TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The monsoons and the heat affect more than the climate. It can also impact your dog. Plenty of local veterinary clinics are seeing more injured dogs for rattlesnake bites. One of them is Buddy, an 8-year-old lab retriever mix.
“He’s protected us three or four times from snakes, and of course, he paid the price this time,” said Wayne Albright, Buddy's owner.
Albright says Buddy’s gotten two rattlesnake bites in the past two months.
“We come outside, we have our coffee and stuff like that," Albright said. "He’s very protective, that’s his job. He takes it seriously, and he doesn’t care.”
Buddy isn't the only dog getting bit. Employees at Tucson’s Veterinary Specialty Center say snake bites have gone up in recent years. This summer, they’ve treated around 60 dogs a month with anti-venom.
“Snakes are out because of the heat, with the summer, they’re coldblooded reptiles," said Gabriel Hernandez from the Veterinary Specialty Center. "Monsoons definitely are drawing them out as well. This is peak season for snakes.”
Veterinarians say to look out for the symptoms. The most common ones are swelling or fatigue. If you know for certain your dog was bit…
“They should definitely get checked out, no matter what. Signs from venom are going to appear in the blood before the physical symptoms start to show,” Hernandez said.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
- Download our free app for Roku, FireTV, AppleTV, Alexa, and mobile devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
