Our Kid Got Bit By A Copperhead

There are no dull moments around here, and last Wednesday was no exception. Mom was out with the babies - our little goats are between three and four months old now. We don’t let them graze unsupervised until they are bigger so she takes them to the back woods every day for a couple of hours to let them forage. They love it!

Lily is the climber in the tree.

The picture above was moments before she got into trouble. All was glorious and they were having a grand time.

Copperhead Snake

Unlike most venomous snakes, copperheads give no warning signs and strike almost immediately if they feel threatened. Copperheads bites result in temporary tissue damage in the immediate area of bite. They are rarely fatal, but are very painful and you should always seek medical attention if bitten.

Barb saw a snake, and thought she saw it before they did and turned around quickly to lead them the other direction but Lily must have seen it first, because she was down within 10 seconds of Barb seeing the snake and she wouldn’t get up. Barb carried Lily back to the barn and by the time she got all the goats gathered up and in (about 300 yards away) Lily was panting, her leg was swollen and she was visibly in a lot of pain. She called our vet Dr. Dan and he said don’t panic, it’s not fatal (we knew this from our dog) but best to bring her in because she is so little and young. By the time they got to the vet 30 minutes later, she was not panting but wouldn’t stand up.

Lily a day after her copperhead bite - her leg is twice the normal size.

Dr. Dan gave her a steroid injection for the inflammation and a long lasting antibiotic to prevent infection that would last her a week.

Lily didn’t stand on her leg until late the next day, and even then was limping a lot and not putting much weight on it. Blessedly - though she is generally the most picked on - the other goats left her alone.

It took a few days for the swelling to go down and things to return to normal. She wouldn’t have died from the bite, but the quick trip to the vet only cost $75, prevented infection and made her much more comfortable and quick to recover.

As I said before - never a dull moment around here! We are so lucky to have an amazing vet and my quick reacting mom.