By Dr. Diane Cosko, Veterinarian

Living in one of the few east-to-west mountain ranges in the U.S. has its perks—natural beauty, fresh air and wide-open space. But it also brings a real threat to pets: rattlesnake bites. In this region, we have several species of rattlesnakes—and in some cases, venom variants from interbreeding—that pose serious and sometimes fatal risks to dogs and cats.

Every snakebite is different…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

Above: Cat Whitelock of Mountain Aire Veterinary Hospital with snake bite victim Calvin the labrador

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This is part of the May 23, 2025 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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