Around 8:30pm on Monday August 17th, I had finished spraying roundup along the fence lines on each side of the driveway. It's so much easier to do the outer fences with Roundup rather than try to weed-eat. I then came back in the yard gate where Brandi was waiting for me.

On the left side of the driveway there is a clump of Yucca plants that has been there since we got this land in 1974. We had placed 2 large rocks by it, and when I was clearing the rocks out of the yard last year those rocks were too big for me to move by myself.

I started around the yucca to spray some along the front yard fence line, since I had a little spray left. Naturally Brandi followed. I saw her jump and run quickly across the driveway away from the area. What did that tell me? Rattlesnake! I quickly started searching and found a small rattler, about 7" long and a little larger around than a pencil, curled up about three feet away from me, striking. That little baby was really pissed and was continuously striking at me. Brandi must have been right on top of it for it to bite her. Having nothing nearby to kill it with, I thought of stomping it but then figured it might bite me too. So I tried putting the sprayer on it to hold it until I could gather something to kill it with. It quickly escaped by wriggling under a rock and into the yucca plants.

I went to where Brandi was sitting in the yard. Knowing she was bitten, I searched all over her for blood, finding nothing. She was a little lethargic and I could see in her eyes that she was hurting. I'd also seen her scraping her left foot over her nose. So I looked at her nose and her leg and foot and still found nothing. I took her inside the house and continued searching for a bite. I found one spot under her leg but it was old. Then there it was -- a very small drop of blood on the left side of her nose.

A phone call to the on-call veterinarian at the Animal Hospital, Dr. Rouillard, and we were in to see him within 45 minutes of the incident. At this point, Brandi's nose/muzzle had already begun to swell. He gave her a shot of antibiotic and one for inflammation and sent her home with Clavamox, an antibiotic, and Rimadyl for pain and inflammation, both to be taken for seven days. Rimadyl - I just now looked that one up and after reading the side affects decided that starting today, Thursday, I would no longer give it to Brandi. She had probably had enough to help her anyway. I did call Brandi's regular vet, Dr. Ashley, the next day and he approved all of the above and added Benadryl which I started giving to Brandi on Tuesday.

I might add that while we were in the vets office, Brandi noticed some birds in a cage and barked at them. She also looked out the window when we were in the car, alternately lying down for brief periods. I could tell this bite wasn't as bad on her as the first one. Neither of us had eaten supper, so on the way home I stopped by Golden Fried and got some chicken. Brandi ate some chicken, drank a little water, and then rested. I woke up often during the night and checked her. The next day she rested a lot but did go outside with me as she always does. I waited until Denissa, Justin, and Courtney got here to work outside though so Courtney could take Brandi back in the house awhile so she wouldn't get too hot.

Going back to Monday morning, when I was moving some stuff around in the tractor shed, a large gray rat scampered out from underneath the old lawnmower. Brandi saw it and the chase was on. For about an hour Brandi chased that old rat from one end of the shed to the other, the rat finding a few things to hide under in the meantime. I kept telling her she should just give it a rest, that the rat had probably left, but she is a persistent one. I had finished that shed and was at the workshop when I looked up and saw Brandi had finally been successful in getting that rat. She had placed it in the shade of a tree and was laying down beside it. Brandi was quite proud of herself and rightfully so.

Okay, back to the present. On Tuesday we removed the two large rocks and the yucca plants that had been there since we moved here in 1974. Do I miss the yucca? Yes, but I had thought of removing it before now because of the possibility of it sticking Brandi's eyes as she went in search of the many creatures that found a hiding place there. So it is gone and that is a good thing. One cannot rattler proof their whole yard though as it can never be determined where or when a rattler might venture forth.

We've only seen four rattlesnakes in our yard in the 35 years we've lived here. The first one was inside some cement blocks. I discovered it when I started to pick up that last cement block. Something just told me to look first before picking up another block. It was a big one with 6 rattles on its' tail. The next one was a small rattler I found while doing some hand-trimming of grass and my hand passed right over it. Both those snakes were swiftly disposed of. The next two rattlers were ones Brandi found. The first one in 2007 that bit her was a prairie rattler. Regretfully the one Monday is the only one I didn't get to kill.

This baby rattler was unlike any I'd seen before, with vivid black and white "checks". In researching online photos, it appears to have been a Massasauga. As you can see by the photos furnished with this story, some are black/gray and some are dark brown/light brown.

Yesterday while Brandi and I were playing outside, she went to fetch her ball, which was laying beside a Frisbee, the kind that doesn't have a center and it's like a rubber ring. She didn't see the Frisbee but her hind feet landed on it. She jump kicked and that action hurled the Frisbee about five feet away onto the sidewalk. I laughed at her while saying: "You must have thought that was a rattlesnake, Brandi". It was quite funny but probably not to her. It didn't bother her long though as she grabbed the ball and took off on a run, ready to play.

Most snake bites are from pit vipers, which are poisonous snakes that are identified by their triangular heads, retractable fangs, and a special heat-sensing pit between the eye and nostril. Snake bites tend to occur on the pet's head or neck. Bites involving the trunk of the body have a poorer prognosis. Snake bites may affect one or more body systems including the cardiopulmonary system, the nervous system, or the coagulation system. Systemic signs such as kidney damage may take 24-72 hours to develop in mild envenomations, so the animal should be observed closely for several days.

You may see one, two, or several small puncture wounds, bleeding, bruising, immediate and extremely painful swelling at the site of the bite, and tissue necrosis. The more severe systemic signs may take up to several hours to appear and include hypotension and shock, lethargy and weakness, muscle tremors, nausea, vomiting, and neurological signs including depressed respiration.

Snake venom is highly complicated, at least 26 separate enzymes have been identified; of those about 10 enzymes are common to all snake venoms. All snake bites are not equal. The quality of venom depends not only on the type of snake but also the season, geographical region, the age of the snake (young snakes are particularly dangerous), and if it recently expelled venom.

There is also a Rattlesnake Vaccination with yearly boosters, which Brandi is on, but vaccination does not guarantee protection although it can lessen the effects of a bite. A snakebite should always be treated as an emergency even in a vaccinated dog.

According to 'The Handbook of Texas Online', Texas has some ten rattlesnake species and subspecies, more than any other state except Arizona. Only three species interact significantly with human beings, however, the western diamondback, the prairie, and the eastern timber rattler. These species are widely distributed, are comparatively large, and often exhibit an aggressive temperament. The western diamondback accounts for nearly all the state's serious cases of venom poisoning. The venom of all three species contains both neurotoxically active peptide components and a larger complement of enzymatic fractions that destroy blood and tissue. Diamondback venom has more of the latter as well as about a third greater overall potency than the toxins of the prairie and timber rattlers. The western massasauga is a small, nocturnal, prairie-dwelling rattlesnake most numerous in north central Texas and seldom seen except on paved roads after dark. Its closely spaced brown dorsolateral blotches and comparatively slim head capped with nine large scale plates sets it off from the diamondback, as does its somewhat less potent venom.

In closing, if your dog has been treated with antivenin, such as Brandi was after her rattlesnake bite in 2007, here is something to keep in mind. Antivenin is produced by repeatedly injecting horses with rattlesnake venom, gradually building up their immunity. Rattlesnake antivenin is concentrated immune serum from horses. The first time a dog receives this serum, no matter how much is given, it is unlikely there will be any serious reaction. However some dogs become hypersensitized to horse serum after receiving even a single dose. If a dog is bitten again and receives a second dose of antivenin, he could die from a hypersensitivity reaction.

Sources: Texas Handbook Online; www.peteducation.com; placervillevet.com;