Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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Rattlesnake Roundup Posted: 30 Sep 2009 05:26 AM PDT I've been doing a whole series of posts over at the PurinaCare blog on protecting your dog from an encounter with a rattlesnake. It dawned on me that this would be useful info for our Scratchings and Sniffings readers, too. You can go over and read the whole sequence but it would probably be useful to start at the end and work forwards over here. First of all, there are two ways to protect your dog; vaccination and what is called "aversion training".   Lots of people might be surprised to learn that there is a vaccine for snake bite. There is, but please read all the "what ifs" associated with this vaccine. Coupled with good aversion training you can be relatively assured that your pooch won't be in for the worst.   We've learned from reader comments that it's not all that easy. William, a rancher and reader from South Texas wrote in that his dog had both aversion training and the vaccine and despite that she got nailed by a large rattler and spent a night in the local veterinary clinic getting treatment. Apparently, it was touch and go for a while but I got an e-mail from William letting me know that Della had pulled through.    How can this happen? How can a responsible pet lover do all the right things and still come up short? The answer is in that age old adage; the devil is in the details. It turns out that the vaccine is not that long lived. You can't just vaccinate once and forget it. The manufacturer highly recommends that dogs living in places where rattlesnakes are out all year should get boostered every six months. If you are thinking about doing this, and I would still recommend it, you should read the FAQ section so you understand all the nuances associated with this vaccination.   According to William, his vet and hospital staff should read up a little on it, too.   It also appears that the aversion training is not a life long solution, either. Dogs need refresher courses to keep them vigilant. It turns out that they can forget how to respond appropriately if they don't get the right stimulus every now and then. Like once a year, according to the trainers.   So be forewarned. You can take a couple of common sense precautions to protect your dog from snakes. You just have to follow up to make sure that both training and vaccination remain effective.

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