Have had rattlesnake bite..but not on leg...it was on the side of his
face....we had absolutely no residual swelling or lump left...no scar
tissue...nothing to show he had been bitten..after about 10 days...but he was
treated immmediately for snake bite..could be the difference????? Can't think
why there would be proud flesh....Cora
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2001 7:29
AM
Subject: RC: Snake bite
I'm going to throw this out to all, because I'm sure there are people in
this group who have had similar experiences.
The day after Swanton Pacific this year, on July 8th, my horse, Flying
Cloud, was in a small paddock next to our daughter's barn. She had
ridden him successfully to a completion of the 75 miler. Janet's husband
has taken him our and walked him a bit that morning after, letting him
graze. The horse was in perfect condition, completely sound. Janet
and family came down to the horse camp to have breakfast and stay for the
awards presentation. Upon returning home, 1/4 mile from camp, our
granddaughter notice Cloud was standing on three legs and his bad leg was
swollen from the foot to the knee. We all suspected a rattlesnake bite,
but Janet could not find any puncture marks. The vet who came did not
suspect snakebite at first; it actually took a week before she decided it
was. I was firmly convinced of it from the beginning.
Here it is, 1 1/2 months later, and there is still a large bump, a good
deal of proud flesh, and the wound has not yet thoroughly healed.
Question to all of you out there: How long would you say it will
take for complete healing, and will this bump, about the size of a big
lemon, reduce to anything that resembles normal. I expect a scar,
but I wonder about the bump. The vet says it was fortunate that the site
of injection was on the lateral quarter, neither front nor back, as either of
those locations might have impacted the tendons, extensor or flexor. The
horse is about 99% sound, but I believe I detect a faint irregularity.
I am just sick about this, as this is the most promising endurance horse
I've ever had. He's strong, comfortable, trailwise, drinks and eats well
during competition, is totally non-hysterical at the start of a ride, and
very, very steady. He just keeps cranking out the miles all the way
through a ride.
I'd like to hear from any of you regarding your experiences with
rattlesnake bite on a horse's foot. I'm grateful the bite wasn't on his
nose!
Barbara
