My snake was bitten by prey and is dying. What can I do now?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bluey! I am glad that Bluey is doing ok at 2 days post snake bite. The prognosis is fair to good with early intervention (antivenom, hospitalization). I think he prognosis is guarded with out Veterinary care. In one study, 8/11 affected dogs survived to discharge, with a median hospital stay of 4.5 days. Clinical signs can last for 1-1.5 weeks, and full recovery may take months as neurologic receptors regenerate. Even if she doesn't receive the antivenom, administration of appropriate supportive care is very important. Clip and clean the wound. Broad spectrum antibiotics may be indicated for 7-10 days if infection and localized tissue damage/necrosis are present at the bite location. Although the mouths of snakes contain a multitude of bacteria, prophylactic antibiotics are not warranted for most bites. Clinical signs can be delayed, with American snakes it can be 10-18 hours. Clinical signs are primary neurologic, respiratory, and cardiovascular in nature. They may include hypersalivation, vomiting, diarrhea, ataxia, depression/decreased mentation, ascending flaccid quadriplegia (curare-like syndrome, decreased spinal reflexes), muscle fasciculations, reduced nociception, hypothermia, anisocoria, dyspnea, tachypnea, tachycardia, cardiac ventricular arrhythmias, cranial nerve deficits (e.g. decreased pupillary light, gag and swallow reflexes), weakness, and respiratory depression. Evidence of coagulopathy (e.g. hematuria, hematochezia) can also occur. Aspiration pneumonia is a potential complicating factor. Death is possible and is usually secondary to respiratory paralysis. My best recommendation is to seek Veterinary Care, but I understand your situation. The best thing to do is watch her closely and hope for the best! I hope this helps and I wish Bluey the best!

Most likely this is an abscess due to a bite by another cat based on your description. A snake bite would have in most cases swollen instantly and caused serious pain and additional problems. Unfortunately this is a condition that requires systemic antibiotics to treat. You will need to get your cat to a vet for treatment. You may look to see if there are any low-cost clinics around you. Sometimes the local humane society or APL or ASPCA will have a lower cost veterinary clinic. You may find out if any of the clinics in your area offer a payment plan or allow the use of Care Credit which is credit line for medical costs you can apply for. Or you may need to ask family or friends to help out. This website may provide some other ideas/resources: http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html In the meantime you can help the abscess to drain by applying a warm compress (like a clean warm washrag) to the area for 5-10 minutes a few times daily and cleaning any drainage away afterwards. The longer you delay treatment by a vet the more expensive the issue may become to treat.

Thank you for the follow-up and photos. Now both the photos have come through. This is very concerning. I look at those photos and would have thought the other way around. The one of the left I thought was the day of diagnosis and the one where he is pink was now. This is really bad :( I think he need injectable antibiotics (enrofloxacin) at this point so you need to get him back to the vet to get the injections. I would also ask your vet for a topical cream called Silver Sulfadiazine to use in place of the Neosporin. Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

Unfortunately there is nothing I would recommend doing at home, other than keeping Panther warm and encouraging water consumption as much as possible. Treatment of venomous snake bites is usually focused on pain medication with injectable opioids, IV fluid therapy, and antivenom. Monitoring blood work is important as well. If there is any way to get Panther to a vet I would recommend traveling.

Poor kitty cat. Depending on what kind of snake it was, it may or may not require significant supportive care. As long as it wasn't venomous, the issue is just going to be wound care and avoiding infection. It is a little difficult to tell, but it looks like there could already be some purulent material coming from the wound site, indicating a possible infection. If this is the case, Toph will definitely require some antibiotics. You can try using something topically at first, but a lot of the times something systemic is required. You will of course need a veterinary visit to obtain such a drug. Otherwise, keeping it clean is the best thing you can do. I would stay away from things like peroxide, as they actually tend to delay healing. Use something like a dilute betadine or chlorhexidine solution. In an attempt to whet your kittie's appetite, feed something that you might not normally use that would be otherwise impossible for her to say no to. Hope this works out.

You should talk to your veterinarian to help you with putting together an emergency pack for snake bite /scorpion bite. Most of the medications needed are prescription medicines, so your vet will have to give them to you specifically for your dog and with instructions for your dog only. This may include antibiotics, steroids, antihistamines and special instructions for various bite locations on the body. You should also have the phone number and address of the nearest vet handy, as you may not be able to treat every snake bite yourself, even with instructions. You also may consider having your dog vaccinated against rattle snake bites as this will result in milder effects on the dog, should it be bitten by a rattler.

I think it looks like it is healing OK. Neosporin is not the best topical antibiotic for snakes but the scab looks fine, it does not look red or swollen. I would just keep doing what you are doing. If it starts to look worse, swollen, he is not eating, etc then you should have him to a vet for an exam.