W.w.n.d???

This morning I was riding up by "rattlesnake hill" - named for the 6-7 foot rattler that lives there, and his many friends that come down the hill and end up in the school yard across the street.:eek:
Anyway, I see this little lump of something up ahead and realize it's squirming. "Oh great! A snake!!" I think, but as I get closer I realize that it's been hit and is in the throes of death. It's a baby rattlesnake probably about 1.5 feet long.
So I give it a wide berth and say out loud "YUCK" as it's all bloody, and well... It's a snake!! :eek:
So then I think to myself "what would Nanci do??"... And I spend the next few miles pondering, and laughing out loud as I imagine her trying to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and trying to bring him back to life.... Stopping just short of mouth to mouth- cause well... It's a Rattlesnake!!
Then I see her saying a little prayer over his lifeless snake body, sending him off to snake heaven.. :p

When I come across an animal who is unsalvageably hit by a car, I kill it. Bird- wring neck. Snake- I guess I would stomp its head or whack with a shovel...

Poor little guy.

Nanci

I was driving home from camping in southern Minnesota one time, and saw a bird flopping in the road. Stopped, of course, and picked up a Wood Duck who had been shot. Took him home, took him to work that night and x-rayed his wing. It was shot so badly it had multiple fractures- splintered would be a good description. There was an ER doc there who had been a vet in his former life. He told me that farm animals have amazing healing powers, and I should bandage the wing and immobilize it to the bird's body. So I cleaned the wounds and bandaged the wing with vet wrap and for four weeks I smelled the wing every day to make sure it hadn't become infected or developed gangrene. Finally, four weeks later, I removed the bandages. Lucky paused for a minute, stretched out both wings, and flapped. The gunshot wing detached from his body and flew across the kitchen! Amazing healing powers indeed!! The stump had healed perfectly, and the amputated wing had mummified, not rotted, since there really wasn't much for meat in the area of the wound. We found a new home for Lucky at a farm with other tame and wild ducks where he could swim and climb trees in safety.

Nanci

Nanci---You are my hero. What a generous, caring soul you possess.

Sorry I can't get worked up about the injured snake.

Another amazing tale of compassion, ingenuity, and animal rescue from Nanci.

As for the snake, I just feel for any creature who's heading to death but can't quite get there. The compassionate thing is to finish it, but that's hard to do. :( L.

I had a kitten in a "state" and everybody told me "let nature take its course. His last day I asked no less than 4 men to help me finish him off. Not one agreed! And this was in Israel not California! The best was a guy who constantly wears a pistol on his belt. He came into my Dairy saying "That kitten should be put out of its misery. Do you want me to do it?" So I said "Oh, *would* you?" to which he replied that he didn't really mean it.
So I drown-ded him myself.
I am for mercy killing of animals.
Your words Lise are perfect ("can't quite get there")

I grew up on a dairy farm, so I know all too well about putting animals out of their misery. And I certainly would, as I hate to see them suffer. I just can't bring myself to get near a snake. I know, I'm silly... But I just can't handle the slithery things. But you know the funny thing is I love lizards?? Go figure?!:rolleyes:

My dh and I have had three dogs put down in our 25 years together and it's painful every time--you never get used to that. But it beats KNOWING the animal is suffering and not ever going to get better and just letting the poor thing hang on in pain and misery. On the other hand, I don't think I could be the one to do it myself--give the injection or fire the gun or whatever it takes--so we're fortunate to have a responsible and caring vet to help with this.

But there are times when you're not sure--when the animal still seems to be enjoying life even in his or her pain, and then it's a tough call. Even vets aren't the universal authority--I've stopped seeing a vet who seemed to recommend euthanasia too easily and too often--I wouldn't go back to him if he was doing FREE animal care.

We have a very sweet aging great dane named Abby. She's starting to slow down, and I know there are defintely fewer days ahead of her. I just dread the day that I have to put her down. But even worse, I worry that she will die here at home and I'll have to deal with a 110 lb dead dog.. :(
And knowing my luck Tony will be out of town! This happened to my MIL, so it's always in the back of my mind. I mean who do you call?? :confused:

Animal control, I suppose... or the ASPCA...
I have a history of being part of handling the final days and moments of prob'ly half a dozen of my friend's cats ... but they say they rely on my Vulcan tendencies ;-)

My kid's horse died when we dropped her off at a friend's house to be babysat the day before we were leaving for vacation in Mexico. So, here's this 1000 pound horse, way, way out in a pasture, in deep snow. We had to build a sled, roll her onto a tarp, roll the tarp onto the sled, hitch to pregnant mares to the sled (Worried about too much exertion causing miscarriage!!) (But, of course, they were the only two that could drive) help them pull the sled/body, I don't know, a quarter mile through two-three feet of snow, stopping to dig out the front of the sled countless times. Then, leave dead horse by the side of the road, covered with a tarp, for the six days it took the renderer to get there. Luckily she stayed frozen...Decide if we should tell Kelly before the trip, and ruin it, or not tell her and her not be able to say goodbye to Jenny- we voted for tell her. (She really milked it, too, on vacation- told _everyone she came in contact with!) That friend, coincidentally, has always had Danes, and they've always just been buried at her house. But that was on a farm.

Oh, nice- while my same friend was on vacation, a mutual friend of ours, a teenager, was babysitting the farm, and the current Dane bloated- stomach twisted on itself, expensive surgery is the only fix. So babysitter calls me frantically from the vet's car- vet has come to the house, diagnosed the bloat, put the dog in the car with an IV running so they don't lose a second while babysitter tries to reach owner for permission to operate. Can't reach her. Estimate is something like $1200. This is not a rich person- she doesn't even work outside the home- depends on husband's salary. I told the vet to go ahead- luckily, I was positive that's what my friend would have wanted, and I was right. Dane made it through fine.

Hey, while we're on the subject of humane dispatching of animals, I have a question for Nanci.

Is it a freezer a humane way to put a bird down? My mom always did this to her canaries when they were too far gone, she'd wrap them in a soft fluffy towel, say goodbye, and tuck them into the freezer. She said they just went to sleep. :confused:

No. I can find out the preferred way if you really want to know. I want to say it involves snapping the head off at the neck, but am not positive.

I've heard freezing is an approved method for aquarium fish, though.

Nanci

Danes and bloat.. yeah... That can be a real problem, and an expensive one. They also tend towards hip problems, but luckily our girl seems pretty healthy. The worst thing she has had is tick fever, but I found it early and got her off to the vet. Thats one thing about being so close to your animals, you just 'know' when somethings not right.
WOW- this thread really has taken on a life of it's own, huh?? Or should I say death.. eee gads!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nanci

No. I can find out the preferred way if you really want to know. I want to say it involves snapping the head off at the neck, but am not positive.

I've heard freezing is an approved method for aquarium fish, though.

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I'd be interested to know, if you do find out. :)

Ok, the concensus is there is no approved method of home euthanasia. There is a method called cervical dislocation, but if it goes wrong, and it does, the results are horrible.

Nanci

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nanci

Ok, the concensus is there is no approved method of home euthanasia. There is a method called cervical dislocation, but if it goes wrong, and it does, the results are horrible.

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Nanci, thank you for looking this up for me.