After the lights and sirens drama of my dog Ruby's encounter with a 36-inch Western diamondback rattlesnake, we began the waiting game of her treatment and recovery.

Within minutes of the bite, Ruby's head began to swell almost immediately. Within a few hours, she was unrecognizable as the same dog.

Given two vials of Bioclon's antivenin intravenously, she looked forlorn and pitiful in her cage at the clinic. Her eyes had swollen shut, and the bite wound seeped blood and other fluids. Neither would stop getting worse until long after she came home. But her vital signs were strong and she had begun to take liquids orally, which were the two major factors allowing her to be released to go home roughly 48 hours after being bitten.

She was sent home with an arsenal of medications, including antibiotics, painkillers, anti-nausea drugs, and eye drops, all of which were designed to help her feel more comfortable but few of which she wanted to take willingly.

Her swollen muzzle had made chewing painful, and for the first 72 hours it was all she could do to lap a little water or baby food; despite making a few cautionary attempts at the kibble in her bowl, little had disappeared from it. Even soft treats were taken only sporadically, and then with little enthusiasm, leaving her to be medicated with a syringe, her drugs crushed up and suspended in water.

Despite the bitter taste, she hesitatingly lapped the watered-down drug solution from the palm of my hand, a process we were to repeat every 8 hours. Mopping up the seepage dripping from here eye, and keeping it clear enough to see out of, would be a continual battle, however, and breaking up the crust that it formed required wet warm compresses and lots of patience on both our parts

By the end of the fourth day after the bite the swelling had peaked, and so had the drainage. Ruby was beginning to take some solid foods, allowing her meds to be delivered in treats rather than in a water suspension. Still. with the pain, solid foods were hit and miss, and several mornings we resorted to baby food until the painkillers had a chance to work.

Signs of Ruby's improvement were appearing, she was going outside on her own to defecate. There had been no blood in her stool or urine, and she was beginning to explore the house and her dog run a bit more. She was tentatively barking at the bicyclists and deliverymen which was a strong sign of continued improvement. She was still in pain, however, and her companion, Scout, found out the hard way that jumping on her head was the wrong way to get Ruby to play, eliciting a sharp growl that sent Scout off to hide in a closet.

On the fifth day we woke to find Ruby's facial swelling dramatically decreased, along with the drainage. Ruby was no longer on a liquid diet, and was eating soft foods and kibble from her bowl, despite the swelling that remained. Her right eye was still swollen and crusted over, but you could see it, it could see you, and with each hour that passed it seemed to open a little more.

By the sixth day Ruby's swelling had almost completely disappeared except around her eye, which continued to show increasing improvement. After a follow up stop at our regular vet, Dr. Haley at Georgetown Veterinary Hospital, we were cleared to discontinue all her meds except the remaining antibiotics. Dr. Haley and here staff were very impressed with Ruby's recovery and noted that there appeared to be little or no necrosis, tissue or muscle damage, and Ruby was released from their care with no required follow ups.

A week after being bitten Ruby is doing great. She still has a small amount of swelling and crusting around her right eye, which continues to improve each day. She appears to have no permanent damage and may not even have a physical scar as a reminder of the encounter. Dr Haley attributes Ruby's rapid recovery to her quick treatment and the administration of antivenin almost immediately after the bite, as well as the excellent after care she received at the hospital and at home. There were no ill effects or allergic reactions to the new antivenin, something that had been problematic with the older antivenins.

Ruby and I want to thank all the doctors and staff at the Heart of Texas Veterinary Specialty Centerand the Georgetown Veterinary Hospital for both their emergency and follow-up care. It helped make the best of a very bad situation, and their daily calls for status updates gave me a sounding board for my questions and concerns that was welcome and needed.

We also want to thank the thousands of people who have been sending emails and posting messages of support on our site, Facebook, and Twitter. Your support helped pull us both through this crisis.

It was dusk and I heard my dog Ruby's distinctive "snake" bark before I realized that the buzzing I was hearing wasn't coming from the window air conditioner. With a buzz that loud, I knew Ruby had a large rattlesnake cornered. As I yelled to her to back off, I raced for a pair of tongs and a bucket I keep handy for such occasions, only to hear a loud "yelp" as the snake struck home.



It was a 36=inch female Western diamondback (Crotalus atrox), fat from a recent meal, coiled, angry, and full of fight. I grabbed the snake with the tongs, deposited it in the bucket, snapped the lid on, and raced off to find Ruby.

I found her curled under the covers on my bed. Pulling the sheet back, I could see a small amount of blood above her right eye where the snake's fangs had connected. It had already started swelling and oozing in less than five minutes. This was a "hot" bite, a bad one from a good-sized snake.

I immediately put my emergency protocols into action. With a rattlesnake bite time is often the deciding factor, so knowing where to go and who to call beforehand can save precious minutes and, maybe, a life. Scooping Ruby up and piling her into the truck, I raced to the nearest 24-hour animal hospital, the Heart Of Texas Veterinarary Clinic, more than 20 miles away.

Ruby was starting to feel the effects of the bite, and her head was swelling rapidly. She crawled into my lap as I impatiently watched the mile markers tick by. It seemed as if every slow driver had decided to park in my lane, no matter which lane I picked. I watched the digits on the clock seemingly race upward, while the mile markers slowed.

Finally reaching our exit, we pull up at a red light. After what seemed an interminably long time but in reality was but a few seconds, the light turned green. I punched the accerator and launched through the intersection, and in just a few more minutes was there.

Picking Ruby off my lap, I carried her through the door only to be met by the medical staff, ready to take Ruby back for immediate treatment. While I filled out forms, they gave Ruby a shot of morphine for the pain and began prepping her for an IV. After consulting with the vet we agreed on several courses of treatment depending on the direction her condition took.

And now the waiting begins.

Rubys's prognosis for recovery is good. She's a large dog, young, and in good health and shape. The bite was above the left eye so the fangs were unable to penetrate deeply, and there is little tissue in the immediate area to be impacted by necrosis. The primary worry is whether the necrosis will damage her eye, which only time will tell.

Ruby's treatment and recovery were helped immensely because I had a bite protocol plan in place for my dogs and was able to get medical attention quickly, less than an hour after her bite. If you live in a rural area having a plan in place beforehand can save your pet's life. The first step is to know where your local 24-hour emergency animal hospitals are, and keep their contact information handy.