Thanks for the comments Doug and Mike.
Figure it was a Western Diamond back which is the species most likely to be seen around Roosevelt Lake elevation 2150 ft or so.. Never saw it. I wanted to go back and remove it from the island....permanently. Went out a few more times after taking a week off from fishing to ensure Oli was taken care of. Wife watched him after that first critical week. I considered going on the island but Asa would be with me.
No nerve damage. Vet did say there is a 4 hour window to get a dog in for best recovery.
I wrote this thread for others should their dog have this issue. There were quite few things we had to do to help him recover. I had no idea that there would be wound leakage.
I forgot to mention for the first ten days he was on antibiotics and I had to dab betadine on his wound twice a day followed by a gentle water rinse.
A friend has a GWP that he hunts occasionally but she accompanies him on his daily hikes. She has been bitten by rattlers three times!
Twice she has attacked the snake. She has been repeatedly given the snake avoidance training but it doesn't take. He and his wife keep a vet savings account for their dogs. He told me his dog recovers quickly after a vet visit and some antivenom. Must be smaller amounts of venom that poor Oli got.
