Rattlesnake Vaccine for Dogs
Category: Science, Nature & Medicine...
Posted Tuesday, November 29, 2005 at 08:50 AM [GMT-6]

It seems like the rattlesnake has been a recurring theme around here lately, beginning with this post about the big honkin' snake purportedly killed in the Panhandle (the report of which, by the way, is appearing more and more to be a gross exaggeration). But west Texas in general is rattlesnake country, and so I wasn't surprised yesterday to notice a poster in the vet's office advertising a vaccine designed to protect dogs against rattler bites.

Red Rock Biologics manufactures the vaccine, which is given initially in two doses a month apart, then followed by one annual booster shot in the spring, before the snakes emerge from hibernation (or a month before taking the dog into rattler country).

According to this article, the cost is about $20 per dose, making it a very reasonably priced alternative to applying anti-venom after a bite, assuming you can locate any to begin with.

According to Red Rock's FAQ, the company is also developing vaccines to protect against other types of venomous snake bites, which I assume would be primarily for copperheads and water moccasins in the US.

My brother and his wife live in an area that's literally swarming with rattlers. They're aware of at least one active den within a stone's throw of their house, and each summer they'll kill anywhere from a half dozen to 20 or more snakes around their property. They've had dogs bitten by rattlers and the recuperation is slow and painful...and that's best case. It appears that Red Rock's vaccine may be the answer to those kinds of problems.

Technorati tags: Rattlesnake Vaccine | Red Rock Biologics