Hi Curlyking.
Here is some info on Vitamin C I hope it helps.
Vitamin C.
Snake venom affects the nervous system, it slows it down until natural functions stop or are inadequate to support life. A dog's eyes will dilate, looking all black soon after being bitten. So if your dog appears slow, lethargic or distressed, check the eyes. The dog may have had a snake bite while out of your sight.
Our experience is that most bites appear to be not seen, leaving the dog to show signs of distress before examination shows the problem. By this time it is generally too late for conventional cures to work, or cause severe organ damage if successful.
Fang marks can be hard to find as not all bites bleed. If the strike is fresh, there will be a wet area, however, most bites are located a few days later when the hair falls out around the wound.
The big advantage of using Vitamin C is that it is readily available from a variety of locations, it is easy to store, and can be carried on a hunt without any special requirements. All you need is the 50 ml bottle of Vitamin C, a 20 ml syringe, and large needles around number 18 size. keep it in the fridge between hunts.
Dogs of 66 lbs to 110 lbs would need 10 to 15 mls by intramuscular injection to the side of the neck. Depth of 1/4 inch to 3/8 of an inch is needed. If you are worried about this, just get it under the skin at the minimum. However, muscle penetration is preferred, particularly if the dog has advanced symptoms.
You can do follow up injections to ensure the venom has been detoxified. An overdose of Vitamin C does no more than give the dog diarrhoea. Anaphylaxis cannot occur, and the type of snake does not matter.
You can use Vitamin C tablets as the follow up if you are happy with the initial improvement. The dog by now would not be in a mood to have more needles. The tablets can be crushed and used on the bite to detoxify the wound, but it is no replacement for the injection.
The powdered tablets can be used on humans to ease bug bites, such as bull ant and redback spider. I do not know anyone game enough to try the Vitamin C shots on themselves after a snake bite, but I guess its an option if you are desperate enough.
One case to use as an example is a Jack who was heard barking under a verandah, that showed no signs of a bite when called out, and nothing was seen under the house. An hour later, at dusk, the Jack was found rigid and finding it hard to breath. 5 mls was injected into the neck muscles, which
the dog did not feel. The owners wife and kids were all in tears and probably in need of a shot themselves.
After about 40 minutes, the Jack started to breath a bit easier, and the stiffness started to abate. Another 5 mls was injected into the neck, this time she felt the needle.
Around 2 hours after the first shot, the dog was on the move again, wondering what all the fuss was about.
Next morning 2 X 1000 mg, human Vitamin C tablets were given as a backup.
We have heard of all types of animals being given this treatment successfully, but fortunately have not yet needed to administer it to our own dogs. But we are prepared for the time, which hopefully never comes.
