The Farm Reports

Rattlesnakes are pit vipers. They are called pit vipers because of a heat sensitive organ called a pit. The pit is located between the eyes and mouth on both sides of the head. The pit tells the snake if its prey is a warm blooded animal and how far away it is. Even if the snake is blindfolded it can tell where the animal is.

In the U.S. there are about thirty species of rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes have rattles on the end of their tails. A rattler will shake it’s tail when it’s alarmed. It will rattle it to warn off any predators who may attack or anything that might step on it. This snakes rattle is made of hollow, loosely linked segments. Each time it sheds, another segment is added. It sheds about four times a year.

To stay as safe as you can from a rattler, keep your hands held high if you’re walking in high grasses or weeds. Some people swish a stick over the grass in hopes of making a rattler rattle. Also, wear high - topped boots with jeans over them. Watch where you step, reach, or sit. If bitten you should see a doctor right away. You can suck the poison out with your mouth if you have no cuts in your mouth. Spit it out. You should still see a doctor. Remember to stay very calm.  

A rattlesnakes poison is modified saliva. It’s produced in modified salivary glands called the parotids. Poison is made constantly so in a bite rattlers can squeeze venom (poison) out little by little or all of it.

Some people believe in myths about snakes. Because of the rattlesnake’s size and rattle it is close to the top of the list. Some beliefs are:

Timber rattlesnakes are the kind of rattlesnake found on the farm. Timber rattlesnakes are endangered. It is against the law to hunt them and keep them as pets. They have broad, triangular heads. Its body color may be yellow, gray, dark brown, or black with dark v-shaped cross bands across the back. The head is usually unpatterned. Babies are born in mid August through September. Rattlesnakes prefer dense forest for hunting. Rattlesnakes hunt at night. When threatened they vibrate their tale to produce a loud buzzing sound that is hard to miss. Their bites are rare. The average timber rattlesnake adult is 3 – 4 feet long. Young timber rattlesnake are 10 – 12 inches long

While at the farm, we should all use the buddy system. The trails could be hiding snakes, wild animals and spiders that could do harm. If bitten, it is important to relax. An anxious, nervous person will only make matters worse. If you are anxious, scared or hyper, the poisons from the bite will circulate through your body faster, doing more harm.   It is important to remain calm. Your buddy will get help.

At the onset of a bite remain calm. Jennifer gave us all an important demonstration of meditation techniques that we can use if we have been bitten. The excercise showed us to take relaxing cleansing breaths. We should slowly focus on our body parts from our toes to our head telling each part to relax. This activity will slow our heart rate down, slowing our blood flow. This action, hopefully will slow the rate the poison is moving through our body and allows us to think clearer.

The tick that is most bothersome to people and their pets is the American dog tick, also called the wood tick. American dog ticks are most active during spring and early summer, when they can attach themselves to the skin of people or their pets.

Wood ticks are found in large numbers in tall, grassy fields or in areas with dense underbrush. They feed on the blood of rodents and small animals, remaining on the animal for several days before dropping off and laying their eggs.

If you are in the tick-infested area, carefully examine your clothing and body for ticks. Pets should also be checked daily for ticks during the season. Although ticks can "hitchhike" into your home, they cannot successfully reproduce indoors.

To remove a tick that is imbedded in skin, grasp it very close to the skin with tissue paper held in your fingers. Then pull it straight out. The mouth parts are short and should come completely out. Another method is to smother the tick with petroleum jelly. Within 10 to 20 minutes, it should begin to back itself out and you can remove it.

Never try to remove a tick by crushing it in your fingers. The mouth parts may be left in the skin and an infection can occur. Do not use a hot match or cigarette to remove ticks as skin can burn easily.

When you know you will be walking through a tick-infested area, use an insect repellent. Choose a repellent with a high percentage of the active ingredient Deet or use Permanone tick repellent. Apply the repellent on socks, trouser legs and cuffs, shirt sleeves, and other parts of your clothing / that may brush the tall vegetation where ticks concentrate. Do not apply to skin.

Pets should also be protected against ticks. Check with your veterinarian for a recommended product.

Poison Ivy - you may start to itch just thinking about it - is also called dermatitis. Almost everyone knows someone who has developed this red, streaky, blistered rash and suffered from the itch that comes with it.

          The rash is caused by an oil found in all parts of the plant, the leaves, stems and roots. It is the same oil found in poison oak and poison sumac. About 70% of people are allergic to it.

          Most cases of poison ivy come from direct contact with the plant. However, the oil can also be carried on anyting that has touched the plant, including bicycles, other sporting equipment, gardening tools, shoes, even the fur of pets. The oil can remain active on these objects for several months.

          The rash can be prevented if the oil is washed off the exposed skin within 5 to 15 minutes of contact. If possible, remove your clothing while wearing gloves and thoroughly wash all parts of your body with soap and water. Don't forget to wash under your fingernails as the oil can be trapped there as well. Your clothes and shoes should be washed separately in hot, soapy water.

If a rash does develop, keep the blisters clean and dry. Try to avoid scratching to prevent infection. It will take two to three weeks for the rash to clear up. If it spreads to your face, your eyelids, or to a large part of your body, see your doctor.

          Your pharmacist can provide advice on how to relieve some of the symptoms. Applying cool, wet compresses of tap water for 20 to 30 minutes every few hours will dry the blisters and remove the itch. Oatmeal baths or calamine lotion that has been cooled in the fridge may help to soothe the symptoms. A topical steroid cream such as hydrocortisone may also be of some value, but other lotions and creams with local anesthetics or antihistamines should be avoided.

Poison Ivy is a woody weed with 3 points on each leaf. It can grow in woody areas or on the sides of barns or trees. The leaves and stem are usually a reddish color, which is an easy way of recognizing the plant as poison ivy. It is a harmful plant, and if you get into it, an itchy rash will appear. To avoid catching the rash, after handling the plant, immediately wash your hands and other parts of the body touched by the plant.