Otis' Rattlesnake Bite Treatment

On Wednesday, May 27th I was on a hike in Lyons, Colorado called Rabbit Mountain Open Space with my dog, a Saint Bernard named Otis. About .75 miles into the hike, Otis came upon a rattlesnake that was crossing the trail. I didn't see the rattlesnake at this point and by the time I did, Otis had already encountered it and had been bit on the left side of his snout. He jumped back immediately and started pawing at his nose in pain and shock; at this point I noticed that it was indeed a rattlesnake and that it was maybe 2 feet in front of me, in the middle of the trail, recoiled and rattling loudly at us. He is a hero and saved me from being bit, as I surely would have walked directly into it. I quickly pulled Otis away and we moved down the trail to a safe spot where I could examine his wound. He had two bloody fang mark wounds on the left side of his snout and his face was beginning to swell up very quickly. I called the nearest vet office as we quickly moved down the trail back to the car, but they didn't have anti-venom available, so we had to drive 25 minutes to the nearest emergency animal hospital that could treat him with anti-venom and pain medication. He became more and more lethargic and began panting very rapidly while in the car.

Due to COVID-19, the nurses had to meet us in the parking lot to pick up Otis and we weren't allow inside to comfort him. He arrived with a fever of 105 degrees.He received anti-venom and pain medication within 40 minutes of the initial bite and he stayed overnight at the emergency animal hospital to be monitored. We are hoping that he will make a full recovery.

Unfortunately, I do not have pet insurance (a mistake I won't make again), and one vial of anti-venom costs $700-800 dollars. He was also put on an IV of fluids as well as fentanyl to help with the pain, as rattlesnake bites are extremely painful. I    am so grateful for the care from the vet and nurses, but any pet owner knows that the vet is not cheap, especially in a dire situation. The final treatment costs will be around $2,500, so I am hoping to fundraise $1,500 of that cost, as I just recently finished graduate school at Texas Christian University (TCU) on May 12 and am currently unemployed. Until I am hired somewhere, funds will be tight even without the cost of treating Otis.

Otis means to the world to me and I  would do anything for him, including putting my pride aside and asking for help when I need it, no matter how uncomfortable it feels asking people for money. Any donation helps and I know that Otis would appreciate it more than anything. Thanks so much for your consideration!