snakebites often become infected, and this can be more dangerous than the bite itself, says Cope. There isn't enough poison in the venom to kill a large animal, but a serious infection (due to contamination from bacteria that enter with the bite and the dying tissue) may result in blood poisoning. Without prompt treatment, the animal may die.
Cope recommends broad-spectrum antibiotics, and tetanus antitoxin if the animal's tetanus shots are not current. If the bite is several days old before it's discovered, there may be a large, infected swelling that should be lanced and flushed.
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