Saturday, September 17, 2011

Carmella Comes Home!
 Carmella is home and feeling much better. Her leg is purple but the swelling is not near as bad as before. It looks as though the snake venom went all the way up her thigh to her stomach.
 She still has loose stools but is eating again and drinking plenty of water, and she has much more energy although actually seems calmer than she usually is, content to lounge around on my bed.  She has jumped up to listen to something outside the window once or twice but doesn't seem on pins and needles at every sound as she usually is.

 She spent some time in the kitchen earlier this evening chewing on a bone and I can tell that she knows the worst is over. The purple bandage on her right front leg is where they had the IV. That bandage can come off tomorrow.
I don't know how long it will take for all thr bruising to go away, but the vet wants to check her again in a week.
I noticed that a vein or artery is showing very dark through her skin on her inner thigh. It's visible in the picture above.

The company that was supposed to come out yesterday to look for the snakes is coming on Monday instead because the man who was assigned got tied up removing bats from a elderly woman's house on Thursday. I had hoped he could have the nesting areas identified before Carmella came home. So far I have not seen any when I've looked around myelf but they could be somewhere I can't see like the big burrow underneath the width of the back porch that some other animal made. Just in case, I am keeping a close eye on her and taking her out on the leash until the guy comes to inspect.
 Carmella will be on 4 medications every 12 hours for awhile;
* Prednisone (20mgs)

* Ciprofloxacin (250 mgs.; 1/2 tablet (125mg. every 12 hours)

* Cephalexin (500 mgs.; 2 Tablets every 12 hours)

*  Metronidazole (500 mgs. every 12 hours)

Eek! After the emergency visit Monday night and treatment overnight for 3 days at her regular vet's, the bill is somewhere around $1,500 already. I was just beginning to make a dent in her previous medical bills when this emergency happened.

If you would like to help her there are several ways to do that;

* Purchase one of the ad spots through Scratchback on my blog in the sidebar

* Use the Donate To Carmella button at the top; donate via Paypal

* Purchase Jewelry from Giftbearer

* Purchase jewelry supplies/craft supplies from  GiftbearerSupply

The holidays are coming up and I have lots of variety in both Etsy online shops to choose from be it a piece of finished jewelry or something to help you create finished jewelry or other crafts. I make a point of offering alot of one of a kind and limited stock items.

I found this video on YouTube that might be helpful to those of you who have animals. It is the season for these venomous snakes to be restless and with the weather changing these seem to be more on edge and more likely to bite.

The dog in the first video was bitten by a rattlesnake, not a copperhead, but the clip is interesting also because apparently someone has developed a vaccine to help protect dogs from these bites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs79gprUiao

The dogs n these videos below were bitten by a copperheads;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XxKQpiY8VQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/AnimalMedicalHosp?blend=14&ob=5#p/u/0/oHw2FtVxGYg

There is a product I found out about that is supposed to repel snakes from your yard called Snake Away;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1kV6RY5HSw&feature=related

Here's another;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CDGhgkGSU4&feature=related

I don't know whether these work or not but they might.

Some people claim that moth balls repel snakes but I can't stand the smell of moth balls!

I found this video on snake repellents which says the strong smell in some of these confuses the snakes;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O9AU_fjpsg&feature=related

http://www.foxlabs.com/ makes one that is supposed to be eco-friendly and safe for humans and pets.


Carmella has been sleeping soundly tonight while I've been on the computer and researching on Youtube.

I'll continue to keep you posted on her recovery.

3 comments:

artquest1 said...

Hi Pippit,
I was randomly looking at blogs when I stopped to read about the snake bitten dog. Imagine my surprise when I discovered just who the blog author was.
I'm very pleased that you seem to be doing well, and that you have continued with your love for art and creativity. I remember well when you made your public transformation into your new "persona", and I think it is wonderful that you have stuck with it.
If your shop in Stone Mountain is open to the public, I'd love to stop by some day and visit.
Best wishes, Bob

Giftbearer said...

Hi Bob,

I have a feeling I know you but I don't know for sure which Bob this is. I didn't see a last name anywhere on your blogs or any photos of the person in your profile. Could you refresh my memory?

I don't have a regular brick and mortar store, just create at home, but I have my work online on Etsy. Please check it out here; http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

If you would rather give me more information less publicly than in the blog comments you can register on Etsy and they have a private message system there.

artquest1 said...

Hi Pippit,
Sorry for the confusion - I'm Bob Souvorin, your old (and getting older every day) art teacher from Paideia. I remember all of the time you spent in the art shops, and it is always exciting for an teacher to run into an ex-student who has done so well with an earlier interest.
I went to your ETSY page and was quite impressed with your work. It not only seems quite well done, but is imaginative and visually interesting.
I'm glad your dog is recovering and I also hope you are doing well. If you're still in touch with them, say hi to your parents and Benji. Best wishes, Bob