Just As Rattlesnake Season Starts In Wyoming, Pet Vaccine Drying Up

Supplies of a seasonal vaccine that can help protect dogs and other domestic animals against rattlesnake venom might soon dry up, just as rattlesnake season is starting in Wyoming.

Ashlea Roberts, a dog trainer and rattlesnake wrangler in Rawlins, told Cowboy State Daily that she got her dogs vaccinated in March. 

She’s thankful for that, because word came down this month that a U.S. Department of Agriculture that a limited license had run out for the Crotalus Atrox Toxoid anti-rattlesnake venom vaccine. 

That means that no more of the vaccine can be manufactured unless and until the license is renewed. So once Wyoming veterinarian offices go through their current supplies, they’ll be out.

“As of right now, they did shut down the production of that vaccine, which is unfortunate, because from what I’ve seen, it does work,” Roberts said.

First Developed For Cats

The vaccine was first developed for cats in the early 2000s by veterinarian Dr. Dale Wallis and her partner Jim Wallis. 

Later variants were developed for horses and dogs, and the vaccine has been licensed by the USDA since 2003. 

Get Your Dog To A Vet Quickly 

The vaccine doesn’t fully protect dogs from rattlesnake venom, and even vaccinated dogs that get bitten need to be taken to a veterinarian as soon as possible, Roberts said. 

What the vaccine does is slow the devastating effects of the venom and buy dogs and their owners more time, she said.

That’s important in remote places like Wyoming, Roberts said. 

“Around Rawlins, everywhere you might go with your dog, you’re at least 30 minutes out,” she said. “Having that vaccine gives you a little more time to get them in and get them help before things really go south.”

Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue previously told Cowboy State Daily that rattlesnake venom is truly nasty stuff. It works by destroying tissue as it circulates though the body. 

If a dog doesn’t get prompt medical attention, that tissue destruction can lead to nerve damage, organ failure or even death, Roberts said. 

Regardless of a dog’s vaccination status, if a pooch is bitten, the owner should remain calm, she said.

That’s because if the owner freaks out, that will stress the dog, increasing its heart rate and speeding the flow of venom through its body, Roberts said.

Likewise, “if your dog is small enough to carry, pick it up and carry it back to your vehicle” to keep its heart rate down, she added. 

‘We’ve Got To Get This Back’

Roberts knows her stuff when it comes to dogs and rattlesnakes. Around Rawlins, she’s known as the “rattlesnake wrangler” because she has the tools and know-how to safely capture rattlers alive. 

She uses some of the captured snakes to train dogs in rattlesnake avoidance, one of her many dog obedience classes. 

She also worked for many years in a veterinary clinic, where she saw numerous canine rattlesnake bite victims.

“The difference that I saw was when dogs had the vaccine, they seemed to go home earlier than dogs that didn’t have the vaccine,” she said.

“I really hope we get this (the vaccine license) straightened out,” she said. “We’ve got to get this back. As far as I’ve seen, it works, and I recommend it.”

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.