Vets are warning pet owners that snakebites are a real threat this season.
A Flower Mound emergency veterinarian treated six cases over the weekend, including Jake, a Jack Russell terrier.
His owner, Becky Use, said she knew something was wrong when he came hobbling through the house.
"When I pulled him toward me, he really, really yelled out loud, whelped, and I told my husband, 'That's not like him. Something's wrong,'" she said.
Use raced Jake to the DFW North Emergency Animal Clinic in Flower Mound, where the staff told her they had treated five other snakebites over the weekend.
The veterinarian immediately drew blood that confirmed Jake had venom in his system.
Most likely, a copperhead bit his right front leg, Use said. She found a baby copperhead by her water hose just days prior. A few years ago, she had found a full-grown copperhead in her backyard.
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Fortunately, both the family's dogs are vaccinated for certain snakebites.
Dr. Karen Matlock did not treat Jake for the snakebite, but is overseeing his ongoing recovery.
"The vaccine helps by increasing the dog's resistance to the snake and venomation, but it is not a treatment," she said.
Jake's treatment was expensive -- $1,400 for the IV fluid, antibiotics and anti-venom.
But he is already playing in the backyard with his sister, Milly, his shaved leg the only evidence of a snakebite that could have been deadly.
