Florida
Florida family makes cross-county journey to save dog bitten by rattlesnake
Race to save dog bitten by rattlesnake
A dog is recovering after being bitten by a rattlesnake in Osceola County.
MELBOURNE, Fla. – A family made a cross-county trek in central Florida to save their dog that was bitten by a rattlesnake.
Thankfully, the pup, Abby, survived and is back home with her family a week after the attack on June 9. After the terrifying ordeal, her family is speaking out to spread awareness and advise pet owners if they find themselves in a similar situation.
The attack happened in St. Cloud, but they had to drive more than an hour to Melbourne because not every vet has anti-venom on hand. The emergency vet, Animal Specialty and Emergency Center, on Eau Gallie, was open and had treatment ready.
“I let the dogs out, and within five minutes, all of them were barking,” said Sayre, who has six other dogs, including Abby.
They all spotted the snake, but Sayer didn’t know any of them had been attacked immediately.
After spotting the snake by their family’s cabin in St. Cloud, the family quickly noticed Abby wasn’t acting like herself.
“She was just pouring drool, and she’ll drool but not that much,” she said.
She was bitten in her ear, and quickly, her face started to swell. The entire family and friends jumped into action, calling frantically to find a vet who could help save Abby’s life.
“I was just trying to keep her awake because she kept dozing off. I kept her calm, but I just wanted her to stay awake,” said Abby’s mother.
The closest open vet they could find that had anti-venom on hand was more than an hour away, in Melbourne. Abby was bitten around 7 a.m., and they didn’t make it to the vet until 9 a.m. on June 9.
“It can be fatal, and it can be fatal pretty quickly,” said Dr. Marissa Rutt, an emergency veterinarian at the Animal Specialty & Emergency Center of Brevard.
Rutt was the first to see Abby. They quickly gave her anti-venom, but she didn’t improve right away.
“She needed multiple, multiple vials of treatment,” said the doctor.
Her family was there holding her paw and getting ready to say goodbye.
“We don’t know if she’s going to make it,” said Sayre. “We thought this might be the last time.”
Finally, after the seventh vial of anti-venom, Abby turned a corner and started to get better.
“It literally binds to the venom in their blood and helps to remove it from their system,” said Rutt.
Abby spent a day at the emergency vet and the treatment cost around $6,000. A week later, Abby still has some swelling around her neck, but at least she’s alive.
“If anybody knows us at all, it’s that we love our pets more than people, and they’re our family,” said Sayre.
Rattlesnake bites are more common during the summer. Dr. Rutt says no over-the-counter medicine can help stop the spread. Minutes matter when a rattlesnake strikes and venom starts to take over.
“Have a plan. Don’t ever think that can’t happen to you, or I live in the city; this can’t happen because it can,” she said. “It can happen anywhere.”
Having a plan means having an emergency vet in your phone contact who is ready to go and has anti-venom on hand. Look into that before you’re in a crisis! Also, every case is different, but Dr. Rutt says one hour from when the snake bites to when you make it to the vet gives your pet the best chance of survival.
Abby’s family has started a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses for this unexpected emergency. You can access the site HERE.
Plans for a new Wawa to open in Port St. Lucie were approved.
A new Wawa fuel station and convenience store will open in Port St. Lucie now that the plans have been approved.
The Wawa will be at the corner of Village Parkway and Becker Road in front of the Lowe’s which is expected to open in the summer of 2026, according to the city’s website.
The plans for a Wawa convenience store and eight fuel pumps were submitted to the city Dec. 3, 2025.
What will go in Port St. Lucie’s Southern Grove?
The plans for the Shoppes at Southern Grove show there will be a new Lowe’s store and six additional outparcels.
The six additional outparcels include the following:
- Gas station: 5,915 square feet
- Outparcel A: 1.2 acres
- Outparcel B: 1.14 acres
- Outparcel C: 1.83 acres
- Outparcel D: 1.04 acres
- Outparcel E: 1.02 acres
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
SUNRISE, Fla. – Five Florida Panthers players and five staff members will represent their home countries at the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Championship, taking place May 15 through May 31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. Games will be broadcast on NHL Network in the United States.
Marek Alscher, 22, will represent Czechia at the IIHF World Championship for the first time. He previously played for his home country at the 2024 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship, skating in seven games to help the Czechs capture the bronze medal over Finland. Alscher made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2025-26, notching three assists over four games played. He also skated in 52 American Hockey League (AHL) games with Florida’s affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, recording 11 points (3-8-11).
Aleksander Barkov, 30, missed the 2026 Winter Olympic Games due to injury but had been named to Finland’s preliminary roster in June of 2025. He previously earned a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games alongside current Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu, and earned a silver medal representing his home country at the 2016 IIHF Men’s World Championship. At the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, Barkov served as captain of Finland.
Anton Lundell, 24, will be participating in his second IIHF World Championship after earning a silver medal with Finland in 2021, where he posted seven points (4-3-7) in 10 games as a 19-year-old. He helped Finland capture the bronze medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games this season and previously earned gold at the 2019 IIHF U20 WJC and 2018 IIHF U18 WJC, as well as a bronze medal at the 2021 U20 WJC.
Sandis Vilmanis, 22, will represent Latvia at the IIHF World Championship for the first time in his career. He played for Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in February as well as at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 IIHF U20 World Junior Championships, serving as an alternate captain in 2024 where he produced four points (2-2-4) over five games. Vilmanis made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2025-26, logging five points (3-2-5) in 19 games with Florida while compiling 38 points (17-21-38) in 48 American Hockey League (AHL) contests with the Panthers affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
Matthew Tkachuk, 28, will attempt to become the first American to join the Triple Gold Club (Stanley Cup, World Championship Gold Medal and Olympic Gold Medal), as well as the first player in NHL history to win all three parts of the Triple Gold Club within a 12-month span. This will be Tkachuk’s first time participating in the IIHF World Championship.
In addition to his 2026 Olympic gold medal, Tkachuk also earned gold representing the United States at the 2015 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship and the 2014 U17 World Hockey Challenge, as well as a bronze medal at the 2016 IIHF U20 WJC. He served as alternate captain for the U.S. at the 2026 Olympics and 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
Florida will have four staff members representing the United States. Panthers Assistant General Manager Brett Peterson is serving as General Manager for the second time after holding the position in 2024. Panthers Head Equipment Manager Teddy Richards will serve as equipment manager and Florida’s Head Athletic Trainer Dave DiNapoli will work as athletic trainer. Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito will serve on the Advisory Group.
Panthers Assistant General Manager Gregory Campbell will assist with evaluating and selecting players for Canada.
Panthers fans can stay up to date on all the Cats’ representatives at the 2026 IIHF World Championships at FloridaPanthers.com/WorldChampionship.
2026-27 Florida Panthers Territory Memberships are available now! Click here to learn more. For all the latest in Panthers news, concerts and events at Amerant Bank Arena & FTL War Memorial, sign up for ’93 Society newsletter and receive information straight to your inbox. Visit FloridaPanthers.com or SeatGeek.com for all ticketing needs.
A Martin County slaughterhouse near Lake Okeechobee could increase toxic algal blooms in the C-44 Canal, St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.
There have been 81 algal blooms in the past two years within 2 miles of a proposed slaughterhouse in western Martin County, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Algal Bloom Dashboard.
The slaughterhouse will increase pollution and bring more potentially toxic algal blooms to Lake Okeechobee, whose waters sometimes are released into the C-44 Canal and flow into the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon in Stuart, opponents say.
Chancey Bay Ranch owner Tuny Mizrachi has proposed building a 56,784-square-foot slaughterhouse on 26 acres of his 2,046-acre-property at 8401 SW Connors Highway, abutting Lake O.
5 ways a slaughterhouse can increase Lake Okeechobee pollution
The Guardians of Martin County have raised at least five concerns with the Martin County Commission:
- Meat processing facilities, though necessary, have the potential to be noisy nuisances and significant sources of disease and pollution for air and water.
- The facility would be a new source of pollution in a watershed that’s designated as “impaired” because of elevated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus.
- The facility would be a potential new source of pollutants near one of Martin County’s lowest income and most ethnically diverse communities.
- There’s no evidence the facility has a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, or plans to follow effluent limitation guidelines or conduct water-quality monitoring.
- The South Florida Water Management District has permitted the facility to withdraw 6.7 million gallons of water per year for 20 years from Florida’s surficial aquifer, despite it being subject to varying levels of saltwater intrusion, especially in Martin County. The SFWMD has designated all of Martin County a Water Resource Caution Area.
Blood, feces, oil, grease, ammonia and antibiotic residue from the proposed slaughterhouse would contribute to harmful algal blooms, including toxic cyanobacteria, Martin County Administrator Don Donaldson wrote to the DEP and SFWMD.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
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