Photo courtesy of Smita Malhotra (www.smitaphotoblog.com)
Over the weekend, my friend mentioned that she had gone hiking with her dog at Eaton Canyon. It was tough hike to the falls (about an hour and fifteen minutes), which she did expect, but what she didn’t expect was a face to face run in with a real life California Rattlesnake. Her dog actually showed quite a bit of interest in the snake and that was a little worrisome, because he could have been bit. When she told me about her adventure, I immediately asked her if her dog was vaccinated, and she said no – she didn’t even know there was a vaccine for dogs against rattlesnake venom.
Your vet can prescribe the vaccination for your dog. Unfortunately, different vets charge different rates for the vaccine. There is no set rate, so you may want to do a little cross-shopping before you go to your vet, in case it is possible to negotiate price. Who should get the vaccine? Anyone that lives in an area where your pooch may come across rattlesnakes, or anyone that plans to do outdoorsy activities with their dog (e.g. camping, hiking) in areas where they may come into contact with rattlesnakes. The vaccine is not cheap, so I don’t recommend it unless you really think you and your furry friend will come across rattlesnakes, but if you do, it could save your best friend’s life.
Over the weekend, my friend mentioned that she had gone hiking with her dog at Eaton Canyon. It was tough hike to the falls (about an hour and fifteen minutes), which she did expect, but what she didn’t expect was a face to face run in with a real life California Rattlesnake. Her dog actually showed quite a bit of interest in the snake and that was a little worrisome, because he could have been bit. When she told me about her adventure, I immediately asked her if her dog was vaccinated, and she said no – she didn’t even know there was a vaccine for dogs against rattlesnake venom.
Your vet can prescribe the vaccination for your dog. Unfortunately, different vets charge different rates for the vaccine. There is no set rate, so you may want to do a little cross-shopping before you go to your vet, in case it is possible to negotiate price. Who should get the vaccine? Anyone that lives in an area where your pooch may come across rattlesnakes, or anyone that plans to do outdoorsy activities with their dog (e.g. camping, hiking) in areas where they may come into contact with rattlesnakes. The vaccine is not cheap, so I don’t recommend it unless you really think you and your furry friend will come across rattlesnakes, but if you do, it could save your best friend’s life.
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