Good Shepherd Medical Center reported two separate rattlesnake-bite incidents last week, one involving a 24-year-old Umatilla man. The other involved a toddler that was rushed to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland Thursday, July 28.

He was riding his little power-wheel four-wheeler, said Tabitha Ritzer, mother of the 2-year-old. He was about 10 feet away from me. I heard him scream bloody murder.

According to Ritzer, who lives outside of Hermiston near Diagonal Road, she noticed two puncture marks on her boy’s arm and looked up in time to spot the snake slithering away.

I’ve never seen a rattler that close, Ritzer said.

 She immediately rushed her son to the hospital.

They could tell it was an adult (snake) because of the length of his teeth, Ritzer said, adding they took multiple blood tests and flew her and the boy to Portland.

Then I think I finally lost it, Ritzer said. I thought, ‘Oh my God.’

According to Ritzer, the bite turned out to be a dry bite, meaning the snake did not inject venom. Regardless, Doernbecher staff asked the family to stay close by for several days so they could monitor Ritzer’s son.

Even if you have a dry bite, there is a risk of infection, said Mark Ettesvold of GSMC. Don’t try to diagnose the bite yourself. Seek medical help as soon as possible.

According to Ettesvold, GSMC sees roughly six rattlesnake bites each year.

They typically happen in the weeks after the temperature heats up, Ettesvold said, cautioning people to be alert for rattle snakes. Even if you get bitten, it can be important to be able to describe the snake to medical professionals, including details like head shape and coloration.

The most important thing is to stay calm and remain quiet, Ettesvold said, adding if you can, keep the bite below your heart.

According to Ettesvold, things like cutting the bite open, trying to suck out the venom or attempting to capture the snake are mistakes.

That’s all old school, Ettesvold said. Things have evolved.

Now that Ritzer, her son and her husband have returned from Portland, she said they are cleaning up their property, cutting down weeds and checking woodpiles. The day following the herpetological hubbub, Ritzer said her neighbor attempted to find the culprit.

He spent the whole day over here, patrolling the pasture just looking for it, Ritzer said, adding the snake has not been seen since and her son is doing well.

His arm’s still a little swollen, Ritzer said. He’s not sure about going outside.