A lesson in rattlesnakes

Hello! I know, I know...it's been a while. I have had several ideas for posts, but just have not had the motivation to write daily. Too busy!

This post is one I have been wanting to post for a few weeks, but with another "Dumbass of the Day" by yet another member of my family yesterday, I felt it was time to sit down and get r done.

So about a week ago, my husband Will was on a jobsite and stepped out of his truck to survey the scene for a minute. He felt something touch his boot, but thought perhaps it was just that he had kicked something and proceeded to evaluate where he was going to need to be on site. A few minutes later, he felt the tapping on his boot again and looked down to where he was standing. To his surprise, he was being bitten on the steel toe by a little baby rattlesnake!

Thank goodness it was a baby! An adult one may have had the stretch to go higher than the boots and it would have bit right through the pant leg and into the leg, which would have not been good.

He jumped back, reached into the back of his truck to grab his shovel and chopped it's head off. He said he would have left it alone had it of showed no interest in him. But it was attacking him so he had to kill it. He said the little thing was so aggressive that it's head actually turned around and was biting the shovel!

Will brought the little thing home, minus the 4 inches of destroyed head and neck that were destroyed in the beheading. I am reminded of that day every time I open my deep freezer. He froze the damn thing to show us and it scares the hell out of me every time I open the freezer!

Over this past Labor Day weekend, I was telling the story to my two sisters and mother while sitting out by the pool. At a certain point during my story, my sister Traci turned to her son and said "Just remember son, if you are ever get bit by a rattlesnake, pee on it." Commenting to this, my mom says "I don't understand how peeing on the snake is gonna do anything other than piss him off."

I think my sisters and I were wondering what the hell mom had been smoking that afternoon. I then explained to her "No mom, you pee on the wound, not the snake." and then my inner smartass took over: "Hey! This thing just bit me can you pee on it for me?" We all were laughing so hard at her! My poor mom, always the smart one and has to deal with us making fun of her "blonde moments". Of course I told her she was going to get the "Dumbass of the Day" on my blog. It was just too good not to post.

Anyway, for any of you that are interested in a little factual information about snakebites, I have come up with the following:

1. If the area of the bite begins to swell and change color, the snake was probably poisonous.
2. One in four bites are dry bites, which means no venom was injected.
3.You are NOT suppose to cut it with a knife or sharp instrument. Do NOT suck out the venom (this could lead to you becoming poisoned, mouth swelling etc.), do NOT put ice or anything cold on the wounds and do NOT give the person any medication or anything by mouth. DO put a constriction band a few inches above the wound, DO keep the wound below heart level, DO remove anything like rings, watches or bracelets that may become stuck when swelling occurs and DO keep the person calm and get medical care as quickly as possible.
4. Snakes can still bite for an hour after they are dead.
5. As far as urinating on the wound, I could not find anything about this online as far as a snakebite is concerned. I did, however, find and have heard that urinating on a jellyfish sting is an effective method to reduce pain, but I wonder if it works the same with a snake bite? If anyone has ever peed on a snakebite and knows the answer to this question, I would love to know the truth.

One last lesson here - please never forget that mother nature bites, literally. Always be aware of your surroundings and watch your step when you are out and about in wilderness areas. Most importantly, teach your kids about nature and a few of the rules that you follow when visiting natural areas. While mother nature has made some beautiful areas and creatures to be admired, we have to respect these things and realize that they can be dangerous.

Until next time, happy trails...minus the snakebite :)