The Bite

We encountered our first rattle snake out here in our home in Safford.  Well Charlie found it!  Robbie and I were sitting on the kids picnic table right off of the porch.  We were having our nightly outdoor chat while the dogs hung out around us.  We were about ready to get up and go to bed when Charlie (who was right next to my leg) suddenly shot six feet into the air.  We all jumped up to see what happened and finally the snake began to rattle its tail.  I grabbed the pup and let Charlie (who was in a panic at the door) into the house, while Robbie dealt with the snake.  We called the vet and took him in to get some anti-inflammatory and pain meds.  The horrible part was that my leg was about six inches away from the snake.  When we got up there would have been a good chance I could have been bit if Charlie hadn't found the snake first.  It was little still so it didn't actually rattle until after he struck :(  So no warning.

I snapped a picture before Robbie got rid of it that next morning.  Creepy.  We are a little further from the creek then a lot of the other homes in this area so we (or our neighbors) don't see many snakes in our yards.  We think the drought might have caused him to venture over here.  We are just happy that the kids didn't find him!  We are extra careful when going outside now too.

The medicine kept his swelling down really good and he was hardly in pain.  The first day was really the only time you could even tell he was hurting.

He wouldn't stop playing with the puppy who soon discovered that Charlie's puffy lip and skin flaps were perfect for chewing and hanging on.  Poor Charlie... although, he didn't seem to mind.

The swelling went down very quickly and we completly gone in just a few days.

Charlie was very happy to be pampered for a few days.

Claire kisses helped also.