How Can I Tell If My Dog Was Bit By A Snake

​​If your dog was bitten by a snake, but you did not witness the bite, there are some signs that you might see. If you notice that your dog is showing any of these symptoms, and your dog has been recently hanging out in an area that has known populations of rattlesnakes, then there is a chance that they may have been bitten. While seeing all of these statistics can be terrifying, the good news is you can take steps to help your dog if he is been bitten by a rattlesnake (or any snake).
If you notice that your dog is showing signs of being bitten by a snake, be sure to get in touch with a vet ASAP. Even if your dog has been vaccinated against rattlesnake venom, they should see their veterinarian as soon as possible for evaluation and treatment following a rattlesnake bite. It is also important to know that veterinary care is necessary even for dogs who are vaccinated against snakes with venom.
If you are unsure what type of snake bitten your dog, or if you do know it is venomous, medical care is required immediately. If you live in an area with known venomous snake species, you can take extra precautions to prevent a dog bite.
The best way to prevent a bite to your dog is to avoid encounters with snakes altogether. Ideally, keeping your dog leash-led is best to avoid causing the snake to jerk. Other tips are to keep dogs leash-tied, particularly in times of increased snake activity such as the spring.
Carefully supervising dogs and choosing where to walk them may decrease your chances of coming across snakes. In areas with high populations of toxic snakes, you may be able to find dog training classes on how to avoid snakes. If you regularly take your dog on hikes through the desert, I recommend putting your dog in a snake avoidance class first.
Dogs can survive a bite from snakes, even poisonous ones, but it is important to quickly have your dog receive some medical attention from the veterinarian. If your dog has been bit by a venomous snake, then the treatment becomes a lot more difficult, and bites in areas such as the eyes and thorax may be harder to treat.

In dogs that are bit by nonvenomous snakes, swelling and bruises around bites are the most common clinical signs. Even non-venomous snake bites are susceptible to severe infections, and antibiotics may be needed for your dog. If your dog has a non-venomous bite, your veterinarian will treat it as if it were a puncture wound or a cut.
The type and size of snake will determine whether you will be able to see any puncture wounds on your dogs skin. If you are unsure of the type of snake that bitten your dog, the veterinarian will administer a treatment based on the observation of bite wounds and whether there are any compatible clinical signs. If the snake that bit your dog was a nonvenomous snake, procedures are different.
Usually, a bitten victim is a dog who finds a snake too intriguing to resist being badgered. The risk of getting bitten by any given snake is small, but if your dog comes across one that has poisonous fangs, things can get really serious, really fast.
It is pretty easy to figure out if you can actually see a bite, but symptoms of snake bites can be difficult to detect on a furry dog.
Acute swelling, a punctured injury or two, bloodshed, and pain in the site (limping or convulsing when touched to the area) are the most common signs indicating a bite from the dog. Puncture wounds might not always be visible on dogs or other pets, so look for swelling and bruising, as well as painy yelps, vomiting and/or muscle spasms. If your pet is being bitten, possible complications include pain, swelling, and infections.
Some non-poisonous species may still produce bites which may result in an infection of your dog, and along with this bite, extreme pain. Even if your dog survives the immediate effects of a bite, rattlesnakes venom may result in permanent damage. Treatment of a rattlesnake bite on your dog can involve injecting him with antivenom, which can be costly.
A rattlesnake vaccine may help lessen the effects of a rattlesnake bite, should it occur in your dog, and may reduce or eliminate the need for antivenom. Vaccinating your dog if you live in -- or are visiting -- an area with common rattlesnakes could help significantly lower the cost of care should your dog be bitten by the snake. 
Your dog might get bitten by a non-venomous snake, but you still need to go to a veterinarian to ensure that the injury is not infected, so that your dog can get antibiotics. Your veterinarian may be able to clean up the bite and provide antibiotics and antihistamines for your dog. If the dogs snake bite is venomous, your dog will likely stay in a hospital facility for at least several days to monitor.
Knowing the species of snake that caused the bite is useful, but in many cases, owners do not witness an attack or may be unable to recognize the snake. It is estimated there could be over 100,000 cases of venomous snakebite occurring each year on dogs and cats, with fatality rates from 1% to up to 30%, depending on the pets size, snake species, and the bite locations. According to the Morris Animal Foundation, about 150,000 dogs and cats are bitten each year in the U.S. by venomous snakes - and this does not even take into account pets that are bitten by non-venomous snakes.
Rattlesnakes are frequently found around dogs, you will want to keep your canine friends far from these toxic reptiles, because stings cause severe injuries or even death to thousands of dogs each year.