What do you do when a snake, poisonous insect, stinging or venomous creature comes into contact with your dog, cat, horse, or you?

Hopefully you never have to experience this situation; but being prepared could save you thousands of dollars at the vet and much suffering for your animal.

Even if you don't coexist with rattlesnakes, copperheads, and water moccasins, like my client Sandy and her three German Shepherd dogs in Texas do, you could still live with brown recluse spiders, black widows, scorpions, and various other venomous creatures. This blog was written for those of you, or your beloveds, who might have an encounter with any kind of stinging creature.

All but the most sterile environments have critters that make your skin crawl and hair stand on end. Natural disasters (new blog on Disaster Preparedness coming soon) such as flooding, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, and other environmental catastrophes disturb the homes of more than humans, making unexpected encounters inevitable. The thought of your beloved animals being bit might worry you; but homeopaths around the world have medicines (remedies) that not only help with the pain of the bite, but also improve the metabolism of the venom making its effects far less harmful.

Most snake bites don’t kill humans

I just saw a TV series entitled 1883 (you might know this series!) showing the trials and tribulations of the early settlers trying to reach Oregon. One man was bitten by a rattlesnake as he attended to his wife who had been thrown from her horse. After making an incision in the victim’s leg, the brave cowboy who “knew what to do” attempted to suck out the venom. But the wound turned septic anyway, endangering the man’s life and forcing him to choose between leg amputation or death. He survived, but without a leg — which made his new life very difficult. Too bad they weren’t traveling with a homeopathic kit as many of the pioneers did at that time! Homeopathy was alive and well in the United States in the1880’s.

"Can a snake bite kill my dog?"

For a human, it’s rare to die from snake bite. But our pets are at much greater risk because they are typically bit on the face or neck. This can cause severe swelling and subsequent obstruction of the trachea, making it difficult or even impossible to breathe. Even if the bite is not life-threatening, it can cause severe pain, death of tissues, and sometimes blood toxicity and neurological damage.

Of course Mother Nature would provide snakes with some very amazing defenses since they have no arms to fight with or legs to run. Some of the toxic agents in snake venom include:

• Cytotoxins — which create necrosis or death in the surrounding tissues.

• Myotoxins — which damage muscle tissue, including the heart.

• Hemorrhagins — which can damage the lining of capillaries and small vessels causing bleeding; and Anti-Clotting Agents — which impair the clotting of blood and cause more bleeding.

• Neurotoxins — which damage nerves, causing paralysis and other nerve impairment.

The cost of treating snake bites is a BIG one!

Since I live in the southwest, in the high desert of New Mexico, I've seen first hand the pain, necrotic tissue, and cost of treating snake bites. Not to mention the panic and terror. Today, the conventional vet treatments include administering anti-venom (antivenin), antibiotics, steroids, IV fluids and often an overnight stay. The cost can range upwards of $3500 to $4000. No kidding! The anti-venom alone can cost $2000 for a single vial.

Animals (and people) that get bitten suffer pain, swelling, and residual after-effects. In countries like India, where homeopathy is more widely available and used, snakes and poisonous insects coexist with domestic animals and humans with a much less stress. It’s from India's 200-year history of homeopathic remedy use, and my 40+ years in veterinary practice, that I draw my confidence in treating these acute and scary conditions.

These dogs lived to tell the ‘tail’ of their run-ins with poisonous snakes

I referred to Sandy, my client in Texas, who’s dogs — a young pup and an older dog — were both bitten by copperheads. I had sent a package of first aid provisions several months prior, because I knew that they lived among three types of snakes, and that all of her dogs ran the risk of eventually getting bitten.

So when a copperhead nailed her young pup Yoffie, she raced to her homeopathic kit and started treatment immediately. Although the experience was terrifying — more to the humans than to the pup — they muddled their way through and called me in the morning to let me know that all was well! By the third day, when they had brought the dog from Texas to New Mexico, I could find no trace of bite, pain, or swelling. Yoffie, the rambunctious pup, recovered quickly and completely. No additional treatments were needed. A trainer friend of theirs, who was an experienced veterinary technician, was amazed to see no adverse consequences from what typically was an awful ordeal for all involved.

So then, when her older Shephard got bit, Sandy and her partner were cool, calm, and collected, treating it as nothing more than another acute situation to deal with in a day in the life of an active dog! Recovery was fast and complete.

I have another client whose Rotty was bitten on the nose by a rattlesnake while they were hiking.  I administered the homeopathic remedy I typically use, and gave the dog an IV Vitamin C drip for a few hours. Recovery was swift and uneventful, in spite of the pet parents’ fear and worry about their baby.

A client and friend I’ve known for years called me in a panic one day, telling me his dog had been bitten by a rattler out in the boonies of the gigantic ranch where he was the caretaker. I didn't panic because I knew he had the remedy he most needed in his homeopathic kit. He dosed his pup a few times, then drove fast to the vet's office about 45 minutes away. By the time he arrived, the vet didn't see a reason to give any treatment or anti-venom, saving him hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars.

You could argue this was a venom-less ‘dry bite’. But the issue with many bites of this sort is as much the degree of the bite as the venom. The bite itself can be so intense that it starts an infectious process - as it did with the man on the wagon train who lost his leg, even if there has been no injection of venom.

When another client's beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback was bitten by a rattler, she gave a few doses of a remedy I selected; but she also elected to also give the anti-venom from her vet. She and I were not as well acquainted at the time, or I would have counseled her to pass on the anti-venom. The dog’s recovery was mostly fine; but we did have to treat some residual problems from the anti-venom.

My experience is that the animals NOT given anti-venom or rattlesnake vaccines do far better, and heal faster with fewer residual effects, than the ones who are treated or given a vaccine ‘preventively’.

Anti-venom is a powerful protein that, on top of the actual venom, requires more work for the body to metabolize, detox, and eliminate. I have found the animals that have been dosed with anti-venom require more help to detox, and more follow-up evaluations to insure the heart has not been damaged.

Please don’t suck that venom out

There are many so-called treatments for snake bites that exist around the world, including hooking the skin to a battery and applying a direct current to the area. Now, that seems scary to me! You've probably heard of people cutting the wound and sucking out the venom. Studies show that this does not work; so don't even think about doing it! A state policeman in Arizona told my husband years ago that, although there were many snake bites every year in his patrol area, the only people who died were those who tried to cut the bite and suck out the venom. These people often sever a vein or artery and bleed to death.

Not knowing whether the snake bite was venomous or not, most veterinarians treat with injections of expensive anti-venom, steroids, pain medications, antibiotics, hospitalization, etc. All of these practices are considered standard. Recovery can be prolonged, tissues can be damaged, and the pain can be profound. These methods can't compare to the dosing of specific homeopathic medicines’ for these episodes. Homeopathic remedies can resolve all these issues quickly, safely, and permanently.

No snakes? Well, how about these…

Whether you live in an area with poisonous snakes or not, falling temperatures in autumn and winter can cause other poisonous creatures to seek the warmth of your home. A dear friend of mine, Lizzy, who lives in the Texas hill country, shares her beautiful ranch with many animals — and with many scorpions. Her horses and cat have all been stung; and Lizzy herself has been stung three times in three months! It’s something she accepts, and isn’t in any way a careless person. The sheer volume of scorpions who love her ranch (and her shoes) makes avoidance impossible.

Lizzy was able to share her experience of the pain with me, describing the sensations before and after dosing different remedies. Her recovery each time has been uneventful and educational. Because we both speak human, and not dog or horse, she was able to tell me in detail what the pain actually felt like. The human experience assists me when selecting remedies for animals and the pain they’re experiencing. Thanks to the humans input, I have been able to treat other animals with accuracy and rapid recovery. Pretty cool, right? And no hospital visits were required, or residual injuries that needed nursing.

Some of the poisonous insects which could be in your area include (but aren’t limited to) black widow spiders, brown recluse spiders, red fire ants, Japanese oriental wasps, blister beetles, cow killers, africanized honeybees, and centipedes. All interactions with these poisonous insects can be treated with the same protocol as a snake bite for complete healing.

The insects I’m referring to are not the average Joe mosquito, bee, or ant — although these can be pretty dangerous if allergy is a factor. However these kinds of bites don't involve the powerful venom of the insects I just mentioned.

How about the ocean and water creatures?

If you live near the ocean, walking your animal along the beach could include an encounter with poisonous marine life. It may sound strange to talk about ocean creatures and domestic pets in the same sentence. But if you live near bodies of water, your animal could come into contact with water moccasins, stinging jellyfish, stingrays, and other aquatic creatures. There’s hardly anything that will work faster than homeopathic remedies for these encounters of the very-close-kind.

Snake aversion training is inhumane for both dog and snakes

Some years ago I got a notice about a snake aversion training happening close to my home, led by an experienced trainer. I was concerned about my dog being taken by surprise by a snake out in the wild-lands around my home. But after a bit of research, and watching videos of the experience, it didn’t take long for me to put the kibosh on that idea!

If you don’t know me, you don’t know that I am here on this planet to advocate for all animals and environments. I watched and studied carefully the videos and photos of the ‘aversion training’. As I watched the terrified dogs, with their bodies contorting as they jumped in fear to escape the snake in front of them, I saw was the potential damage to their necks and spines. I also saw the terror in their eyes and faces as they tried to run away. In my observations they seemed to look at their peeps with wonder and dismay as to why they were being put through this exercise in terror. I’ve seen these situations lead to PTSD or layer with past fears they have experienced. These trainings put dogs through several passes of the snake to make sure they become ‘extremely’ averse to the creature. Yes, this can train them to be averse, but it can also cause other problems for them both physically and emotionally which we then have to treat.

Then I realized that the live snakes used in these trainings were being traumatized as well! What happens to these snakes is never, ever considered by the trainers, or by the pet parents. Frankly, I don’t see any reason to put any creature through this experience, especially since most dogs are instinctually averse to snakes and there are treatments that are easy, humane, and fast-acting as you saw in my above stories. Yes, there are some snake aversion trainings that don’t use real snakes, but they certainly use real dogs. My suggestion to you caring pet parents is to be yourselves averse to that aggressive training!

A day hasn't gone by in my 42 years of practice when I don't experience a moment of profound gratitude for homeopathy.

When it comes to treating BIG fear-provoking events, I not only find gratitude but confidence in knowing that I have powerful medicine to help animals. Acute episodes with snakes, poisonous insects, and stinging sea creatures in the life of an active and beloved dog or cat are among the most frightening, and frequently the most expensive to treat. Fortunately, with homeopathic remedies and a few strong antioxidants, the healing from these scary encounters can be swift, the damage and pain minimal, and the cost extremely affordable. I really don’t know any other medicine that can claim this kind of success!

It's been a privilege to assist the animals in my practice and their loving pet parents when these shocking incidents occur. To be able to bring this healing medicine and practical application into practice on behalf of your dog or cat, visit my store and read over the description of my Snake and Poisonous Insect kit.