Rattlesnake

[PMcGee]

This one came through my camp a couple years ago. Luckily I saw it before my dog did.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Highvoltage1]

No way I’d be camping in a floor less tent in some of these areas!

 

[Axle]

South central. Pratt/Barber county

Okay I’m in the Wichita area. Never seen one around here and I hope it stays that way!

 

[Jdeck09]

Been fortunate to avoid the big boys and only encounter a few small ones.

 

[OregonSteeler]

My dad worked with a fella who met his end during a snake service. At his funeral they busted out serpents again and his daughter met her end.

I've never heard of anything like this? What is this all about?

 

[MaddMatt]

I've never heard of anything like this? What is this all about?

Snake handling, at least in the Appalachians, is sometime practices in Pentecostal and Holiness churches. They base it off Mark 16:17-18

"17;And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;18;They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

 

[Andrew12gauge]

I've never heard of anything like this? What is this all about?

Hillbilly churches where they handle serpents because if you’re truly faithful enough God will protect you


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chris in TN]

Hillbilly churches where they handle serpents because if you’re truly faithful enough God will protect you


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After the second not-so-great awakening in the early 1800's in rural America, as a sort of psuedo-revival branched off up into every holler in Appalachia, people really lost focus of what Christianity was about.

I lived in eastern TN for several years. I had a chance to be in some very, very rural places, and those weird offshoots of Christianity, where they usually still believe part of the core tenets of Christianity but de-emphasize them in favor of other things that are either wrong or a gross misunderstanding of the relevant texts at best, are still there. It was bizarre to see. Snake-handling was one of the worst manifestations of it, but there are others. If you were a basic evangelical Christian who understood and believed the basic, core tenets of the faith, and had some grasp of history, and you moved from the First Baptist Church of Main Street USA, a bible-believing church with some grasp of history, and found yourself casting about visiting a handful of little churches in rural Appalachia today, you'd see some strange things.

We never actually saw snake-handling. But we were aware of its existence.

 

[tony]

It was a big deal here in southern WV.

I think there are maybe one or two churches' still doing it. Most of them are backwoods, hollers typer churches. Might be one left now.

 

[RockAndSage]

It was a big deal here in southern WV.

I think there are maybe one or two churches' still doing it. Most of them are backwoods, hollers typer churches. Might be one left now.

Kind of a Darwinian, self-correcting problem over time...

 

[strousek]

Kind of a Darwinian, self-correcting problem over time...

This is how I feel about all the TikTok trends and such. Let them eat tide pods and only the strongest should survive.

 

[Rogue Bay]

Found this guy at work the other day, was a mile from the field I had to get in to. I usually give them the pass as long as they’re not coming or going from a field I need to work in. View attachment 1079897

Great Basin rattlesnake?

 

[DuckDogDr]

Yes, we got across the bay within 30 minutes, that pic was the swelling right at 30 minutes. Vet was another 45 minutes away and she stayed overnight. Judging by the baggy loose skin she had the next evening she swelled up unbelievably huge. My buddy saved her life, I called him after leaving the vet and he asked me if I took off her collar and I hadn't so I called the vet and they hadn't taken it off either but agreed to remove it. He said the only dogs he's seen die were from strangulation because they swelled up so much their collar killed them. Always be sure to remove the collar whether you take them to the vet or not. She looked better the following evening and took a while for the baggy skin to go away.

I can promise you a decent envenomation from a rattlesnake will kill them in other ways besides strangulation

 

[wowzers]

Y’all ain’t eating none of them? I enjoy the “before and after”
View attachment 1079428

I like them but the ones we have are kind of skimpy on the meat too bone ratio.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

I can promise you a decent envenomation from a rattlesnake will kill them in other ways besides strangulation

Yeah I wasn't asserting otherwise. This guy's been present for about a dozen rattlesnake bites (hog dogs) and he said the only two he's seen that died were from strangulation. I'm sure plenty have died due to the venom mechanisms especially on less gamey dogs.

 

[DuckDogDr]

I have never had a confirmed rattlesnake bite (disclosure I have had some folks swear up and down a copperhead was a rattler)… but a true rattlesnake snake bite require no less than 3 vials of antivenin.

A lot of those old timer vets (ohh he just needs steroids and he’s fine) or clients that say paw paw just used to give them bacon grease … just don’t understand or are unwilling to listen to how bad they are.

I vividly remember while I was still in highschool just started working at a vet clinic . Dog got bit in the arse by a timber rattler. The old vet kept saying he’ll be fine, just needs fluids and steroids.
Next morning I came in to clean kennel and feed … the dog was laterally recumbent (non-responsive) and just screaming with blood coming out of his mouth and nose .. he was pissing blood and I picked him up to move him and a dinner plate sized area of skin and muscle just effortlessly slid off in my hands down to the brim of the pelvis .. needless to say we euthanized.

Had a case last year of a mastiff that was bitten on the tongue … her paw paw said all it needed was a steroid shot.. the damn dog was having trouble breathing and ataxic when he walked in and she kept arguing over a steroid. Refused antivenin.
I made her sign an AMA and we had it on camera her dog was about to die with out treatment… 6 hours later we had to do an emergency tracheotomy… owner thought we were still bullshitting here …. She came up to “verify what we were telling her
By that time the dog’s blood count had dropped to 5% from 45 at presentation, he was bleeding in his eyes and then she decided she wanted to do everything.. too late

I despise all snakes
I leave the chicken and king snakes alone - they help keep them away
Copperheads are scary but annoying
Cottonmouths are really scary and assholes
Rattlesnakes - terrify me based on what I’ve seen come through the ER

 

[yfarm]

Lots of misinformation and lack of knowledge out there in the human and veterinary medical communities. Inappropriate and ineffective therapies delaying appropriate treatment. Educate yourself and research care available in your area if venomous snakes live there. I read about treatments focusing on local effects then see labs showing profound hematologic abnormalities like the post above.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

I have never had a confirmed rattlesnake bite (disclosure I have had some folks swear up and down a copperhead was a rattler)… but a true rattlesnake snake bite require no less than 3 vials of antivenin.

A lot of those old timer vets (ohh he just needs steroids and he’s fine) or clients that say paw paw just used to give them bacon grease … just don’t understand or are unwilling to listen to how bad they are.

I vividly remember while I was still in highschool just started working at a vet clinic . Dog got bit in the arse by a timber rattler. The old vet kept saying he’ll be fine, just needs fluids and steroids.
Next morning I came in to clean kennel and feed … the dog was laterally recumbent (non-responsive) and just screaming with blood coming out of his mouth and nose .. he was pissing blood and I picked him up to move him and a dinner plate sized area of skin and muscle just effortlessly slid off in my hands down to the brim of the pelvis .. needless to say we euthanized.

Had a case last year of a mastiff that was bitten on the tongue … her paw paw said all it needed was a steroid shot.. the damn dog was having trouble breathing and ataxic when he walked in and she kept arguing over a steroid. Refused antivenin.
I made her sign an AMA and we had it on camera her dog was about to die with out treatment… 6 hours later we had to do an emergency tracheotomy… owner thought we were still bullshitting here …. She came up to “verify what we were telling her
By that time the dog’s blood count had dropped to 5% from 45 at presentation, he was bleeding in his eyes and then she decided she wanted to do everything.. too late

I despise all snakes
I leave the chicken and king snakes alone - they help keep them away
Copperheads are scary but annoying
Cottonmouths are really scary and assholes
Rattlesnakes - terrify me based on what I’ve seen come through the ER

Always good to hear from the pros. I certainly wouldn't take a chance with my dogs but I have emergency funds and will go broke for them with complete disregard for personal finances.
How do you feel about the typical snout/face bites that are more common?