Well this morning, it was Dan's turn. The dogs were trailing a good track and Dan was up front when I heard him yelp. All the dogs got quite and in a few minutes, came back to the truck. Dan was not showing any signs of getting bitten and he was covered in blood from catching a coon on the ground earlier in the hunt.
By the time I got him back to the house and after they treed another coon, he was beginning to swell. The rattle hit him on the bridge of the nose which is a good location if there is such a thing. He has had the rattlesnake vaccine and should be fine in a couple of days. I am guessing that the rattler was lying in the cow trail where Dan was trailing and since he was first in the pack at this point, ran into the snake first.
Adios,
Gary

Hope he is ok, might check with the vet, some I have heard recomend benadryl to help with comfort and swelling.

Oh no ! Hope he is ok !

Most people don't know but they actually have a rattlesnake vaccine for dogs
It's a two shot process. I shoot all 3 of my brittneys with it every year
One shot then a month to the day another shot Nd it covers them for a year
Then 1 shot a year after that

Dang, that sucks...Hope he is ok

Mine havnt been bit yet but my cousin dog was bit and his dog had the vaccine. There was no sweeling and no effects. And the snake bit the lab twice
Ask your vet about it. Up here in the panhandle I know of 2 vets that keep it in stock. Like I said not many people know it's out there. A 40$ shot is worth not loseing a 500$-700$ dog !

Gary stated in his post that his dog was vaccinated. Also, the effectiveness of the vaccine is about 6 months, not a year. Not trying to bust your chops on this but there are a bunch of us on this forum that have been vaccinating our dogs for several years (7 for me) now and we shared a lot of info and research on it before we did it the first time.

here's some info from the company that makes it.

http://www.redrockbiologics.com/rattlesnake_vaccine_faq.php#for_dogs

He has had the vaccine and should be okay. I had two dogs bitten last year and lost one. This year I have already had two bitten and it is not July.
The dog I lost had not had the shots. What I notice is that the vaccine greatly reduces swelling and time that they are swollen. This is a 60 pound, very strong and tough male. He will not be three years of age until July 15th so he is a youngster as well.
Adios,
Gary

First_Chance is correct. The vaccine last approx. 6 months. I was lucky that when Daisy was bitten in March as she was vaccinated in late Aug. There is no doubt that the vaccine greatly reduced the severity of the bite. I, too have been using the rattlesnake vaccine since it hit the market but did not realize that it had been seven years. I will not promise you that it will save a dog in every situation but feel that it is as cheap insurance for a dog that has value. I average getting two dogs bitten a year and it was never one of the average of less dogs...it was always a good one. A good dog is going to make more tracks and put himself/herself in harm's way more often than a dog that is not putting out 100%.
Dan is back to eating as of yesterday evening and the swelling is reduced though not gone.
Adios,
Gary

My vet stated even if I got the vaccine, I would still have to come in and get my pup treated. They said all it was good for was giving me more time to get to them.

Gary,
Did you not take your dog to your vet or just home and wait it out?
Thanks

My vet told me to save my money, didn't think it was worth it and doesn't carry it. So I am on the fence.

My vet had the same thoughts until I started bringing him all the snakebit dogs and he admitted that it greatly reduced the swelling and recovery time. When Daisy was struck in the muscle in her rear leg and was back in my kennel in two days, he admitted that she most likely would not have made it without the vaccine.
My other vet is a firm believer in the vaccine and has been for some time.
At $20/shot, it is cheap insurance in this country where a dog is more likely to get bitten than not. If I was hunting in East or North Texas where rattler populations are lower, I would not use the vaccine.
Adios,
Gary

js4242
I did not take Dan to the vet as he had the vaccine and as I said was struck in a good place. I did hit him with 3 cc of Penicillin on the morning he was bitten and 2 cc the next day. This is simply to help fight infection.
His head still has a little swelling this morning but he sure wanted to go hunting. I have to be in Mississippi most of the week but should be able to hunt him when I return on Friday.
I had to laugh at him yesterday evening. I turned him out to let him roam around while cleaning out the kennels and feeding. One of the huge Jumbo grasshoppers hopped in the grass beside him and Dan ducked his tail and got back in the kennel. I know he thought that the movement was another snake and he wanted no part of it. It may take him a few days to get over the fear of another snake but that is okay with me. I bet when they get a track jumped and running, a rattler will be the last thing on his mind.
It is strange but I don't remember getting a hound struck while he/she was running a track. It is always when they are trailing. I think this is because the dogs are not moving as fast and may be running back and forth over an area, trying to unravel the scent trail.
Adios,
Gary

Dang Gary...You're going to have to start wrapping those dogs in kevlar...get'm some little helmets with a face mask.

My vet told me that even though we had given our dogs the rattlesnake vaccine, they still could get very sick from the bacteria that the snake has... thus another trip to the vet.

Luckily mine haven't been bitten yet.... but I sure wish there was a skunk repellant! They have been sprayed many times.