Copperhead Number 11

Luke killed copperhead number 11 last night when he came home from work.  There it was sitting right on the driveway by the back gate, and luckily he was able to get this one.  I am so waiting for cold weather...If your dog ever gets bitten by a poisonous snake, administer Children's Benadryl (1/2 a tablet for a puppy, and a whole tablet for an adult.)  Then get pain medication and antibiotics from your vet.  They come through the copperhead bites pretty well with this treatment.  I administer another Benadryl in 8 hours and that usually takes the swelling down pretty well.  If there is still some swelling after another 8 hours I give one more Benadryl.  I usually don't have to give more than 2 or 3 and the swelling goes away.

Number eleven, an adult

 copperhead

 

Mom, Vegas, and her daughter, Vision in back.  Vision is still looking for a wonderful home.  Vision is a gorgeous and smart girl with bilateral hearing, all of her shots, including rabies are completed, dew claws are removed, and she is a sweetheart!

Jackie, what a sweetie and smart girl she is!

Very laid back, lovely girl.

 

Vegas (mom), Jackie (black girl), Victory (dad), and Vision (liver girl)

Vegas, Jackie, and Victory

 

 

Victory, the Hero of the Day

Our beautiful and smart Victory saved Vegas, Wishbone, himself, and me from a snakebite this morning.  We walked to the horse barn, and Victory is always out in front when going to the barn.  We got to the barn door, and he peeked in the door and jumped back with an alarmed look on his face.  I looked inside, and there was a copperhead snake lying right inside the door where we'd have to step to turn on the light.  Victory saved us from stepping in there and getting a bite from a poisonous snake.  I hustled the dogs out to the goat pasture, their private little 3 1/2 acre dog park, and I ran back to the barn to find my snake killing tool, a spade that I keep in the barn.  I had to do it in the dark with my flashlight, because the snake was laying where I had to walk to turn on the light.  However, when the snake saw me coming, he took off, and he was fast.  He got away, unfortunately.  We have snake killing weapons all over the farm this year, as the copperheads are just an epidemic.  We have shovels, spades, and scrapers stashed around the house and yard and at the barn.  I do appreciate that snakes keep the rodent population down, and I do let the non-venomous snakes live.  I have a field guide of Texas snakes, and look up those that I see that I'm not sure what they are.  Vic is 4 years old, and has never gotten a snake bite.  The other dogs here have all been bitten, but he has figured it out that snakes are dangerous just from our walks when we spot a snake, and I make a big deal about how awful they are and how they will bite you!  He knows and has had no urge whatsoever to stick his nose down by a snake.  Smart boy!  So grateful for his brains this morning at 5:00 A.M! 

Victory, the snake watchdog saved the day, my hero!