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Rattlesnake Epedimic

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Buckerette

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One of my dogs got bit by a rattlesnake on Sunday. The rattler was in our garage at the time, very scary! According to our neighbor (whose dog was bit last month) the vet bill would be $1500. Ended up doing some at home treatment some bendraryl and pretezone (that we got from another nieghbor). She is much better today.

What if one of the cows get bit? or a calf?? Any advice on what to do then. We've lived at this place for over a year now and only 2 dogs have been bit. The cattle have been smart enough to stay away.

I've learned that if you are prepared for the worse, then it won't happen. If you aren't prepared, well you should have been.

Thanks
 
It seems most of the time calves, cows and horses are plenty big enough to handle the venom dose, unless they get bit on the nose and the nostrils swell shut. (As they say curiosity kills). A couple of short pieces of hose or syringe cases with the ends cut out can hold the nose open. Beyond that they only thing we ever worry about is infection but usually a good blast of Pen G helps that.

A few years back we had a cow get bit on the front quarter of her bag she eventually sloughed that quarter but other wise no ill effects.
 
Hey buckerette we bucked our young bulls tonight-things are looking good wish I could get them south. You gonna buy Huckaberry off the internet auction and let me test him for you lol
 
We were moving cows several years ago. My uncle had his good Australian Shepard stud dog along. We go home and the dog didn't. I went back and found him dead about 3 miles from the house. His neck was swollen from a snakebite and the collar choked him. What a horrible way to go.
 
Another good reason not to have a coller on a workin' dog! I never leave on on for fear of one hangin' up in some brush or somethin'.

We ain't seen many rattlers for quite a few years around here. Did kill a big one on the road west of us a week or two ago. Maybe cuz' the grass has been taller for the last few years since I started MIG grazing! :lol:
 
Northern Rancher said:
Hey buckerette we bucked our young bulls tonight-things are looking good wish I could get them south. You gonna buy Huckaberry off the internet auction and let me test him for you lol
Click to expand...

I would love to buy that bull. But my pockets aren't that deep right now. What do you think the reserve is? They are already up to 11K. Awesome picture, but I would like to see the whole trip. It's hard for me to pay good money for something I haven't actually seen.
 
That's terrible about the Australian Shepard. It gave me chills just to hear about it. We have had 7 dog bites this year on our road alone. Last year 1 dog bite but we killed 40 snakes - not sure if the neighbors killed any. It's getting scary. My honey was fixing fence the other day, luckily it was a colder day. He walked right up on one that didn't rattle just yet. The snake jumped up at his pant leg. Luckily he had loose pants on and his flesh wasn't bit and that it was cool enough the snake was moving slow. Of course, if it was warm he would have rattled sooner. Scary stuff.
 
You guys can quit talking about those snakes anytime- making me jumpy..I was swathing hay today in a field right next to a pasture where I've killed several rattlers over the years- twice I plugged up and had to crawl underneath to unplug it-- all I kept thinking about was laying on top of one of those rattlers......And this morning was cool- about 45...
 
Oldtimer said:
You guys can quit talking about those snakes anytime- making me jumpy..I was swathing hay today in a field right next to a pasture where I've killed several rattlers over the years- twice I plugged up and had to crawl underneath to unplug it-- all I kept thinking about was laying on top of one of those rattlers......And this morning was cool- about 45...
Click to expand...

Dont you just love to plug a swather,find every damn sticker in the field :mad: ................good luck
 
Oldtimer said:
You guys can quit talking about those snakes anytime- making me jumpy..I was swathing hay today in a field right next to a pasture where I've killed several rattlers over the years- twice I plugged up and had to crawl underneath to unplug it-- all I kept thinking about was laying on top of one of those rattlers......And this morning was cool- about 45...
Click to expand...

I'm officially done. No more snake bites this year. Nada....
 
Jinglebob said:
Another good reason not to have a coller on a workin' dog! I never leave on on for fear of one hangin' up



So, guess I should take the collar off my husband?
Click to expand...
 
Haven't seen any snakes at our place yet so far as the weather warms up . My inlaws have killed two big brown snakes so far,they are in the top ten in the world for venom. They like to move in and live in the one area usually. Our other common snake the black snake usually goes if it threatened whereas the brown will have a go at you.

Colin
 
Australian Cattleman said:
Haven't seen any snakes at our place yet so far as the weather warms up . My inlaws have killed two big brown snakes so far,they are in the top ten in the world for venom. They like to move in and live in the one area usually. Our other common snake the black snake usually goes if it threatened whereas the brown will have a go at you.

Colin
Click to expand...

Is there an antidote for the brown snake venom?
 
Yes there is an antivenom vaccine for the brown snake and most of our other venomous ones. The most venomous one that we have (world number one) is the Taipan,luckily it is generally up north in the warmer climates and down along the coast a bit. If anyone presents at our hospital and doesn't know what type of snake thay have been bitten by we occasionally give them a polyvalent vaccine which covers a number of types of snakes.
Usually if someone presents an hour or so after they have been bitten and aren't sick they probably will be OK. I've seen brown snake bite victims that are very ill within 40 minutes of being bitten. Usually within ten minutes signs are showing.
Now that I've been writing about them we'll probably see some today, here its going to be about 25 or 26 celcius.
Colin
 
We are lucky we don't have rattlesnakes here, but my father-in-law does down on the Niobrara. We do however have bullsnakes and maybe a milksnake or two, and once in awhile a water moccasin rolls by, but that is it. :!:
 

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