{"id":39093,"date":"2022-08-04T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/rattlesnake-activity-picked-up-slightly-sooner-than-usual-in-durango-area\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T08:48:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:48:04","slug":"rattlesnake-activity-picked-up-slightly-sooner-than-usual-in-durango-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/rattlesnake-activity-picked-up-slightly-sooner-than-usual-in-durango-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Rattlesnake activity picked up slightly sooner than usual in Durango area"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"People
People should get to the nearest hospital within 30 minutes of being bitten by a rattlesnake. For pets that have been bitten, antivenom from an animal hospital is most effective if treatment is received within two hours of the animal receiving the bite. (Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Rattlesnakes slithered out of their dens near Durango a little earlier this year than in previous years, and with an extended rattlesnake season, Riverview Animal Hospital has treated more bites from spring through the start of August.<\/p>\n

Rattlesnakes are typically more active in the warmer months of summertime into the fall, but their activity started earlier in the spring this year, said Randy Hays, veterinarian at Riverview Animal Hospital.<\/p>\n

Riverview Animal Hospital and other Durango animal hospitals are stocked with antivenom that is used to treat snake bites and mitigate their dangerous \u2013 and sometimes life-threatening \u2013 bites, he said.<\/p>\n

This spring and summer, Riverview Animal Hospital is seeing an average of about three snake bites per month. He said it is only a small increase from previous years, but an uptick for sure.<\/p>\n

Hays said rattlesnakes are commonly spotted at the Durango Dog Park, the Horse Gulch trail system, the Turtle Lake Meadows area and Navajo Reservoir in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Chris Burke, spokesman for La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office, said the Sheriff\u2019s Office hasn\u2019t received any calls about snake bites or removal in the last year, but deputies respond if asked.<\/p>\n

John Livingston, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife\u2019s southwest region, said CPW has had only a couple of calls about rattlesnakes in the Durango and La Plata County area so far this year.<\/p>\n

But he said Durango and the surrounding area certainly has rattlesnakes.<\/p>\n

People are most likely to come across a rattlesnake when the sun is up and temperatures are warm, he said.<\/p>\n

Chris Nelson, director of animal services at La Plata County Humane Society, said bull snakes are typically more prevalent than rattlers. Sometimes, people mistake them for rattlesnakes, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey (bull snakes) keep rattlesnakes away,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been known to eat little rattlesnakes. Bull snakes are our friends. Everybody needs to know that. They kill mice and they keep away rattlesnakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Humane Society\u2019s animal protection services don\u2019t typically handle snake removals, he said, but officers will respond as a courtesy.<\/p>\n

Nelson said regardless of what kind of snake it is, if hikers or bikers come across one on the trail or at a park, they should leave it alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t want you to mess with it and it doesn\u2019t want anything to do with humans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said snakes are coldblooded creatures that need to warm themselves to boost their metabolism and digest their food.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive them a nice wide berth, turn around if you have to, but don\u2019t walk over them, don\u2019t touch them, don\u2019t mess with them,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cDon\u2019t try to find out what kind it is. Just leave it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

A snake that feels threatened may take up a defensive posture, but it\u2019s just as likely to retreat in the opposite direction, he said.<\/p>\n

What to do if a rattlesnake bites<\/div>\n

\"Prairie
Prairie rattlesnakes are the species most common to the Durango and La Plata County area. Rattlesnakes appear to have become active a little earlier this year than in past years, said Randy Hays, veterinarian at Riverview Animal Hospital. He bases that on the number of calls he has received this spring. (Courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Livingston said rattlesnakes will go to great lengths to avoid having to deliver a venomous bite. Rattlesnake bites to humans and pets are typically accidents \u2013 a person might accidentally step on a snake they didn\u2019t notice, or a curious dog might get too close to the snake to sniff it.<\/p>\n

Somebody bitten by a rattlesnake should seek hospitalization within 30 minutes of being bitten, he said. For a healthy adult, a rattlesnake bite is probably not fatal. But fatalities are more common in children and people with other medical conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are bit, the first thing you want to do is get out of that vicinity,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to risk getting more bites from that same snake. If you can, try to get out of that area and to some place where you can kind of lie flat and rest comfortably.\u201d<\/p>\n

If someone in a group of people is bitten, one person should seek help. But the bite victim shouldn\u2019t be left alone, Livingston said.<\/p>\n

After suffering a bite, allow the wound to bleed freely for about 30 seconds. Then, work on cleansing and disinfecting the wound with iodine or, if that isn\u2019t an option, soap and water, he said.<\/p>\n

The goal in wrapping the wound is to restrict movement of the limb and to prevent venom from getting into the body\u2019s bloodstream. But wrapping the wound so tightly that the bandage cuts off circulation doesn\u2019t do any good, he said.<\/p>\n

Rattlesnake venom works by breaking down muscle tissues at a rapid pace. In the wild, the venom starts the process of digesting the snake\u2019s prey.<\/p>\n

Hays, the veterinarian, said the sooner a pet gets treatment after a bite, the better.<\/p>\n

He said it is best to briskly walk or carry the pet to the car, and to call a veterinarian ahead of time to let them know of the situation.<\/p>\n

Venom can often induce shock in pets. It affects multiple systems inside the body, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can also cause damage to the heart as well as damage to the local tissues where the bite has taken place. They tend to bleed a little bit excessively from where the bite took place,\u201d he said. \u201cThe big immune reaction from the venom itself is the biggest concern, and that\u2019s what causes the shock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Primary treatment includes fluid therapy, pain medications and the use of antivenom. Hays said antivenom is extremely effective and makes a significant difference in the levels of discomfort and pain a pet may experience after being bitten. He said best results occur if an animal is treated within two hours of being bitten.<\/p>\n

He warned that a bite from a young (smaller) rattlesnake isn\u2019t to be taken any lighter than from a large or adult one, contrary to what some people might think.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, it can sometimes more dangerous,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can sometimes release all of their venom with one bite. Whereas an adult rattlesnake usually conserves some of its venom for future potential fights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hays said all of the local animal hospitals in Durango work together to cover these types of emergencies.<\/p>\n

cburney@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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