The United States is home to 26 species of rattlesnakes, making rattlesnake bites relatively common events in equine medicine. A talk entitled, "Just another Snake Bite? Pathophysiology, Treatment, & Long-Term Effects," was included at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum, held June 4-7.

According to Lyndi Gilliam, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, assistant professor in the department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, "rattlesnake bites can affect horses in a number of ways because the venom contains a mixture of natural products that can cause extensive tissue damage, coagulopathy (clotting abnormalities) and/or thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts) leading to bleeding disorders, cardiovascular toxicity (heart damage), and neurotoxicity (nerve damage)."

Horse owners definitely need to resist the urge to begin sucking the venom from their horse’s rattlesnake bite, as this was certainly not one of the recommendations made by Gilliam