ponykilr
Guest
Went to our retreat in Lowgap to relax....
Was cutting the grass this afternoon between rain showers and Jack my Jack Russell as always was following around my general location. Chloe, the female, was across the field sniffing around. Jack was at the woodpile just about the time I finished the yard and headed down the drive.
Well I made it to the next path, about a half mile, and turned around for another lap. Jack met me at the bottom of the hill and I noticed his eye was bloody. I got off the mower and went to him. It appeared as if he had cut himself rambling through the brush or maybe on a briar.
I finished cutting the path and picked him up and rode him with me back up the hill to the house. I cleaned him up and although his eye was swollen some he seemed ok.
After some cleaning up
After about an hour, I noticed he seemed out of it and under his neck and the whole side of his face was swollen. I went back out with them both toward the woodpile with a sneaking suspicion...
Chloe reached it first and immediately was pawing and biting at something. Just before I reached her she acted like she does when stung (she hates wasps) and ran off about 10 feet and turned about 3 circles, never seen her do that.
When I go to where she had been, I poked around with a stick and didnt see anything. Then I carefully rolled back a piece of wood and there he was. I was barefooted (I go barefooted a lot) and was not armed.
CRAP!
I am not sure if the blood in the pic is from the snake or Jack but his bite had been about 2 hours earlier. Chloe could have injured the snake, I don't know for sure.
I rolled the piece of wood back and looked at my buddy. I had let Jack suffer 2 hours not knowing what had happened.
I ordered them back to the house and put them inside and grabbed the phone and pistol. I snapped a pic of the otherwise beautiful SOB and then put several 147s into him before he stopped moving enough to get a good head shot.
I hung him on the box blade nearby and ran back to the house and packed up and prepared to jet outta there. Called Angie once underway and she got ahold of the vet.
Vet said she has never seen a dog die from a copperhead. I read that most of the time they either dry bite or use very little venom unlike their cottonmouth cousins (they are very close cousins). Vet said get 25mg Benadryl into them ASAP and Prednisone 5 to 10mg if available.
I stopped at the CVS in Greensboro just long enough to run in and buy Benadryl and give them each one. Then I set the new world record diesel 4x4 trip to Smithfield.
Got Prednisone into him and within a half hour he was eating and I could see the swelling was better. Just gave him another Benadryl and he is asleep.
Chloe seems unharmed so if she was bitten it was dry.
I normally let snakes go on their way. Cannot tell you how many copperheads and cottonmouths I have let go in the woods or moved to other places. They just do what they do and have a place. This one did not get a pass and it could have been me getting wood for the fire later tonight.
So much for a relaxing trip. Y'all please pray his eye is ok. I am not sure if the fang actually damaged his eye or not. From what I can tell its ok but a Word never hurts.
I have been going to this property about 10 years and this is the 1st copperhead I have seen. Heck I go barefoot around there all the time and hike around the woods like it's a stroll around my block.
I and everyone involved with this place will be much more careful going forward. Especially around the firewood and in the leaves. Snakes usually just want to get away, I am thankful he didn't give Jack or Chloe a full dose. They will fully dose on the second bite many times. He was over 2' long so not a juvenile or I would be burying him this morning.
Was cutting the grass this afternoon between rain showers and Jack my Jack Russell as always was following around my general location. Chloe, the female, was across the field sniffing around. Jack was at the woodpile just about the time I finished the yard and headed down the drive.
Well I made it to the next path, about a half mile, and turned around for another lap. Jack met me at the bottom of the hill and I noticed his eye was bloody. I got off the mower and went to him. It appeared as if he had cut himself rambling through the brush or maybe on a briar.
I finished cutting the path and picked him up and rode him with me back up the hill to the house. I cleaned him up and although his eye was swollen some he seemed ok.
After some cleaning up
After about an hour, I noticed he seemed out of it and under his neck and the whole side of his face was swollen. I went back out with them both toward the woodpile with a sneaking suspicion...
Chloe reached it first and immediately was pawing and biting at something. Just before I reached her she acted like she does when stung (she hates wasps) and ran off about 10 feet and turned about 3 circles, never seen her do that.
When I go to where she had been, I poked around with a stick and didnt see anything. Then I carefully rolled back a piece of wood and there he was. I was barefooted (I go barefooted a lot) and was not armed.
CRAP!
I am not sure if the blood in the pic is from the snake or Jack but his bite had been about 2 hours earlier. Chloe could have injured the snake, I don't know for sure.
I rolled the piece of wood back and looked at my buddy. I had let Jack suffer 2 hours not knowing what had happened.
I ordered them back to the house and put them inside and grabbed the phone and pistol. I snapped a pic of the otherwise beautiful SOB and then put several 147s into him before he stopped moving enough to get a good head shot.
I hung him on the box blade nearby and ran back to the house and packed up and prepared to jet outta there. Called Angie once underway and she got ahold of the vet.
Vet said she has never seen a dog die from a copperhead. I read that most of the time they either dry bite or use very little venom unlike their cottonmouth cousins (they are very close cousins). Vet said get 25mg Benadryl into them ASAP and Prednisone 5 to 10mg if available.
I stopped at the CVS in Greensboro just long enough to run in and buy Benadryl and give them each one. Then I set the new world record diesel 4x4 trip to Smithfield.
Got Prednisone into him and within a half hour he was eating and I could see the swelling was better. Just gave him another Benadryl and he is asleep.
Chloe seems unharmed so if she was bitten it was dry.
I normally let snakes go on their way. Cannot tell you how many copperheads and cottonmouths I have let go in the woods or moved to other places. They just do what they do and have a place. This one did not get a pass and it could have been me getting wood for the fire later tonight.
So much for a relaxing trip. Y'all please pray his eye is ok. I am not sure if the fang actually damaged his eye or not. From what I can tell its ok but a Word never hurts.
I have been going to this property about 10 years and this is the 1st copperhead I have seen. Heck I go barefoot around there all the time and hike around the woods like it's a stroll around my block.
I and everyone involved with this place will be much more careful going forward. Especially around the firewood and in the leaves. Snakes usually just want to get away, I am thankful he didn't give Jack or Chloe a full dose. They will fully dose on the second bite many times. He was over 2' long so not a juvenile or I would be burying him this morning.
