lionqueen Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Hi everyone, my girl was bitten by a red-bellied black snake at 1-2 weeks pregnancy...We didn't know the cause of her illness until we rang the vet the next day as she was unusually lethargic. After telling the vet her symptoms ,we eventually found the dead snake after a search (we have acreage, and not usually a snake problem as we are in very dry country). So the anti-venom was useless according to our vet...She was on a fluid drip for two days, after which her red blood count etc came back up to satisfactory levels. She since whelped 7 wonderful, healthy and vet cleared puppies, which is a miracle...My question is, the pups are 9 weeks on thursday, they have been weaned (gradually) since 6 weeks, but she has developed an irritation under her neck since then, near the site of the snake bite...I have had her with our male since then, they get along fabulously, except he likes to lick her "sore" (Which I am sure isn't helping)... I am wondering what it could be, as she has NEVER has a skin drama (she is 7, this is her 3rd and last litter), we haven't moved, my male dog has no skin/health problems, nor any of the pups....Could she be immune compromised due to the snake toxins, or could she just be scratching due to separation anxiety from her pups? It is worrying me, as she is my special girl...Any help would be appreciated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 What does the vet say about the scab? Has he/she offered a solution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wundahoo Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 From what you say, the snake bite occurred about 4 months ago and so it's unlikely that the irritation is related to that. I would suggest that it's probably something completely different. If her puppies play with their mum then it's possible that they may have damaged her skin. My bitches put up with all sorts of stuff from their puppies and often carry some skin wounds inflicetd by needle-sharp puppy teeth used in over enthusiastic play. If she was immune compromised (and I think that this is unlikely) then you would probably be seeing other signs that would indicate a poorly functioning immune system. If it's persisting and not healing then its best to get it checked by your vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 ..it could be a hundred ( well, not quite) things :) including a hot spot /puppy bite/ collar irritation ...... best to get a vet check it if it is concerning .... then you'll know for sure . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wundahoo Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 ..it could be a hundred ( well, not quite) things :) including a hot spot /puppy bite/ collar irritation ...... best to get a vet check it if it is concerning .... then you'll know for sure . Agree..... could be lots of things probably not related to the sanke bite. Vet if concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionqueen Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 Thank you all, I am probably jumping to conclusions, I had her tied near the puppy run after weaning for a week, and that is when the irritation started, prob due to her not liking being tethered as she is normallyfree rangs LOL! Plus the fact that I integrated her back with our male who is very "caring" ...as in cleans her, and when I put anything on it, he licks incessantly. I have been seperating them when I have put cream on her now...Freaks me out as she looks awful, and I have puppy buyers coming next week... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 .. she has probably rubbed her neck raw with the collar or whatever you used ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Thank you all, I am probably jumping to conclusions, I had her tied near the puppy run after weaning for a week, and that is when the irritation started, prob due to her not liking being tethered as she is normallyfree rangs LOL! Plus the fact that I integrated her back with our male who is very "caring" ...as in cleans her, and when I put anything on it, he licks incessantly. I have been seperating them when I have put cream on her now...Freaks me out as she looks awful, and I have puppy buyers coming next week... :-) Why would you distress her by tying her up near the puppy run when you know it stresses her out. She probably injured herself struggling to break free of the tie out. Sorry but I don't see anything to LOL about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wundahoo Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Thank you all, I am probably jumping to conclusions, I had her tied near the puppy run after weaning for a week, and that is when the irritation started, prob due to her not liking being tethered as she is normallyfree rangs LOL! Plus the fact that I integrated her back with our male who is very "caring" ...as in cleans her, and when I put anything on it, he licks incessantly. I have been seperating them when I have put cream on her now...Freaks me out as she looks awful, and I have puppy buyers coming next week... :-) This puts a different light on things. If you had mentioned this in the first place then I think that just about everybody's opinions would have been that it's highly likely to be the cause and that it's far more likely to be this than some form of immune mediated issue. I think that you are lucky all that she has is some skin irritation to show for it. A very good vet once said "when you hear hoofbeats, dont look for zebras" ...... so true in this case !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionqueen Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 Thanks for the replies...once again. She was only tethered near her pups for 1 week tops (AND only at night, she is free to roam through the day) to help the transition from weaning, and the subsequent separation anxiety ...I didn't want to put her in the big dog runs farther away...She had a soft webbing collar, out of interest, the ones with plastic buckles...She is now free of restraint, and away from her husband... hopefully she shows improvement... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 something rubbed , though, it seems ... it'll heal quickly enough :) if it doesn't look much improved in a few days .. get it checked out :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionqueen Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 Thank you all, I am probably jumping to conclusions, I had her tied near the puppy run after weaning for a week, and that is when the irritation started, prob due to her not liking being tethered as she is normallyfree rangs LOL! Plus the fact that I integrated her back with our male who is very "caring" ...as in cleans her, and when I put anything on it, he licks incessantly. I have been seperating them when I have put cream on her now...Freaks me out as she looks awful, and I have puppy buyers coming next week... :-) Why would you distress her by tying her up near the puppy run when you know it stresses her out. She probably injured herself struggling to break free of the tie out. Sorry but I don't see anything to LOL about. CavNrott, She was tied near her puppies to minimise stress on her and her babies, through the weaning period. When I said "due to her not liking being tethered" means she probably had a few scratches at the collar as she normally goes uncollared...Certainly I don't feel that she was anxious or agitated enough to break the skin.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) Bathe the site of the irritation with Calendula Tea. If the cause is no longer present, this should help it to heal and resolve. Very lucky she survived the snake bite and that the puppies weren't affected by venom. Edited January 28, 2014 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) Thank you all, I am probably jumping to conclusions, I had her tied near the puppy run after weaning for a week, and that is when the irritation started, prob due to her not liking being tethered as she is normallyfree rangs LOL! Plus the fact that I integrated her back with our male who is very "caring" ...as in cleans her, and when I put anything on it, he licks incessantly. I have been seperating them when I have put cream on her now...Freaks me out as she looks awful, and I have puppy buyers coming next week... :-) Why would you distress her by tying her up near the puppy run when you know it stresses her out. She probably injured herself struggling to break free of the tie out. Sorry but I don't see anything to LOL about. CavNrott, She was tied near her puppies to minimise stress on her and her babies, through the weaning period. When I said "due to her not liking being tethered" means she probably had a few scratches at the collar as she normally goes uncollared...Certainly I don't feel that she was anxious or agitated enough to break the skin.... You might want to have a look at how you manage the bitch and the weaning process in future - there isn't any reason to tie her up or lock her away from the puppies to do this. Wash it with a Calendula tea rinse and put Aloe Vera Gel on it a couple of times a day. Snake bite,weaning so radically being tied up trying to get to her babies,then with another dog which is constantly licking it and post babies her immune system will be knocked around so feed her the Calendula tea slops too. The fact the other dog is licking it implies its weeping or moist - if you use the Calendula and Aloe and you don't see an improvement within 2 days get her to a vet - you probably should have the vet look at it first anyway to be sure its not staph or similar. This is all pretty hard on this girl.the least of your problems will be how it looks to the puppy buyers if you dont knock it over and treat her with some TLC Edited January 28, 2014 by Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwaY Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I had her tied near the puppy run after weaning for a week She was only tethered near her pups for 1 week tops (AND only at night, she is free to roam through the day) A crate perhaps ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) take the poor dog to the vet and get her attended to. Edited January 29, 2014 by Rebanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionqueen Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 I took her to the vet and it turns out it's a hot spot, and a bit of a skin irritation...She is on antibiotics, medicated wash, and Comfortis, plus the vet suggested some extra omega oil and probiotics for her skin and her gut. She said most likely a combination of all the aforementioned factors, plus the extreme heat here (we have had up to 48 degree days for 3 weeks plus) and the fact that she loves to swim to keep cool...Probably not helping her skin though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 glad it will be on the mend soon. hotspots come up so fast ..and the sking just needs a tiny break to allow the infection a foothold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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