MIRAMAR, Fla. – A west Miramar family is warning pet owners and parents of young children to be careful after their 3-year-old Goldendoodle was bitten by a venomous snake in their own backyard.
“He ran back into the house crying, limping, and when she looked at his leg she saw the two bites,” said dog owner Barbara Hernandez.
As temperatures warm up and South Florida’s snakebite season begins, running through October, authorities across the area are doubling down on that warning.
The puppy, named Kobe, was rushed to two different veterinarians, in search of anti-venom.
A clinic in Davie administered two doses of it, but the poison had already spread from Kobe’s leg to his pelvic area, so he was transferred to Coral Springs Animal Hospital for its hyperbaric chamber to heal and push the venom out.
“The venom apparently eats up the skin,” said Hernandez. “I don’t want him to suffer. I don’t want him to lose his leg. I look at my children and I think I need to do whatever I need to do. He’s our baby.”
The chamber seems to be doing the trick, as Kobe is finally back home.
He’s still going back daily for treatments, and is scheduled for yet another surgery to save his leg.
Hernandez says she regularly finds water moccasins in their west Miramar neighborhood, warning others to be careful.
“It’s been absolutely horrible,” said Hernandez. “He’s not the same dog. He’s like really traumatized — and obviously my kids are traumatized too.”
Medical expenses are quickly piling up as the family works to save Kobe’s leg. They have set up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses and it can be found by clicking here.
ADDITIONAL LINKS
LeadER Animal Hospital on Snake Bite Season
Miami-Dade Snake Bite Season safety tips
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