I am going to Weatherford in Aug to get my dogs their first shots. I was reading about the shots side effects and wanted to ask the following questions to any members who have had experience with this vaccine.

1. Did your dog have swelling that required a vet to have to drain and give antibiotics?
2. Has anyone had a dog that has been bitten by a western diamond back after receiving the vaccine? How did you treat the dog? Is it basically the same treatment procedure but at a lower level or does it depend on the specific area the dog was bitten.
3. The site explains that dogs could even use 3 shots a year verse just 2. How many folks give their dogs 3 shots?

Thanks for your help!

The vaccince does help, it doesn't prevent 100%, but it gives your dog a chance if bitten.

1. I buy the shots from the vet and inject them my self. I have had no issues in 4 years with swelling.
2. A friend of mine had a dog get bitten last year. The bite area (two bites) died and had bleeding, puss, loss of hair and whatnot. From what i can remember, he just gave her anti inflamitory pills. It took about 2 months for her to get 100% back, but the vaccine saved her life.
3. I only use one shot a year, right before dove season. I am speaking in terms of labs, in my case and my friends. I quaill hunted this year once, but if i did on a regular basis, i would give the vaccine at least twice a year.

I would check with the vet to see if giving the vaccine more than once or twice is necessary. They would know a hell of a lot more about it than me. The bottom line is the shots do help. They may not work every time, but with out it, dogs are dead for sure.

Good luck

Mine just had the customary 2 shots.
One of the dogs there was a small lump after second shot. It went away on its own after a couple weeks.
Luckily they haven't been bitten, so can't help you there.

Symptoms a dog can experience

Lethargic for a day or 2

A lump at the ijection sight up to the size of a golfball and could last 3 weeks.

I have read internet horror stories but not confirmed them through my good friend Dr. Smrstick. He thinks it is BS. But the story was a lady had her doctor give her 2 dogs the vaccine and they died with liver failure. Again not confirmed. I don't want to shy folks away, just passing on what I have read. I give my dogs the vaccine every year right before the season begins and have had zero problems with any of the symptoms, other than lethargic but then again they are always lethargic unless you have a bird:)

To answer the question. I have never heard of the knot having to be nedicated or drained.

Oh and I don't believe 3 shots is needed. Unless maybe you live in a really bad snaky type area. Then maybe but I would get with the vet prior to.

The ones I get from my vet, you give them two shots 1 month apart and then only once a year. Have not had one bitten & hope I never do.

I have been giving my GSP the snake shots for five years now and the only side effect I (he) have ever experienced is a small lump at the site of injection, but this can be a common side effect of any injection.

The first set of shots is, two of them… one month apart. From that point on, a yearly booster is all that is needed but they do publish literature that says the effectiveness of the vaccine does not reach its full potential until it has been in a dog’s system for at least 30 days and will begin to lose its effectiveness after 6 months.

Personally, I get my dog a shot in the end of July/first of August time frame and then again in the first of January for late season quail hunting in south Texas. I typically have more interactions with snakes then, than during dove or the first part of quail season.

My dog has been bitten once on the front foot and had major swelling for two days and was back hunting within a week. No tissue damage and only antibiotics for infection were administered to him, cost me $100.

Get the shots, snake break your dog yearly! It’s the best $40-50 you can spend on them.

1) Some loss of hair at injection site after 2nd injection, dog did not give any signs that it bothered her. Hair grew back.
2) Have not been bitten.
3) The vet I get the shots from recommend 2 shots 1 month apart, then yearly boosters. I time the boosters to occur 30 days prior to dove season.

Doug

No major problems(small lump, went down on it's own) on my labs at the injections site.

Had a lab bitten on the nose by a western diamondback rattler.

Took her to the vet. He asked if she had the shot, and we said yes. He gave here benedryl and couple back of fluids and we went home. She was swolen a bit in the head which moved down to her neck. By the next day she was running around like nothing every happened and swelling was almost completely gone.

1. No side affects other than she was tired for a day or two.
2. No, but I had a lap dog die last weekend that did not have the vaccine
3. I had the initial and first booster done a few months apart. The follow-up boosters are annual according to my vet.

I took my DD to the vet yesterday. He is 8 months old. He got initial snakebite shot in April and another in May. I asked about 3 shots and he said only 2 a month apart then yearly booster. He did say that the max effectiveness begins to diminish after 6 months so I will probably get booster in November/December. I have neveer seen any side effects. He did say he had a client who put there pointer in their garage because they were leaving and they did not realize there was a DB in the garage. He said the pointer had a very wide fang bite on the front leg and all they did was give it fluids and Antibiotics and he recovered quickly with no damage.

From what I've read there are only 3 reasons you would do 3 shots.
1 the dog is under 25 lbs
2 the dog is over 100 lbs
3 you live in or hunt in a area that has a lot of rattle snakes. You may want to do the shot every six months instead of yearly.

How much do these shots usually cost?

The going rate is $20 apiece.

That shot wrecked my dogs train!! She had a baseball sized lump on her back that leaked puss for like a week!! I called the vet and he told me to squeeze it out. Stunk like the concho river and looked like that crap on ghostbusters. I'll take my chance on a snake!!!!

That sounds pretty nasty. Wonder if it was the vaccine that caused it or if it was infection at the injection spot?

My Brit did the same thing last year, but it may have been closer softball sized. I had to take her to the vet for antibiotics.

But, I can say it was worth it. On Labor Day weekend we got to our field out west before sunrise. I purposely walked 5 yards in a disced field instead of along the grassline. When my buddy came along there 5 minutes later with his 9 and 5 year old boys and lab there was a big rattler right on the edge of the field. His lab walked right over it twice. I had my 10 year old with me, too. Luckily it was still cool in the morning and it didn't strike.

All it took. I'm not taking that chance with a smaller dog like my Brit. At least the boys had snake boots on...

I have not had that happen with any of my dogs but I have heard of it on several occasions.

I was at a field trial up at Giddings a couple of years ago, and fell into a conversation with a young veterinarian. He said that Texas A&M Veterinarian School did not endorse the snake vaccine, at that time. It might have changed since then. I don't give it to my two pointers. I've helped in snake breakings, but never had it done to any of my dogs over the last 42 years. I've hunted over 80 counties in Texas, and seen maybe a half dozen rattlesnakes, except for a den in Archer county, but that's just me.

http://aevm.tamu.edu/page.asp?o=vm&s=vm&p=344559

Q: What does the rattlesnake shot cover for snake venoms?

A: It is effective against copperheads, but not against cottonmouths. If you visit their website http://www.redrockbiologics.com/risks.html you can find out more information about it.

This Q&A is from a TAMU web site. These old boys must be dead set against it, they call the dang shot effective. That alone is reason enough not to give a $20 shot to a $5,000 dog you took a liken to over the years. I'm with you Bill, take em to snake country and tell them to grow a pair, man up.

$20-$25 a shot seems to be pretty cheap insurance to me. I have had two dogs bit by rattlers since giving the shots and saved both of them. The vet was shocked at how quickly the dogs recovered from the bits.
Adios,
Gary

WE give it to ours, just got the annual for the choc, and yeller just got her first initial and will return next month for the second. Its cheap insurance if you ask me. No side effects to date.

Now I just need to intro the pup to snake breaking

Just got the booster Friday for Daisy. It was $19.

They also recommended twice a year for high risk dogs.

Knowing I have rattlers in my back yard I am considering it in addition to the snake clinics.

It could happen while I am away from the house and not know about it until I got home.

gave it to my bay dogs this year, the new catch dog will get it soon. I have the pack I want now, not risking it on a twenty dollar shot. I had one dog get struck at by a rattler last summer, it just missed hitting her in the face/neck area, I have no idea how, I thought snakes didn't miss. Maybe he was just warning her, I don't know. At any rate, we were a long way from a vet, and it was enough to convinc me.

My vet recommends the shot twice a year once in feb. and once in sept. The vaccine is most effective 30 day after giving and the snakes are most active in march and October and therefore max protection is march april and october and november. I have had 3 dogs bitten with the shots and very little swelling. I have not talked to a single vet in snake country who does not believe in it.