Heard someone got bit by a Rattler in the Valley Saturday??

Dart and Gustafson described in detail the case of a 28-year-old man who was bitten near his right upper lip by his pet Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis lutosus). The patient had been previously bitten 14 times. During treatment for 1 of these 14 bites, the patient had experienced an anaphylactic reaction to antivenom. On the basis of information they had read in an outdoorsman's magazine, the patient and his neighbor developed a plan to use HVDC shock treatment in case the patient was bitten again. The patient and his neighbor were provided with the opportunity to test their plan after the patient's 15th rattlesnake bite. The snakebitten patient was placed on the ground close to the car. The HVDC shock was delivered by attaching a lead wire from one of the car's spark plug wires to the patient's lip. The neighbor then started the car and revved the engine to 3000 revolutions per minute repeatedly for approximately 5 minutes. The patient reportedly lost consciousness during the first HVDC shock treatment. The ambulance crew, who arrived about 15 minutes later, found that the patient was unconscious and had fecal incontinence.

"Got out of the car the other day to the dog barking like a psycho at my stairs. Scolded dog. Son found little rattler under the bottom step by sticking face down there. Scolded son. Removal with shovel and bucket.

Apologized to dog......"

Last year, 40 people in the county were treated for rattlesnake bites, according to the county Emergency Medical Services, compared to 30 people in 2010, 27 people in 2009 and 24 people in 2008.