He nose nothing

September 21, 2023 8:39 AM

I need a nose guard for my dog. What can you recommend?

Twice now he has stuck his nose into a shrub/forb and gotten bit by a rattlesnake.
It would need to cover his nose, not just his snout.

posted by falsedmitri to Pets & Animals (5 answers total)

Best answer: What kind of dog is he? If he has a snout and isn't a short-faced breed like a pug or frenchie, you could get a basket muzzle with what they call a "stool guard." It's called that because people use it to stop their dog from eating poop in the yard/turnout, but it would also protect a nose from a snake bite.

A properly fitting basket muzzle lets a dog pant and drink water, so it's not cruel to the dog. You would need to muzzle train him, though - it's not ideal to just shove a muzzle on a dog with no training because then he'll hate it.
posted by misskaz at 9:21 AM on September 21, 2023 [2 favorites]

Here a resource for training a dog to be comfortable with a muzzle that was recommended by our dog trainer who has a very positive reinforcement approach to training: Muzzle Up
posted by metahawk at 9:47 AM on September 21, 2023 [2 favorites]

In safety management, PPE (in this case a nose guard) is the last line of defense against a hazard (in this case, bushes full of rattlesnakes).

Is there a way you can keep the dog away from the bushes instead, with fencing or keeping your dog on a lead or something? If he has a nose guard my fear is that he'll end up eventually bit somewhere else on his body.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 11:04 AM on September 21, 2023 [3 favorites]

There are people who do aversion training for dogs to avoid venomous snakes; they use live neutralized snakes and something like a mild shock collar to train the dog to avoid even getting close. Might be worth a look, if he hasn't learned after two nips.
posted by The otter lady at 1:11 PM on September 21, 2023

Best answer: My brother came for a visit with his dog and it got into some foxtails ... then a visit to the emergency vet to remove them from her throat.

Now she wears this thing called a field guard. It looks weird, the dog is a big compliant retriever, so it wasn't a big issue training her to accept it. She can still sniff things, but can't eat anything. I don't think it'd do much for snakes, but that's not the point.
posted by typetive at 8:12 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]