Tibs vs. Copperhead Snake

Tiberius a gentle 8 year old Spaniel and Husky mix, who stole Pat and my heart 5 years ago. He loves nature and being outdoors whenever he possibly can. 

Thursday, August 20, Tiberius was spending a lovely evening out at the local Lake Monroe spot "Flat Rock" with Pat, Jill, and all of his beloved human buds. His curious self got himself in quiet the predicament when he shoved his face in the wrong place, between rocks and bushes. He jumped up in the air about 5 feet and began pawing at his face. 

To Pat and I's (Jill's) knowledge, we were under the impression this was nothing but a bee sting. We quiet immediately left to attend to his discomfort. Once in the car he began to lose his balance, have shallow breathing, appear woozy/drowsy, and his right side of the face began to swell. We carried him inside and investigated the "sting" site; it began bleeding pretty excessively and wouldn't clot. He laid under the kitchen table as we loved and comforted him waiting for the 1 1/2 benedryls to take effect. After 20 minutes, something just wasn't right. The swelling looked worse and it was down his neck. We began to wonder why a bee sting would bleed so much. Something serious was happening. We made our way to Indy Vet Emergency Care. 

He was seen immediately by a vet who felt suspicious of the bee sting. She insisted that the swelling was more severe than that and the wound looked as though it was made by fangs. She got him shaved up and indeed there was a second hole, proving it was a snake bite. Within 30 minutes of being in the vet's care, necrosis (death of cells in tissue) began to set in near the bite site and down his neck. This meant the snake had been venomous.

An original $200 emergency vet visit for an allergic reaction to a bee sting was now looking like a $2000 two night stay with ongoing monitoring, pain meds, sedation, antihistamine, antibiotics, and antivenon. 
Patrick and I adore Tiberius with our life. He is our furbaby and means the world to us. There was no hesitation to get him the immediate care he needed to ensure he stays with us and lives out his young boy life. This expense is certainly out of left field for us and we were not prepared for what was to come. He brings so many of you joy that we are kindly asking for minimal donations from you to help cover a portion of the vet bill costs to lessen the financial impact it would take on Pat and I. We always appreciate the love, kindness, and generosity you all have showed Pat, Tiberius, and I through the years. We will certainly compensate with many pictures of a happy and healthy Tiberius to come. Thank you for being supportive during his recovery!