Most snakes in the US are not poisonous. The four major snakes that are poisonous are the Cooperhead,Rattler,Coral and Cotton Mouth Moccasin.The one thing that we all dread is our beloved canine getting bit by a poisonous snake. There are a few things we must do in the event this happens to your dog. First Do Not Panic dogs bitten by snakes have a great chance of coming through ok, about 93% of dogs bitten by poisonous snake come through fine. Below is of list of the do & don't that you should do.

We speak on experience as we live on a farm and have had a couple of our dogs bitten by Copperhead snakes, including our top show dog. They all are doing fine now and you can not tell that they were even bitten by a snake.

Behavior of the animal: Signs and symptoms depend on the size and species of the snake, location of the bite and amount of toxin absorbed into the system. The first signs are extreme restlessness, panting, drooling and weakness. They are followed by diarrhea, collapse, sometimes seizures, shock and. in severe cases, death.

To Do

1. Do Not Panic
2. Keep the dog still do not let him move around, dog will be scarred and yelping like you have never heard before. Check nose, neck and legs for the bite these are the most common area's of snake attacks. You will notice swelling and redness and hemorrhages in the area of the bite. This will happen with a minute of the attack.
3. Take a small towel and rip a 1" wide piece and wrap around the bite area.
4. Keep the area of the bite elevated higher than the heart
5. Call your vet time is crucial, if your vet is closed call a emergency care hospital. You should have both numbers somewhere so you can get to them immediately
6. Give your dog 1 cc of Benadryl liquid per 25lbs, give directly in the mouth
7. If you can get from your vet have Penicillin liquid on hand and give 1 cc per 44 lbs
8. Carry your dog to your vehicle

Don't Do

1. Do not try and give your dog any water.
2. Do not put ice on the bite area this used to be a wise tail that you would keep the poison in a specific area so it 
would not spread through the blood system, now this has proven to be more danger than helpful.
3. Do not cut the bite area so that it can bleed and poison can be sucked out of the blood system, you can do more damage than good if you don't know what your doing
4. Do not let your dog move around at all 

Your dog will more than likely have to spend a couple of days and nights at the clinic. Most clinics do have visiting hours for you and family to see your dog. Take advantage of this as your dog is scared to death and can use the loving from all family members. Believe me this does make a difference in your dog. The dog needs to see and  know that you have unconditional love for him.

There a few things that you can do to prevent snakes from around your property.

1. Keep grass cut low
2. Make sure that you don't have any brush piles on your property as snakes love to hide in this area
3. Make sure you have any cracks in building filled up, snakes only need 1/4" to get into any place
4. Use lime very heavily on your lawn some people say that the lime burns the snake and they will not cross the path
5. There is a product call Snake-Away that does work sometimes you buy it in a 4 lb. tub and will treat about 150 linear feet
6. There are some good traps on the market that you can buy check with your local garden center

The most important thing to remember is not to panic, everything should turn out ok for you and your dog. We hope that your dog or yourself ever have to encounter these measures, but if it does we hope we have been helpful to your dog and you. Remember your dog is not a dog it's a family member.