WEST, Texas — West Texans and our pets are use to living in the desert, but that doesn’t mean the desert is use to us.
As seasons and weather start to change, so does the hibernation patterns of rattlesnakes.During the fall and spring, rattlesnake bites are a common sight for veterinarians in the Basin.
In the fall, the West Texas Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Odessa treats 8-10 pets with rattlesnake bites a day.
The vets think that with a growing population and housing developments expanding, the number is only going to go up.
“We see a lot of rattlesnake bites this time a year," Ann Wills, West Texas Emergency Veterinary Clinic vet, said. "It’s usually very prevalent in the spring in the fall because the snakes are either coming out of hibernation or they’re going back into hibernation.”
Cats and dogs from across the Basin are being affected.
“They are usually dogs that are out in the country and are outside quite a bit during the day," Wills said. "They can also be in subdivisions in Midland and Odessa that are on the periphery."
With the housing and apartment development in the area Wills say builders are disrupting snakes and their natural habitat causing them to move closer into urban areas.
Whether a cat or a dog, rattlesnakes bite both.
“Cats get bit more in the leg then in the head because they tend paw at things," Wills said. "Dogs are curious and tend to stick her nose in something."
That is what this chihuahua mix pup, CJ, did on Wednesday.
“You can see that you bite wounds on her head, that’s a pretty big bang pattern there," Wills said. "That was a very big snake."
The owner immediately brought her into the vet once it happened and they started anti-venom treatments.
CJ is going to be okay but the swelling might cause her to lose her eye.
The vet says the owner did the right thing by bringing the dog into the emergency clinic right away.
Wills says if your pet gets bit, the sooner they go to the vet the better. Without treatment, bites can cause fatal tissue swelling.
But there are other things you can do to protect your pet, too.
“Keep your pets indoors as much as possible but kind of monitor the yard,” Wills said.
Depending on the bite, with treatment pets will be okay.
For those pet owners who want to be extra cautious, there’s a rattlesnake vaccine for pets that can reduce the effects of a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake bites which are frequent in West Texas.