A strike from a diamondback rattlesnake can spell doom, but when a family pet "Cali" was struck, the family mobilized to save her.  Veterinarians kept going back to Cali with an antidote, a record number of times to save her. 

Three year old Cali, a Chocolate Lab is excited to see her family, since she was bit by a diamondback rattle snake. 

"We fell in love with her from the get go,"  Connie Schmitt, Cali's owner said. 

They fell in love with Cali, the Schmitt's family dog, that had already been abandoned once, when she walked up to her current family in Orlando two years ago. 

"She double ear infections double eye infections,"  Schmitt said.

Nothing prepared them to find Cali in their yard laid down not responding when her name was called. 

"Looked like she passed out," Schmitt said. 

After realizing Cali was bit by a venomous snake they rushed her to the emergency room where they thought she wasn't going to make it. The Schmitt's, doing everything they could got recommendations to come to UF's Small Animal Hospital where doctors worked feverishly to save Cali's life. 

"Started to give her larger doses anti venom which we have a good supply of," Dr. Michael Schaer said. 

But that journey hasn't been easy.

"She was unable to look through her eyes because it was so swollen,"  Carsten Bandt assistant said.

Just about a week later and a record setting 18 vials of anti venom Cali is slowly getting back to good health. 

"She looks a lot better than we last saw her," Michael Schmitt said. 

With hopes that their "little sister" Cali will one day be reunited with her family. 

Check out this video to help fund Cali's medications http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3ewr8QBUhA  http://helpsavecali.chipin.com/cali