You can't be too careful these days.
They are everywhere, doing what snakes do. Slithering around, stealing baby birds out of nests and frogs out of creeks.
Much as many may detest them, they are God's beautiful creatures, too, and an important part of the Eco System. Unfortunately, however, several species are dangerous.
I lost my beloved old buddy Abe to a rattlesnake bite about 15 years ago, and nearly lost Jo Jo, too, as she got bit by the same snake moments after he delivered his lethal blow to Abe, who was relentless in his pursuit of the snake despite my husband's attempts to stop it. Thank God Michael didn't get bit in the process.
I can barely stand to talk about it or type it. I shouldn't be doing so at nearly midnight. I'll probably have bad snakey dreams.
I hike with Jack all over our beloved property in south Oconee. We have trails blazed and safe boots and I have a really good eye for catching pattern repeat after 28 years as an interior designer. Snake skin is beautiful and I know every species of our local population by heart.
I killed one copperhead in our garden with an ax a couple of summers ago and I'm still not over it. I am not a killer of things. I will never forgive myself for doing it. Yeah, yeah I know...but I hope and pray to God I never find myself in that position again, of feeling like I should kill a snake or any other of God's wondrous wildlife.
I don't take my eyes off the ground during spring and summer and my hikes consist of ten steps, stop, look, listen...and also, I have done avoidance training with Jack using the dead carcass of a rattlesnake killed by a neighbor and a shock collar for Jack. It worked great, that training.
I would love to let my fellow Oconee Citizens know about this available product because it might save their dog's or horses life.
There is a rattlesnake vaccine for dogs and horses available!
I've been getting it for my dog Jack for three years. Almost all of my neighbor's get it for their dogs after hearing me talk about it. Here is the website with all the information.
I searched the internet for any sort of rattlesnake preventative after Jack and I had an extremely uncomfortable close encounter with an enormous rattlesnake on our property. I love all critters, but this huge fellow scared the crap out of me.
As I mentioned above, I have lost one much loved dog, and nearly a second, to a rattlesnake bite about 12 years ago and I hope and pray we never have to go through that again. A neighbor lost her lab the same way two years ago. She and I went together with our pups for the vaccine this year.
There may be a local vet who carries it now, but when I called about it three years ago, the closest vet who carried it was Monroe Vet Clinic a mere 30 minutes away from my house. I love my regular vet but he didn't want to carry the vaccine, so I go to Monroe early every spring to get it for Jack. They do NOT charge an office visit, and only charge $27 for the vaccine even though they give your dog a mini-check up before they administer the vaccine. They also send me a $10 gift certificate every time I refer a new customer.
I asked them if they'd ever had a patient get bitten after receiving the vaccine and they told me they'd had a customer with a pair of Jack Russell's ...both get bit (you know how JR's are...relentless pursuit) and they simply treated them with antibiotics for the germy mouth of the snake and the dogs survived without issue.
Neither Jack nor any of my neighbors dogs have had any sort of reaction whatsoever to the vaccine. From big ole 66 pound Jack to 12 pound Punkin' the poodle down the road...not so much as an upset tummy.
I would hate to hear about a local family loosing a beloved pet when it could be prevented. The vaccine works for any type of southern venomous snake.
I beseech you to look into it for your pets if you are in an area with a snake population or if you hike with your dogs or ride horses. The staff at Monroe Vet Clinic are happy to answer any questions, as are the fine folks at Red Rocks Biologics.
Happy Hiking!