Rattlesnake Bit My Dog

[3RRL]

Man, I hate to hear about your dog but it happens. Hope he will OK?
I wanted to share that out West we have a terrible Rattlesnake problem. Their is an old cowboy that goes around different counties and a few Southwestern states and conducts "Snake Training" for dogs. We signed our Lab up for it cost is $75.
Training is pretty easy and the dog takes to it right away. Yearly "refreshers" might be a good idea.

Here's what he does. He's got a whole truck full of rattlers and somehow binds there mouth shut and they are de-fanged. He places them in a "trail" and lets the dog and another handler walk the trail while he observes. He's got a radio shock collar on the dog and he's got the controls. When the dog encounters the first snake, my dog just walked right over it and it struck her...and the cowboy shocks her at the same time. This first snake has no rattles so it's intended to work by sight and smell. He does this several times until the dog recognizes the snake.

Then he moves her to a second station where the snake has rattles and goes through the same procedure over and over until the dog picks up on the rattling and avoids the snake by sight, smell and sound.

The third stage is where he releases the dog. The owners are on one end and a snake or two between us and the dog. He lets the dog go and by golly, the dog avoids the snakes like you can't believe! Then he advises us to meet the dog...and always go in the direction the dog goes because there may be another snake we don't see, but the dog knows...

 

[Paddy]

Killing a black snake was a mistake. I have been told, aside from the fact they are not dangerous or agresive, they take the place of bad snakes. The DNR type said, think of it as a housing complex, you kill a good black snake and all you do is create a vacancy for who knows what kind the next time.

Keeping mice out of your shop/home is a good idea, trying to keep mice off your property is a hopeless cause.

 

[bloody_peasant]

Killing a black snake was a mistake. I have been told, aside from the fact they are not dangerous or agresive, they take the place of bad snakes. The DNR type said, think of it as a housing complex, you kill a good black snake and all you do is create a vacancy for who knows what kind the next time.

Keeping mice out of your shop/home is a good idea, trying to keep mice off your property is a hopeless cause.

Yep exactly, many types of non-venemous snakes not only kill rats/mice and other vermin, but also kill snakes like copperheads. Sadly there are a lot of non-venemous snakes out there that have similar coloration to both copperheads and cottonmouths (rat snakes, various water snakes, corn snakes, hognose, juvenile black snakes, etc.) and many folks either can't or don't take the time to tell the difference and blow'em away or chop'em up.

Sadly my neighbor is routinely blasting away at the water snakes in his pond and is convinced they are "water moccasins" despite the fact that cottommouth's are extremely rare here in the Piedmont and I've told him several times these are obviously brown water snakes laking both the triangular head, the cat eyes, and the white mouth. sigh. To him its a snake that swims in the water and has a brown pattern, so it has to be a "water moccasin."

Also most bites occur when someone is messing with a snake including trying to kill it.

The best way to keep the mice population on your property under control assuming you don't live in the city is having a healthy predator population and that especially includes snakes.

 

[bloody_peasant]

BTW there really is no such thing as "black snake", it actually refers to several different species that are of course black , including the black rat snake or the black racer, usually the black rat snake is called the black snake. Several other species are often called black snakes too as some individuals will appear almost completely black.

The King Snake will prey on all poisonous snakes including rattle snakes!! It is actually immune to their venom and is a powerful constrictor.

 

[Soundguy]

Unfortunately, those 'good' snake preditors.. also predate my farm animals.. I prefer not to kill non-venomous snakes.. But if they get into the chix pens.. they mihgt as well have committed suicide...

soundguy

 

[bloody_peasant]

Unfortunately, those 'good' snake preditors.. also predate my farm animals.. I prefer not to kill non-venomous snakes.. But if they get into the chix pens.. they mihgt as well have committed suicide...

soundguy

Yep that is true, esp. the eggs or the chicks. Most of them also eat small birds or eggs. Do any of them actually kill adult chickens?

 

[Soundguy]

Over half of my chickens are banty breeds.. silkies.. cochins.. etc.. all small birds.. Cornish.. etc. Plus I'm raising chicks right now, and have 4 pens with chicks...

I also have many larger breeds. dominecker, sexlinks, rhode isle. reds, leghorn.. etc.. and a few mix's. The smakes don't bother the medium and large adult birds.. though i think there might be an egg problem.. Same with the ducks.. etc. However.. the snakes seem to beeline for the chix pens and the banty pens. I've seen a bird get bit/grabbed by a non poisonus snake.. and overworkitself trying to get away.. only to die from shock minutes later.. and I'm sure it was just one of the common black type snakes... no fangs... just a bunch of 1-2mm teeth.. Thus.. If I see a snake anywhere in the fenced off area back of the property that houses the fowl... It gets dispatched with no questions asked.

I have not had a problem with the turkey pens.. The one time i saw a snake go into a turkey pen, 2 large toms killed it within seconds... snake never even had a chance to strike..

Soundguy

 

[bloody_peasant]

Over half of my chickens are banty breeds.. silkies.. cochins.. etc.. all small birds.. Cornish.. etc. Plus I'm raising chicks right now, and have 4 pens with chicks...

I also have many larger breeds. dominecker, sexlinks, rhode isle. reds, leghorn.. etc.. and a few mix's. The smakes don't bother the medium and large adult birds.. though i think there might be an egg problem.. Same with the ducks.. etc. However.. the snakes seem to beeline for the chix pens and the banty pens. I've seen a bird get bit/grabbed by a non poisonus snake.. and overworkitself trying to get away.. only to die from shock minutes later.. and I'm sure it was just one of the common black type snakes... no fangs... just a bunch of 1-2mm teeth.. Thus.. If I see a snake anywhere in the fenced off area back of the property that houses the fowl... It gets dispatched with no questions asked.

I have not had a problem with the turkey pens.. The one time i saw a snake go into a turkey pen, 2 large toms killed it within seconds... snake never even had a chance to strike..

Soundguy

Yep that sounds about right, as far as snakes and birds go and Toms, LOL, I would have liked to have seen that . Maybe you could build your turkey pein around your little chick pen like roving watch dogs

I once watched a nearly 30" water snake swimming across my parents pawn during spawning season get nearly devoured by a mama bass. The only reason it got away was because all of the little bass kept hitting it and pulled it out of the mama's mouth. I'd say it probably died later as it had some innards showing. It really didn't have a chance.

 

[Soundguy]

Yep.. the toms.. one of them the alpha, actually jumped and landed on the snake right at it's head, and then they started tering at it.. Not pecking it.. but actuall biting and pulling strips of snake off. They literally killed it within a seconds. Was kinda neat to see that. i felt better about the bigger birds then. Only other thing like that I saw was a big rhode isle red rooster i have will forcefully attack filed mice that come to raid the corn hopper. I've seen him kill them in one peck.. or peck and 'throw' them thru the fence. On some of my big roosters.. the spurs are quite large... pretty mean looking..

Soundguy

 

[Tim_in_IA]

Killing a black snake was a mistake. I have been told, aside from the fact they are not dangerous or agresive, they take the place of bad snakes. The DNR type said, think of it as a housing complex, you kill a good black snake and all you do is create a vacancy for who knows what kind the next time.

Keeping mice out of your shop/home is a good idea, trying to keep mice off your property is a hopeless cause.

Paddy, I am a bit confused. Who are you talking to? I didn't kill a black snake, I killed a rattle snake after it bit my dog with serious results.

BTW the dog looks like it will make a full recovery. Most of the swelling is gone and the skin is already healing over.