Our KissMe! After his weenie dog bedtime, from the kitchen I heard in the backyard, “clink clink … clink … clink clink clink”. This tag-clinking went on and on, and it might have been going on for quite some time. Once outside, I could see him tossing some thing and shuddered thinking, “Oh no. A toad.” Once we gathered shoes and a flashlight and tracked down that which KissMe reluctantly released, we saw in horror his this-time prey – a coral snake.
The snake still moved, as dead snakes do for a while. With long tongs from the barbeque pit, RonTom placed the snake out of KissMe’s reach for a close-up look. Glory! KissMe mangled that snake. This coral snake was not the usual pretty sight. Just past its head, a whole section of red and yellow and black bands was missing. Showing was the snake’s gnawed-up flesh and broken ribs. Punctures appeared up and down the 17.5 inches.
On the snake’s nose, appeared a tiny droplet of blood. A call to the hospital that cared for rattlesnake-bitten KissMe over Memorial Day weekend brought words “If the coral snake had envenomed the dog, the snake would probably still be attached. Watch him for 18 hours for drooling. No antivenin exists. Treatment is going onto a ventilator 24/7.” Only the snake was bit in this round.
