I am the handler who told Bill of the Benadryl and LR solution. Have you ever had any dogs snake bit? -- I have had three bitten by copperheads over the past five years. The last two where the most significant. In '96 Osh my Labrador retriever who is now 12 years old was bitten by a copperhead on the tongue. He immediately began swelling and almost died before I could get him to the vet. Following this event a very trusted vet told me to always carry a benadryl and an aspirin with me. She recommended 100m in case of snake bite and gave my dog much more that through IV when he was bitten. He survived the bite with his only complication being a quarter size chunk of his tongue fell out.




Following that I carried the dose she recommended in my search pack at all times.




Last summer I was assisting the Cleveland PD on a search for a felon in the Big Frog Wilderness area of Cherokee National Forest. A large copperhead bit sunny my yellow lab on the side of the face and hung on. He slung the snake loose at which time I quickly dispatched it. I called ahead on the radio and got direction to start LR on the dog as soon as possible. As we had a peramedic swat team available we started the recommended solution and transported him as soon as possible. This dog recovered as well. I now carry the benadryl and a high potency Antibiotic in my pack and lactated ringers in my vehicle. This also at the recommendation of my vet.




I often work areas which are miles from a road of any type. We where an hour and a half out when Sunny was bit so it is important that treatment began immediately. So far it has worked and I plan on continuing what works.




The vet explained to me that rapid intervention for swelling and infection is accomplished by the two medications. Pills are easier to carry and last longer then IV. The Lactated ringers keep the system hydrated and prevent the organs from absorbing large amounts of the venom.

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Replying to:

Benadryl is for swelling.




Paul Janicki


vic. aus.

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Another remedy I have heard of comes from a Dog Handler in TN. He has another Suggestion that he uses.


100mg of Benadril (oral) as soon as possable and follow with Lactate of Ringers 2 liters over the first 4 hours.




Bill Tolhurst

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Replying to:

Many dog handlers have home remedies for treating their working dogs for snakebites.


Please share your methods and the results with us on our Message board.


We would also like you to leave your e-mail address. We just might save a lot of dogs a lot of pain and handlers a lot of grief.




Thank you .... Bill Tolhurst

100 mgs of diphenhydramine for a 75# dog is WAY much of a dose, even PO. If you're going into an area of concern, speak with your vet and carry 50mgs benadryl injection for IM (terribly easy to administer), as well as an EPI kit for an anaphylactic reactions. 50mgs PO will dose a 225lb human real well, anything over that will knock them right to sleep and perhaps cause concern for respiratory comprimise.




The recommendation of 2L of Ringers Lactate over 2 hours would seriously volume challenge a dog of modest weight, and possibly even cause concern for heart failure; you must be able to adequately monitor the input and output of an animal that you're going to IV infuse with that sort of volume, especially a volume expander like LR. Did we fail to mention that you need IV access, and that IV access in the field on an anaphylactic animal is not the easiest to get?

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Replying to:

Another remedy I have heard of comes from a Dog Handler in TN. He has another Suggestion that he uses.


100mg of Benadril (oral) as soon as possable and follow with Lactate of Ringers 2 liters over the first 4 hours.




Bill Tolhurst

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Replying to:

Many dog handlers have home remedies for treating their working dogs for snakebites.


Please share your methods and the results with us on our Message board.


We would also like you to leave your e-mail address. We just might save a lot of dogs a lot of pain and handlers a lot of grief.




Thank you .... Bill Tolhurst