Last week as roja and I were walking through the desert south of mulege we crossed paths with a very large rattler. It had at least 9 sections on
it's rattle and was big and fat. To protect my dog I have her vaccinated every six months with a vaccine that creates an immunity in dogs that helps
neutralize the complex mix of toxins in snake venom. Here in san diego I have it done at the singing hills animal hospital, 619-441-5850. The cost
is $18 per shot and is required every six months to keep the immunity up. If the shot was approved for humans I would get one also but no such luck
as of yet. fishin rich
Hey Rich
jrbaja - 3-24-2005 at 12:04 PM
Can you get the name of the medication please. San Diego is a fer piece from the snakes in south Baja.
Good advice
DanO - 3-24-2005 at 12:40 PM
One of my neighbors lost a curious dog to a rattler last summer.
vaccine
fishinrich - 3-24-2005 at 12:52 PM
JR---The manufacturer of the vaccine is red rock biologics based in woodland hills. www.redrocksgiologics.com or 866-897-7625.Bob H - 3-24-2005 at 02:25 PM
I never knew this existed - and why wouldn't it work on humans? We live on a canyon and my dog has seen rattlers about 4 or 5 times - she just
freezes and then runs away. Ken Cooke - 3-24-2005 at 06:01 PM
My two Chihuahuas have to go with me and my wife on the Pole Line Road next week, and I was real worried about rattlers. I will get the dogs
immunized before we leave next Thursday. Thanks so much for this important information.
Be very careful this time of year
synch - 3-25-2005 at 10:12 AM
Spring time brings out many rattlers and the small babies are the most dangerous as their arttles have not fully developed - so there is no warning to
a bite. I nearly walked on one last March and turned around after passing it and bent down to look closer (but at a safe distance. At first I
thought it was dead but it then moved away.
Be very careful this time of year.
Rattlesnakes
Skeet/Loreto - 3-25-2005 at 10:21 AM
If you are Hiking it is best to carry a walking Stick, be wary of Piled up debris around the base of a Tree,when climbing over rock watch for Dens,
just after a rain on a hot day is the time Rattlers will move out from their hiding Places.
years ago we always had chewong tabocco with a sharp Knife in a small bag.
If struck by a Rattler, you did the criss/cross cut on the Fang Hole and then sucked several mouthfuls out of the wound.
You can buy these Kits with the small rubber Syringe at any medical counter. they can be used on the dog if he has not had the immune shot. If the
snake is Large I would use it on him even if h has had the shot.
Please keep in mind that the Dead Rattler is excellent Eating.
Skeet/Loreto
yankeeirishman - 3-25-2005 at 10:36 AM
Mt Wilson was Dad's favorite place to hike. We would do this hike a dozen times a year. For dozens of years! Lots of snakies on the Chantry Flats
trial. We were taught (my brother and I) to always find a "Y" stick to walk with. It's a simple stick that has an 2 inch long Y on it's end. 4-5 feet
long is the main handle stick. Lite weight. See a snake, use the Y to clamp down on it's head.
Rattlesnake Capitol Of the World
Skeet/Loreto - 3-25-2005 at 10:45 AM
The little ole Farm I was rasied on in At Weetwater Texas, to this day still holds the World Recor Rattle Snake Den.
If you need any further info go to Goggle and Seardh Rattle sSnake Captiol of the World.Skeetbajablue - 3-25-2005 at 03:36 PM
I got my dog vaccinated at Singing Hills as well. They are great over there and I recomend it to all dog owners, to be on the safe side...bajapablo - 3-25-2005 at 04:05 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Skeet/Loreto
years ago we always had chewong tabocco with a sharp Knife in a small bag.
If struck by a Rattler, you did the criss/cross cut on the Fang Hole and then sucked several mouthfuls out of the wound.
Skeet/Loreto
Depends upon where the bite is.backninedan - 3-25-2005 at 04:11 PM
If you get bit on the butt, its a good way to tell who your friends reallllly are.
rattlesnakes
gringorio - 3-25-2005 at 05:55 PM
Yikes! I've seen a rattler in Baja only once - Maybe Graham Mackintosh ate them all!
In some places I've noticed plenty of sidewinder tracks above the beach in the sandy areas. Makes me worry about walking barefoot at night to stare
at the stars! Anyone know about sidewinder behavior?
I took the attached photo in Arizona, just a few miles north of the Mexican border near Elgin. I was cruising along trying to get back from a long
day of birding work and nearly stepped on him. We scared the heck out of each other.
[Edited on 3-26-2005 by gringorio]
giro
Skeet/Loreto - 3-25-2005 at 06:32 PM
Good Photo of a Nice Rattler!
for your infor: Each year at the Sweetwater Texas, Rattlesnake Capitol of the World, Snakes are taken by the 1oo's out of the Den on our old Farm
about 7 miles south of Sweetwater. The Animal Nuts have been trying to cause a ruckas about taking Reptiles, only to find out that the Population of
the Den has Increased instead of Decreased.
Interesting?
skeet/Loreto
snake!
gringorio - 3-25-2005 at 06:51 PM
Some animals have been shown to increase the number of young and decrease the age at which they can reproduce when they are under pressure, whether
from humans or other things. I'm not sure if this is the case with rattlesnakes or not. There could be many other factors at play as well.
At any rate, rattlesnakes as well as other snakes do play a vital role where ever they live by predating insects and small mammals like mice and rats.
When we were kids growing up on the ranch we were told to kill any rattlesnake we saw, and we did. But as I got older and educated myself a bit I no
longer kill them and actually admire them very much. I find it is usually the city folks who automatically react with the kill it kill it!
attitude. In the 50 years the ranch has existed not one horse or person was ever bitten by a rattlesnake. Below is a photo taken last summer on the
ranch.
You just have to use common sense around rattlesnakes.
April is Rattlesnake Month in Baja!
David K - 3-25-2005 at 08:52 PM
In one week, we saw three rattlers!
Snake #1, at Mision Santa Maria:
Snake #2, at Montevideo:
Snake #3, on the San Francisquito road, between Camp Gecko and the Las Animas turnoff: yankeeirishman - 3-25-2005 at 09:27 PM
Come on davidK....we can see the "Made in China" tag on that rubber snake in your photo.
I agree...don?t go killing off everything that scares ya! Hell.... if I killed what scares me...there be no more Mother in Law! As with most animals...they will defend themselves....it?s their turf.BajaDave - 3-27-2005 at 02:24 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by fishinrich
JR---The manufacturer of the vaccine is red rock biologics based in woodland hills. www.redrocksgiologics.com or 866-897-7625.
It might be a good idea to edit your post to fix that, so folks interested in getting more information for their vet will not have to get to here in
this post to locate the correct URL for the manufacturer's website.
Does this work?
Don Jorge - 3-27-2005 at 06:37 AM
I am wondering. If antivenom is given specific to the species of rattlesnake one has been bitten by and if on the redrockbiologics web page they
state: "There are many different poisonous snakes. Red Rock Biologics is developing a variety of vaccines to provide the best protection against
poisonous snakes for dogs in each part of the country. Ask your veterinarian which available vaccine formulation is best for your dog."
Then does it not make sense your dog would have to be vaccinated for the specific species your dog was bitten by, ie specific sidewinders, specific
diamondbacks etc.?
Just wondering if anyone has had any personal experience concerning the efficacy of this product or seen any peer reviewed publication?
Thanks!
Snakes
Osprey - 3-27-2005 at 06:57 AM
Don Jorge
Mojave rattlers have neurotoxins, Pacifics, specs, spotted, horned have hemo -- some specie have combos. Let google help - zillions of sites. I
protect snakes when I can. I have caught a rattler or two for dinner. I catch em with stick. Sometimes they flail about, bite themselves when
trapped by the stick. A friend asked me if the venom they inject in themselves could kill me if I ate the snake. I said it probably could so I just
make my little cuts, suck the venom out before I cook the snake.
Not just dogs get bit
Sharksbaja - 3-29-2005 at 01:12 PM
Speaking first hand believe me; you do not want to get bit. Granted ,I was a small kid at the time but it was a horrific experience and I almost lost
my life.
Growing up in Manhatten Beach in So. Cal I was not aware of rattlesnakes in the hills behind our newer home in Portuguese Bend. That is where
Marineland of the Pacific was located and where we would go at night to sneak in and swim with the dolphins. Good , clean fun.. We would spend other
days exploring the sliding homes and debris associated with a perpetual slide. The whole hillside was moving into the ocean. It was neat to explore
the big cracks and look for cool rocks and stuff. One fateful afternoon I had ridden my new bicycle from our home which was not in the slide but
close, over to some friends house and then go explore the area nearby.
So there we were climbing up cracks and scaling small crumbling hillsides. Rocky and something like slate only white and small made it hard to climb
up the hill. But we were tenacious and just kept climbing till we reached the top of the rocky slope. With that last step to the top I felt I had
scratched my leg on one of the rocks. So lifting my leg I soon discovered a snake hanging on to my ankle. I freaked out and tried to shake the animal
off for which he held on pumping venom into me. He finally released his grip.
Now everyone was screaming "Rattlesnake!!, Rattlesnake!!" You cannot imagine the fear I felt. I knew they were around but no one really warned us or
told us what to do in case your bitten. So we screamed. Fortunately a Japanese gardener heard us screaming. He was tending his garbanzo fields and saw
and heard us. His name was Jim Ishiboshi, one of the earliest Japanese landowners in Palos Verdes and Lomita. He and his family raised many types of
crops on the foothills of P.V. I remember strawberries the size of small apples, bouquets of gorgeous flowers and fresh beans and produce. They had
the only roadside stands in the area and were known by thousands. People would drive around the penninsula just to get garbanzo beans. In those days
it was all rural country with scattered residences.
The Ishibosi Family operated in the area for 100 years and I believe they probably still do. A proud family who endured the hardship of being
interred in the Lone Pine Internment Camp for WW2 Japanese U.S. residents. They came back and settled in my neighborhood and kept a quiet existence. I
tell you this because this man , Jim did save my life.
"What are you screaming about over there? he yelled from across the gultch. "Snakebite!Snakebite!" we responded. Jim asked if I could get across the
gultch and up to his pickup truck? I said "sure" and proceeded to climb down and up the other side. What a mistake! By the time ZI reached his truck I
was narc-ed out and dizzy.He put a tourniquet on my leg of some sort. He told me we were going to the hospital and will call my folk from there. I
insisted that I will "die at home" and made him take me home which was a couple miles away. The nearest emergency room was in Torrance which was 25
min drive.
He carried me to the door and when my mom answered it and saw me she about collapsed. She called our regular doc Dr. Nieghmeyer and he instucted her
to rush me at light speed to a medical center. My brother John who was only 17 got to drive me at breakneck speed to Torrance in our '57 Merc. Of
course he was counting on the speed trap in Palos Verdes Estates where it seemed the cops had a ticket quota. Lo and behold here comes this old Merc
doing 80 mph in a 35 mph and a cop pulls us over almost immediately. My mom and brother explain hastily and we take off with a police escort only now
were only going 55mph and this peees off everyone. It seemed a longest drive in my short life.
We arrived at at small medical facility in Hollwood Riviera somewhere and the emergency staff proceedeed to cut away at me. My leg was immediately
packed in ice and then they made deep x shaped cuts up and down my right leg. I remember all these ugly red suction cups stuck all over my leg and
blood everywhere. I was really delerious and felt no pain. Then it was off to the South Bay Hospital in the Merc.with these things all over my leg.
Ah, the good ol days. One small -problem though. Not a whole lot of snakebite experts around LA back then. But there was one guy, Dr. Kiebler an
expert and author on the new anti-venom anti-toxin treatments. He was to leave for a holiday the next day. He stayed and administered the cure. Man,
you shoulda seen dem needles. To a child they appeared 2 feet long viewed as I went in and out of a stuper. They kept sticking me with shots until I
blacked out completely.
The first 12 hours are the critical hours and considering I had a full dose of a young snake and was not treated for at least an hour it was bad. My
toes looked more like plums than toes. Black and purple and swollen to the point where the skin looks to burst. The whole body swelled with adema and
toxin. My head the size of a basketball I was told later. My prognoses at best was not good. My foot and or toes was considered for amputation should
it gangrene. I would periodically, according to those around me, wake up and start having ludicrous conversations with imaginary thoughts.
My poor dad was the typical long hours type man who on that bad day decided to go play poker after work with the boys. He arrived at home at 3am to
find blazing lights and only my sister in bed. He took off for the hospital. Upon arriving he took one look at the swelled up kid with a black leg and
lost it. He was help to another room to recover. Now thats ugly! My condition stayed like that for many hours. Then , just as if to turn off the
faucet. My color started returning and the swelling receeded. I remember waking up a long time later . It was as if I had rigor mortice in my leg
and foot for days to come.. It was also very painful now that that toxins were waning. It was almost like a severe sprain for a couple weeks and
improved daily.I still bear small scars. I have not so far had long term probs but time will tell I suppose.
I always carry a snakebite kit in the desert outdoors. If you do not and you don,t do something you may die. Usually an adult will survive the strike
but it depends on many variables. This includes snake type and location, age and size, your health, and where you are bitten. A light tourney and a
sharp knife or razor and sucking it out are important for trying to minimize its effects. Then seek help immediately.Mainly, just keep yer dad burn
eyes open!
they're not just in Baja...
Heather - 3-30-2005 at 09:38 AM
My sister was out walking her dog in Oceanside, CA. last week and the dog was bitten by a rattler! Sister called the vet when they got home and
quickly rushed her over for the anit-venom injection ($600+). Guess Maui's leg was pretty swollen and couldn't put much weight on it for awhile.
They kept her at the vet's for the day, but was able to bring her home in the evening. My sis' was glad that her girls weren't with her, but it sure
woke them up for their future walks!
This is in Oceanside on the bike trails down in the Valley. It was a great place for them to walk over and let the dog have her space, but am sure
they will modify their route (or stick to the paved trail!). Saludos, H.wilderone - 3-30-2005 at 09:56 AM
Just want to alert you to the rattler sighting in the rocky shore at La Gringa. It was almost totally camouflaged among the rock colors, and I never
would have thought there would be rattlers that close to the water.
As with most animals...they will defend themselves....it?s their turf.