Dog Bitten in Eye by Rattlesnake Racks Up $6,000 Vet Fee–Then Netizens Pitch In to Help Owner

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A pair of friends from New Jersey, who had moved to Arizona as roommates, didn’t know what they were getting into; what began as a hike with their dogs through the Superstition Mountains ended in an emergency visit to the vet.

On the morning of May 30, Amanda Medell and her roommate Nicole Hardenbrook set out along a hiking trail with their dogs, both on leashes.

No sooner had Medell’s dog, Nellie, started sniffing around in a bush, an hour into their hike, did she suddenly start yelping. Then, it became clear to them why. Medell recounted the incident afterwards. “I notice she’s bleeding and I see a snake belly up on the middle of the trail,” she told Inside Edition.

The roommates rushed Nellie to the emergency vet, where she was treated with antivenom and was monitored over the night. Nellie had been bitten in the eye area; her face was badly swollen.

Nellie was well taken care of at the vet’s. After the injury was treated, she was sent home to recover. Medell then met with a specialist to discuss further treatment going forward. Unfortunately, it was going to cost a pretty penny to take care of all her medical expenses, to the tune of over $6,000, she learned.

But luckily, Medell had a resourceful roommate, Hardenbrook, who took to the internet and started up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs. They set their initial goal at $6,500—but as of now, the fund has already tipped $8,500.

“I cannot believe how many animal lovers and just good people there are around,” said Medell, as per their GoFundMe page. “I’ve had so much love and support from family, friends of friends, and strangers, it has been really emotional for me.”

Sadly, the vet had to remove Nellie’s injured eye earlier this month. Yet fortunately, the worst was over, they assured Medell.

After the ordeal and all the publicity about Nellie’s rattlesnake encounter online—Medell also posted it on Facebook—many comments were critical of Medell for not looking after her dog. But Hardenbrook was quick to come to her roommate’s defense.

“To clarify to anyone who is curious, our dogs were on leashes, the bush was right on the trail so the dogs were not wandering off the path when this happened,” wrote Hardenbrook on Facebook. “Being from NJ rattlesnake season was not even close to something that crossed our minds.”

Medell has pledged to donate all the extra monies received via GoFundMe to another animal in need. She will also continue posting pictures of Nellie’s progress as an online record.

Meanwhile, Medell has no plans of forgoing any future hikes with her dog; though she is urging others to have their dogs trained to avoid rattlesnakes. She adds that she hopes that vets will start recommending rattlesnake vaccine to owners, too.

“I will still hike with Nellie,” said Medell. “But I will be taking preventative measures when she is all healed before we go anywhere again.”