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Dog bitten twice by copperhead in just 2 days

By Mike Petchenik, WSB-TV
By Mike Petchenik, WSB-TV

DUNWOODY, Ga. — When people refer to you as “snake-bitten,” it means you’ve got bad luck.

So, in the case of Buddy the German Shepherd, it stands to reason that he has really bad luck.

The 7-year-old dog from Dunwoody was bitten twice in two days by a Copperhead snake in his owner’s backyard.

"He came running back in about five minutes and he had blood on his face," Rusty Jones told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik. "You could see his face was swelling and there was just blood that got the attention."

Jones took Buddy to the vet and the dog was put on antibiotics.

“It scared me,” said Jones. "I didn’t know what to think.”

Two days later, Buddy was playing in the backyard when Jones heard him yelp in pain.

“He’s been bitten again,” Jones said. “He’s a strong animal but it’s brought him down a little bit.”

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Veterinarian Derek Duval, of BluePearl Veterinary Partners in Sandy Springs, told Petchenik he’s seeing more snake bites as the weather gets warmer.

“Luckily in Atlanta we mostly have copperheads,” he said.  “They’re the least venomous of the snakes we have in this country so it’s a pretty good snake to get bitten by if you have to get bitten by a venomous snake.”

Duval said symptoms are pretty obvious in pets bitten by Copperheads.

“Mostly swelling and pain at the bite site,” he said. “On the dog, it’s mostly on the nose because they’re sniffing where they shouldn’t be sniffing.”

Duval said he suggests pet owners clear heavy brush or ivy from their yards and keep a closer eye on their pets. He said this year is no worse than previous years and that when the weather gets warm, pets tend to come into contact with snakes more frequently.

Jones said he’s taking precautions to Buddy to prevent a “three-peat.”

"He goes out on a leash now instead of free roaming the yard,” he said. “Gotta clean up the backyard. If there’s a food source, the snakes are gonna be there.”

Cox Media Group

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