Bernadette

 

Bernie is our seven-year-old Yorkshire Terrier who has a very independent spirit. Bernie entered our lives when she was still a little puppy. Our neighbors had two little Yorkshire Terriers and could only keep one. Luckily for us, they felt that we would give Bernie a good home. When Bernie was five-years-old, we added another Yorkshire Terrier to our family. Penelope was given to us when she was thirteen-years-old. Despite her advanced years, she sometimes acts like a puppy. Bernie and Penelope are barking companions. They love to wake us up every Thursday when the gardeners arrive. Bernie is a dog that loves to hunt lizards in our backyard and could spend hours on the slope looking for them. She is a sven pound dog that thinks she is the size of a Great Dane.

Bernie’s love of “the hunt” and aggressive behavior towards reptiles led to BIG TROUBLE for her on August 9th, 2005 when she came across a rattlesnake, grabbed it in her mouth, and started to fling it around. Can you picture that??? The snake was three to four feet in length!!! Needless to say, the snake struck her across the nose. Upon witnessing this whole horrifying episode, my dad yelled at her to get into the house. She immediately dropped the snake and ran inside. Dad could hear the rattling sound coming from the bush and knew it was a rattlesnake. We immediately called the Orange Villa Veterinary Hospital to let them know we were coming, and they instructed us to go to Advanced Critical Care and Internal Medicine located in Tustin as they keep antivenim on hand.

Bernie spent six days at Advanced Critical Care battling for her life. She received two doses of antivenim, a tracheotomy so that she cold breathe, a blood transfusion, had a feeding tube surgically placed into her stomach through her side, and countless other procedures. Even after she returned home, my mother had to feed her through her feeding tube, which wasn’t a pleasant experience. A lot of prayer and thr dedication of talented veterinarians at Advanced Critical Care saved our little “Pup Pup.” We were grateful and happy to have our little Bernie home, including Penelope. She missed her barking partner during her days at the hospital. Bernie proved to be a fighter and has returned slowly to her old self although she is a bit more timid in the backyard now. Bernie is our miracle dog!

Our home is backed up to a large uninhabited open area in Anaheim Hills. Please be aware that rattlesnakes can and will come into your yard!!! Keep a close eye on your pets.

A note from Doctor Horn:

Every year we have a few pets that tangle with a rattlesnake. Bernie was lucky in that she was treated right away and aggressively, and that her parents could afford her treatment. Rattlesnake bites are avoidable, but rattlesnake proofing your yard and aversion classes. Please see our previous article on rattlesnakes on our website. The vaccination for the rattlesnake venom will help to reduce the need for antivenom and lengthy hospital stays, although avoidance is the best policy. If you have any questions regarding rattlesnakes, please e-mail Dr. Horn or use our Ask the Doctor section of our newsletter.