Miscellaneous Stuff

A Wyoming man sucked some rattlesnake venom out of his dog's nose, and both have survived:

"I have never heard of this happening to a dog owner," Dr. Tim Hackett, a veterinarian and associate professor of emergency and critical care service at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, said in an e-mail.

"I have heard stories about the dangers of sucking venom into your mouth but am not aware of any published cases," he wrote.

"No first aid is generally recommended. Just get to a vet/physician as soon as possible," Hackett added.

Zach Walker, a herpetologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said only a handful of people die from snake bites every year.

The prairie rattlesnake, he said, is not as poisonous as other types such as the cottonmouth.