Vivian is 1 mile from the Ft Pierre, Pierre exit on the I-90 interstate.
I was told not to worry about snakes East of the Mo River? Not true??
its very rare to see a rattle snake on the East river of Missouri so i think thats okay. its the West side that has more. i coudl be wrong. ive heard more rattlesnakes are on indian reservations than anywhere... usually where there are Buttes.. usually have the snakes. im told at my new job that they see one or two a year.. ive gone through a whole season and havent seen one in a field or road yet...
but again, im East River and i came across ONE that was on Hwy 34 and it was on a gravel road toward the boat dock next to the Missouri river and that was EAST river.
i think once you hit chamberlain east on.. you wont see any.. bc chamberlian has reported rattle snakes and they are consider east river city.
I hunt within 15 miles of Miller - south, north and east and have never seen a snake. This is not to say they aren't there. This area is relatively flat and generally corn and crop land.
jon
miller is an hour from where i work and i havent seen a snake in Blunt yet, but ive seen it off of hwy 34, 30 miles east just north of the river by a mile.
Does anyone have any experience or recomendations for vaccinating their dog against rattle snake bites. As an aside I hunted the Ft. Pierre grasslands north of Vivian last Friday when it was hot and sunny and saw no snakes, but I stayed away form the prairie dog area.
they do have rattlesnake bite shots but they are to slow down the venom.. not to prevent it or to kill your dog. i think your dog has 20-30 mins before the venom starts to really kick in... I THINK.. not stating a FACT bc i took my pup in for a monthly exam and we mentioned about that bite shot.. and i think the vet said 20-30 min before the venom starts kicking in so its a TEMP to slow down the venom.
source said:
How the Rattlesnake Vaccine Works
The rattlesnake vaccine works by stimulating the dog’s immune system to produce antibodies against snake venom, and it helps lessen the reaction a dog may have to a snakebite.
The vaccine is recommended for dogs living in “high-risk” geographical areas where rattlesnakes are prevalent, as well as for dogs that accompany their owners on hikes, camping trips, hunting excursions, or are in any way at risk of coming in contact with a rattlesnake.
According to Dr. Paula Ibsen, a staff veterinarian with Red Rock Biologics, dogs need to be inoculated at least 30 days before any potential exposure to rattlesnakes (full antibody protection is not reached until 30 days following the vaccination), and should get a booster shot every six months thereafter.
Vaccination Benefits
According to Ibsen, there are three benefits to the rattlesnake vaccine. “Besides buying you more time to get your dog to the veterinarian if he was bitten, dogs will experience a lot less pain, tissue-sluffing and swelling,” she says. “Even if there is swelling at the bite site, vaccinated dogs will normally see swelling subside within 20 minutes.”
Gardner concurs: “Dogs have much less severe reactions to the snake venom if vaccinated.”
Pet owners should be aware that not all vaccines are 100% effective. Even if a vaccinated dog is bitten, the situation should be treated as an emergency and the owner should take the dog for veterinarian care as soon as possible.
Im told im in a high rattle snake area so my wife wants our dog to have it next spring. I havent seen enough rattlers to even suggest it. I even hear theres a dog training session that trains your dog if a dog hears a rattling from that precision rattle, to run away... when my vet said that, i was shocked... but again dogs can be smart too opposed to cats. when a dog hears that certain rattle, it runs away or goes another route. interesting... really? i'll believe it when i see it.
for a WHOLE summer last year in pierre area when i was a patrol officer, we've gotten ONE call of rattle snake... and i think a few officers from the sheriffs dept has crossed a few on the road but killed them.
at the farm in winner, i've never seen a rattle snake... come to pierre, ive only seen one so far. usually i see snakes on the rd in fall when it gets colder and the snakes are looking for a warm highway to get warm from the sun. ive run over TONS and TONS of bullsnakes and garnder snakes.. but not often i came across rattle snakes. im surprised to see that many in vivian though...
