This will NOT work on most poisonous snakebites on a dog, but this is what I did when the local vet was unavailable.

One of my dogs, a small female, 1/2 mutt, 1/2 Red Heeler, was hit in the nose by a Copperhead (a Texas Copperhead, least poisonous North American "poisonous snake", commonly hits with a dry strike or a low venom level strike as the first warning that you're too close).

Venom injection was minimal, but she swelled almost instantly and as luck would have it, the local vet was no telling where and vaccinating livestock.

There was no bleeding, no thinning of blood, and no necrosis all of which are common with other pit viper bites.

I resorted to the use of allergy medications (one tablet that was Loredane (sp?) and then had to use normal antihistamines). I broke up the capsules and stuck the powder in butter to get her to lick them up.

Now it is 36 hours after the bite and you cannot tell by looking at her that she was ever bitten.

Richard.