Hey, guys. Just wanted to give you a little success story. My Australian Cattle Dog was bitten under her chin Tuesday evening by a rattler (yes, I found him). She came up to me with a golf-ball sized lump on her lower jaw and couldn't close her mouth. I gave her Apis Mellifica for swelling, and Rescue Remedy for stress. The swelling was down in 30 minutes and totally gone in an hour. All she had was a little edema on her throat the next day!

As for the snake.. a 3 ft VERY ANGRY prairie rattler curled up just outside my dog yard. I was at my wits end and in my heart of hearts, wanted to somehow catch him and take him way far away... You know, that's not so easily done when you're faced with a buzzing angry rattler who's just been harrassed by a red-headed dog. So, VERY reluctantly, I figured I'd just shoot the poor thing. I got my pellet rifle that hadn't been fired in years; loaded it up, aimed, pulled the trigger... POP! ... and the pellet just fell out of the barrel! No oomph to that gun at all! Meanwhile, the snake just slithered away. Guess I'd better look into a new gun. debra in nm

-- debra in nm (goatgirl@unm.edu), April 19, 2002

Answers

That is good stuff to know. We will definitely file that one away for future reference...

but the image of the pellet just falling out of the gun...LMAO! That is just too funny! (I will probably smile thinking about that one today.) I am so glad you ended up not really needing it though. It wouldnt have been very funny if you were in a more desperate situation.

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), April 19, 2002.

arent most odge imune to ratlesnake bites? the ones that arent and are dumb enough to get bite,,,,,,deserve it

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 19, 2002.

That is great Debra! I am glad your dog is OK. I do worry a bit about my Cattle dog also, although any kind of snake here is such a rarity that I am glad to see one. I have re located lots of rattlers(lived in 'vegas for over 30 Years and kept lots of reptiles)and it is not difficult. A large container with a lid(rigid plastic or metal) and you can just scoop them in it with a shovel. If you would like some good tips on trapping them and taking them out for release just log on to http://www.kingsnake.com/forum/venom/ and they can help. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), April 19, 2002.

My, my. What would we do without Stan's helpful input on most every topic?? Glad the pup's okay, and that snakey got away. Everybody wins!

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), April 19, 2002.

Yes, it was a win-win situation! Thanks for the tips on trapping rattlers, and if I am in a situation where I can do it, I will. I'm pretty live-and-let-live and know all snakes have their purpose. Heaven knows, it's a veritable smorgasborg buffet for snakes out there with all my gophers. The very next day the dogs had ANOTHER snake cornered out in the pasture, a much bigger one, I could tell all the way from the barn. Turns out, it was a bull snake, and it got away from them. I LIKE bull snakes around here! They give the rattlers a run for their money. Trouble is, most people don't stop to see what kind of snake it is before they start bludgeoning with the hoe.

ps to Stan. My other 2 dogs knew better; they've been to "snake class" during their obedience training. dh in nm

-- debra in nm (goatgirl@unm.edu), April 19, 2002.

Nope, dogs are not immune to rattlesnake bites. Depends upon how much venom in injected as to the final status of the dog. A good snake catcher is a long stick with a small fork at one end. Put a loop in a cord/small rope and use the stick to place the loop over the snake's head. Lift with the stick and place snake in a feed bag including the rope. The snake will get out of the rope while in the bag. Dump the snake where desired. Easier to do than describe.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), April 19, 2002.

My goodness I have little children, I could NEVER let it go. It would be a goner. I don't go looking for them or if I am out away from home then I leave them alone. I figure they are fair game if they come to my house!

-- Esther (realestatez@hotmail.com), April 19, 2002.

My ex is deathly allergic to bees and hates doctors and hospitals even more. He got stung one day inside his mouth. Yep, it was in his pop can. I didn't know it and he just went up to quietly read. He came down for something to drink and made some comment about feeling the poison surge through his body. My next door neighbor was a homeopath so I got the apis (which is bee venom) from him and gave it to my husband every fifteen minutes. After about an hour he was fine and all numbness was gone, his breathing was normal, all other signs were normal. I have been practising homeopathy on my family for 12 years. In the last 8 years we have only had to go to the doctor once for illness.

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 19, 2002.

Too bad! That probably would have made a great hat band or belt. Maybe next time.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), April 19, 2002.

Oh dear sounds like you are in the midst of rattler territory. How scary! I have to admire and respect some of the posters who actually re locate the rattlers. I really would like to say, "Geeze, are ya insane? Handling a poisonous snake? That takes grit. But alas, I recently needed to re think our of the box and be open to other attitudes and opinions. If this post had been posted a few yrs ago folks would not have quabbled over someone killing a poisnous snake, but now its different, we have many new folks who have recently joined and they have different mindsets about homesteading. I know..... I know.... I'm stuck in a rut thinking here, guess I am getting old *wink*.

The one post reminded me ofthe late a Jerry Clower comment on rattlesnakes and PETA. I loved listening to Jerry in the mornings on the one radio station every morning back in VA. Jerry is usually pretty funny, think I laughed so hard after listening to a story about a man who was sitting near a stove, they had company and the wife was fixing a meal, so she happens to see chittlins hanging down from under the cane webbed chair hubby was sitting in. She just knew the cat must have done it. so she goes over to the fireplace and grabs a hot poker, she gentely eases it on the chittlins. she didn't want her guest or hubby to see the chittlin, so hubby jumps up, hollers in pain, it wasn't chittlins, but a hole in his pants where his fat had twisted through.

So anyways Jerry was at a rattlesnake fest in TX, he oders some rattlesnake meat and proceeds to eat it. A PETA rep complained about the shooting of rattlers. Jerry wa sdumbfounded, how could anyone think eating or killing a poisonous snake be cruel. Food for thought in more than one way.

Stan, Stan, Stan, tsk, tsk, tsk,

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 19, 2002.

My odge is imune to dogs, so it's o.k. Or is my dog imune to Dodges? Maybe my odge is an odge-podge...beagle and black lab, that is an odge-podge!

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), April 20, 2002.

The new issue of Countryside has a article about guinea fowl for snake control. Anybody tried this? We are moving to the southeastern desert and want to have a way to remove the snakes from our property. How much trouble are these birds? Sounds as if they are very noisy.

-- Hank (hsnrs@att.net), April 20, 2002.

Hank, Mine will let me know when there is a snake around. They surround the snake and make an awful fuss. They do eat ticks and bugs, but the noise they make the rest of the time can get on your nerves. You should give them a try, you can always have them for dinner if they don't work out for you. Best wishes

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 20, 2002.

Homeopathy ROCKS!

-- snoozy (bunny@northsound.net), April 20, 2002.

Debra that was great. Seems kinda silly to try and catch a rattler. For those with out a homopathic person near by, or don't have Apis Melifica & Rescue Remedy near by, Charcoal works miricals for snake bites. Not the bar-b-que type, that is very toxic. Do not make from treated lumber, but just plan old burnt wood, as in tree branch. It worked on my dog, my cats who are more stupid when it comes to snakes, they never learn, and it has worked on my goats. And yes even me, but I wasn't messing with a snake, what ever it was, I never found out, got me in bed, sent me into anaphletic shock! Thank God charcoal was near by, as was my spouce.

-- T Carroll (caerhuill@att.net), April 21, 2002.

As for guineas as snake control... matter of fact, a friend and I are going in halvsies on some this summer. I had 3 once when I lived in central Texas on 10 acres of mesquite (prime rattlesnake habitat).. and nary a rattler. I've got a neighbor that swears all guineas do is stand around a snake and make noise (enough to scare anyone away!), but she swears by her black australorp chickens as snake control. OK, I'm game; I'll try them, too!

BTW, snakes don't just come after you.. they really want to get out of your way. I don't mind shooting one if there is no way to avoid it, but it's pretty rare to step on one "accidentally". Well, he did a GREAT job of warning me this time. Mind you, if you shoot one, there are a gazillion others out there; it's not going to make much diff. Thanks for all the info, guys. Aydios, debra in nm.

-- debra in nm (goatgirl@unm.edu), April 23, 2002.