Tags
camping, camping for girls, girly, girly camping, hiking, nature, outdoors, rattlesnake, rattlesnakes, snakes, vaccine
Keep your dog safe this camping season
We have been wanting to bring our dog camping with us but with living in Southern California and the amount of rattlesnakes out, that makes it hard for us to bring her! If you love to hike or camp with your pouch, here are 4 quick tips to make sure they are safe!
- Put your dog on a leash! And not a long leash- try a 6 foot leash- just in case you need to quickly pull them back!
- Teach your dog the “leave it” or “drop it” command. If your pet listens to you, it could save their life!
- Avoid rocks and thick brush- if you don’t want to get bit, don’t go walkin’ on their house!
- Invest in the Canine Rattlesnake Vaccine. If a rattlesnake does attack, it won’t prevent the venom from going through their body but it does slow down the process! You still have to take them to the nearest vet!
Girly Camping® 
How cool. Had no idea a canine vacc was available!
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Great advice! I live in Michigan where venomous snakes aren’t something I have to worry about, so I would have never thought about doggies and snakes if I were to travel out west.
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The best thing is not take your dog on a hike in those areas. Humans need to be EXTREMELY careful too. Rattlesnakes are extremely dangerous and do vast damage even if your survive. Google rattlesnake bite images, and you can see what I mean. Other snakes that are dangerous to dogs are water moccasins and copperheads. I just had a friend lose a dog to a water moccasin earlier this year.
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Yes! You are right! I should done rattlesnake tips for people rather than dogs first 🙂 But good advice!
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My dog get the vaccine…requires a yearly booster and is well worth it
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My dog CJ loves to be outdoors and go hiking with me. I’ve always kept him on a short leash for safety. I’ve come across rattle snakes more then once and on one occasion CJ spotted the rattle snake before I did saving us both. We were a good distance away but his nose knew the snake was around. Thanks for the tips! Enjoy reading your blog.
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So smart! Thanks for advocating for the rattlesnakes too – it’s where they live! Our pup is always on a 6 foot leash on hikes and already knew the “leave it” command, but I never thought of how practical that would be in the outdoors! We usually use it for food we drop on the floor…
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Don’t forget about YOU, too. The Deerslayer killed a 6 ft. rattler during hunting season. We all ended up getting snakeproof boots for Christmas (four pairs of matching ones!). Check them out on my blog post; Perfect Hunting Boots. Wouldn’t head out to the wilderness without them if the temps are above 65 degrees.
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Great advice !! Tks for poppin in 😊
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It’s posts like this that drive home how benign the English shores are compared to the rest of the world!
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Great tips – Although not a rattlesnake, our dog was bit by a snake while we were mushroom hunting awhile back. We had no idea, she didn’t yelp or anything. We got home and she was limping and the next thing we knew, her leg was swelled up 3x its normal size. Found a bite wound between her toes. Managed to squeeze alot of what looked like pus out and the swelling went down and she was good to go in about a week. Just shows how quickly it can sneak up on you.
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That was good thinking to squeeze it out! Glad she is ok! 🙂
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My chihuahua encountered a baby rattler on a hike once. While it was the cutest “standoff” (they stared at each other from about a foot away) ever, I’m pretty sure the babies have the stronger venom. He was never in any danger, but the command to back off is the best.
The vaccine requires a booster, so if you’re planning on getting it, give yourself a month ahead of time before a trek.
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I appreciate the information your post provides. It prompted me to look up the presence of rattlesnakes in Washington state. Apparently, there are some in east Washington, but they are not in Seattle or the nearby Olympic or Cascades.
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Reblogged this on Community Ramblings and commented:
This picture reminds me of one of my ex co-directors. He was a venomous snake in the grass too.
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All I’ve got to say is YIKES! That photo would make anyone think again about taking their dog into a situation where they might meet one of those. Great advice!
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My son calls me Indian Jones, not just because I’m mad about exploring but because of my fear of snakes. This will be one of my biggest phobias while doing my nomadic journey, so I don’t suppose anybody has tips or advice for dealing with my phobia, and what should I do in the event of a snake bite for example..
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I think the best advice is to remain calm and focus on the situation in front of you. You can always think more clearly if you step back and breathe! I need advice on not freaking out when I see flying beetles! Those are my biggest fear! 🙂
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