Amber Mcdermott and her nine-year-old rescue dog Bentley had quite the scare this past week when Bentley was bitten on the face by what appeared to be a rattlesnake.
“All of a sudden he yelped so I pulled him back and we looked under the bench and there was a little snake,” said Mcdermott.
The incident took place when Mcdermott was with a friend and her dog on a hiking trail at Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park in Coldstream.
“We took a photo of the snake and we started running, I started calling the vet, we had to rush him to Kelowna to Fairfield Animal Hospital,” said Mcdermott.
“(Fairfield Animal Hospital) is the only vet with the antivenin in the Okanagan.”
On the way, Bentley’s face started to swell rapidly but thankfully they arrived at the animal hospital relatively quickly to get him treatment.
Fairfield Animal Hospital was too busy with animal emergencies for an interview today but did offer a statement via social media.
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“Bentley came to Fairfield and received antivenin, and stayed with us overnight for fluids and observation, and now he’s home and happy with his family,” wrote staff on a social media post.
“If you see a rattler, back away slowly and give them a wide berth. If your dog is bitten, carry small dogs and calmly walk larger dogs to the car and get to your veterinarian as soon as possible.”
According to the Ministry of Environment, the Okanagan is home to the Northern Pacific Rattlesnake.
Bites are very uncommon and rarely fatal for humans but can be extremely dangerous for dogs and can lead to blood clotting and internal organ damage.
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