Our little dachshund was bitten by a rattlesnake 2 days ago. My husband and kids were in the backyard when it all went down. The kids were freaking out,as was I. My husband and two of the kids grabbed him and ran him to the emergency vet. After a quick exam,the vet found the puncture wound on the side of his snout as it had started to swell. They shaved the area and part of his leg to get an IV in him stat. Being that the little guy is only 11 pounds,time was of the essence. The vet couldn’t guarantee that he would make it if they gave him the anti-venom and told my husband the minimum cost would be $1800. He looked at the vet,then at the kids and wondered what I would say. Jokingly he said,“well,it’s cheaper than a divorce if I say no so,go for it!”
They stayed with him for a little while as he whimpered in pain and started to get very lethargic. The vet told them to go home and come back in a few hours to check on him because if the anti-venom did started working,he would be there all night. This is him with the side of his snout starting to swell as the kids walked out the door.
How could you ever say no to saving that face? A few hours later we went back to see him. His face was even more swollen,he had the IV in his leg and just cried as we sat there with him. The kids were so upset but put on a brave face. They knew there was a chance in the morning he may be gone.
The next morning,after dropping the kids off at school,my husband and I went to see him. I had my fingers crossed that he was ok. As soon as we walked in the door and he heard my voice he started barking,ahhh,what a relief. He didn’t look the greatest,but he was going to make it,thank goodness. The fluid from the side of his face had made it’s way to his neck and it looked like a goiter!
Even my husband,whom he always pees on,had a smile on his face that he was ok. The two of them have this little love/hate relationship! He was released to go home only after we were instructed on all his medications and paid the bill. With an itemized list that went on for 2 pages,the final tally was over $2200. I gasped! My husband shook his head and just said,“happy wife,happy life!”
The whole situation was a bit crazy,stressful and expensive but,at the end of the day,it could have been a heck of a lot worse if that dang snake had gotten one of my kids instead.
A big thank you to the All Creatures Emergency Center in Newhall,CA for saving our pup!
www.mommywarriors.com
