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Post by Tockita on Jul 19, 2008 13:59:31 GMT -5
For those that recall the HUGE Belgian mare that popped out that adorable but equally huge draftie Baby Hoogs..
Hoogs had what the vet called a curved hock and they wanted top Xray but he said don't worry about it .. well they did Xray and it is a fracture so they were on wait and see for that.
He had pneumonia and ran a fever for weeks which finally went away after multiple rounds of antibiotics.
Well the other day I heard he was off on a front leg, it was swollen and they thought maybe mom stepped on him. Looked like maybe a bowed tendon. Te Vet had them wrap it for the night and the next morning he was swollen from the wrap up to his elbow. They unwrapped it and saw what looked like an abscess blown out on his fetlock.
Vet arrived and it is a snake bite. They didn't see it the first day because it was in his fetlock hair. He has been given all kinds of shots but since the most common snake in the area is the Mojave Green there is a very high chance they will have to put him down this weekend.
Mojave Green Rattlesnakes produce a venom that attacks the central nervous system. He already has signs of dead tissue where he was bitten, he is actually lucky it was on his leg, except if it was somewhere else they would have known sooner it was a snake bite.
They keep the ranch pretty clear of brush and weeds (except on the 20), they have 2 barn cats, and are friendly to owls who move in to help control the mice but they still see a few snakes each summer. (mostly babies) It is rare that one of the horses get bit, as most of them are mustangs.
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Post by swissgrl on Jul 19, 2008 14:29:02 GMT -5
oh, poor little baby, he sure has been through a lot in his short life. Sending lots of jingles for him!!!
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Post by Admin on Jul 19, 2008 15:17:27 GMT -5
Poor baby. He has sure been through the ringer. Jingles for all  |
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Post by Tockita on Jul 19, 2008 16:10:04 GMT -5
The often mis-named "Mojave Green" has the most potent venom of any rattlesnake in North America. Its poison is about 16 times more powerful than that of the Sidewinder. They can be identified by their triangular-shaped head and diamond-shaped markings along their body, and of course, rattles.
Its venom, which it uses to immobilized its prey and defend itself, attack both the nervous system with nuerotoxins and the bloodstream with hemotoxins. It looks similar to a diamondback rattlesnake, having diamond shapes along its back. It’s color will vary from green-gray in higher, mountain elevations, to yellowish tones found more often in the lower portions of it's range. Adults range from 2-4 feet in length. The creosote bush, found in the 2,000 to 4,000 foot elevation is the primary, but not the only habitat of this snake. They feed primarily on small rodents.
This is probably the most dangerous snake in North America. It is aggressive. It is responsible for several deaths each year, including in recent years a prominent snake toxin expert. This snake should be avoided.
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Post by swissgrl on Jul 19, 2008 16:14:17 GMT -5
sounds like a nasty booger!!!!
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Post by piopico on Jul 19, 2008 22:55:33 GMT -5
Poor baby Hoogs.........from one problem to the next...........wishing him well.
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Post by bridgetah on Jul 19, 2008 23:59:27 GMT -5
Poor litlte guy! Jingles and prayers for Baby Hoogs.
Is there any anti-venom for this type of snakebite?
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Post by Tockita on Jul 20, 2008 3:18:00 GMT -5
Poor litlte guy! Jingles and prayers for Baby Hoogs. Is there any anti-venom for this type of snakebite? There is for dogs, for horses I think it is hard to find, plus once they discovered it was actually a snakebite.. Well the vet is thinking he probably got bit the day before they saw the swelling, and then another day before he came out not knowing it was this serious... He is getting twice daily injections and is on antibiotics as well. Today it's obvious he isn't feeling 100% and his leg is swollen above the wrap. Vet advised he can seem to be stable or even improve and then crash, and that tomorrow is when that is likely to happen. If he does fight off the venom, then the next trick is to keep dead tissue from causing infection in the leg, or him to become septic. It remains to be seem how much tissue will die on his leg, as well. These are NASTY buggers especially the babies because they do not regulate how much venom is released like an adult would. They just spit out goobs of it all at once. There is a small chance it was a timber rattler instead of a green, but one of the workers mentioned he has himself moved 4 greens of the property in the past month. (he catches them and puts them in coffee cans and releases them about 1/2 a mile away in an unoccupied area of the desert.) Hoogs probably weighs about 600 lbs now. He is the size of a med pony. A moose to be sure, but has such a beautiful refined face and head. He's turned into a real sweetie despite all the injections he's getting. Patches (Paccione) is a real cutie as well. Not as old or as big but what a cutie! They just got 2 mares from AC one with a foal earlier this week. They are some of the 70 horses seized a month ago. She has a huge fetlock and I can not imagine what it must have been like for her to be pregnant with that leg! I have to say thought that she had a really really nice colt! Probably close to Dandys age (2 months) Tall straight legged and very sturdy built, good bone. Rumor was AC was going to wean the foal and put her down. Now she will be evaluated to determine her pain level and if she can live pain free she will get a chance to do so. |
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Post by sundancer on Jul 20, 2008 8:16:47 GMT -5
Poor baby! Sending prayers his way.
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Post by shelberttk2 on Jul 20, 2008 14:26:14 GMT -5
Jingling hard in Oregon for little HOOGS!!!!!!
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Post by pikzeedust on Jul 20, 2008 18:14:44 GMT -5
Poor baby.... Hope he comes out of this. Sending lots of prayers his way.
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Post by swissgrl on Jul 21, 2008 14:26:11 GMT -5
How's the little guy doing today?
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Post by Tockita on Jul 21, 2008 15:13:58 GMT -5
I spoke to Chris and he is still swollen and a bit more sore today but he is hanging in there. Vet is now saying may have been a "dry" bite. That snakes mouths are nasty dirty places and even if he got little or no venom that the swelling could be from that. So there is hope that he'll get past this.  I don't know if this guy has a GREAT guardian angel or if he needs a new one  Mark and I were talking sat and he was practically in tears because he has been helping care for "Hoogie" since he was born. Here is Patches (Pacione) and mom. (you can see from this pic, the fence Hoogs is standing behind is at least 6 feet high.  Here are some if the mustangs yearlings they have available  Arizona (center) is already adopted I think. But Birte (roan) and Salsa(?) are still available as well as 5 or 6 colts. All nice, healthy youngsters. One colt (black) is so big I thought he was 2 when I saw him a few weeks ago! |
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Post by swissgrl on Jul 21, 2008 15:34:19 GMT -5
ohhhhhh, hoping he'll be just fine.
My dog got bit by a Kingsnake 2 years ago, she was taunting it big time, and the snake struck. The whole side of her face swell up. Vet first thought it was maybe a dry bite as well, but BF had to go and look, and found a huge Kingsnake where we saw her prance around.
Those 3 are gorgeous.
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Post by bridgetah on Jul 21, 2008 17:36:06 GMT -5
When I was a kid, our dog, Bruno, a big chocolate lab, was bit by a rattlesnake. He got it in the mouth - the whole side of his face swelled up. He recovered, none of the worse for it.
Still praying and jingling for Baby Hoogs. I hope his luck changes for the better, poor little guy.
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Post by jenm on Jul 21, 2008 17:49:46 GMT -5
Sending lots of jingles for Baby Hoogs!
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Post by sundancer on Jul 21, 2008 19:21:40 GMT -5
Prayers for baby Hoogs!
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Post by swissgrl on Jul 23, 2008 15:22:14 GMT -5
Is he getting any better?
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Post by bridgetah on Jul 26, 2008 14:20:54 GMT -5
I hope no news is good news.
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Post by earlybp on Jul 27, 2008 15:54:20 GMT -5
Praying for Baby Hoogs! a good friend of mine got bit by an western rattler when he was a kid. He almost lost his arm. Poor Baby Hoogs. Hope he pulls through.
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