Comments on: Swope Park mountain bike trails now open http://kcbike.info/2008/11/11/swope-park-mountain-bike-trails-now-open/ Your city. Your bike. Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:37:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: sonia spotts http://kcbike.info/2008/11/11/swope-park-mountain-bike-trails-now-open/comment-page-1/#comment-172879 sonia spotts Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:54:51 +0000 http://kcbike.info/?p=1086#comment-172879 Last Sunday I went on a hike with my friend, her dog and my dog. We hiked the newly opened trail in Swope Park. It was so beautiful! I had no idea KC had trails like these. I felt like I was in Colorado or some wildness area. We hiked for about 2 and half hours, from beginning to end. As we were nearing the end of our hike... I'm taking up the rear, I see my dog jump and shake her paw violently. She keeps shaking it... I'm trying to find the source by looking and feeling her paw. I can see nothing. Luckily we are now very close to the car, maybe a quarter mile. She limps back to the car but is unable to put any weight on her leg. I took my friend and her dog back home. At that point we can tell that her paw is starting to swell. When I got home I looked up bee and wasp stings. We got the recommended Benadryl and I called Mission Med Vet. They said give her another 25mg of Benedrill, one mg per lb of dog. They said if the swelling didn't go down to bring her in. It didn't go down, it went up in size and up her whole arm until it reach her body. At that point I was at the Mission Med Vet. The vet informed me that my dog, Luna, had been bit by a snake and most likely a Copperhead. He said he could tell by the bite and the bruising around it. They kept her for the next 24 hours, watching the blood count levels, giving antibiotics, hydro therapy, etc. I feel very lucky that this story has a happy ending. She is back home and almost as good as new except for a couple of funny looking shaved legs. I did however feel compelled to tell this story to hikers and bikers using the Swope Park trails. I don't want to discourage people from using the trail but you might want to ponder the "what if". I'm still not sure how I would have gotten my 65lb dog out of the woods if this had happened half way through our walk. My suggestion would be to wear protective foot gear and carry a cell phone. I would certainly like to hear any suggestions because I want to continue hiking these great trails. Happy Trails, Sonia Spotts Last Sunday I went on a hike with my friend, her dog and my dog. We hiked the newly opened trail in Swope Park. It was so beautiful! I had no idea KC had trails like these. I felt like I was in Colorado or some wildness area. We hiked for about 2 and half hours, from beginning to end.
As we were nearing the end of our hike… I’m taking up the rear, I see my dog jump and shake her paw violently. She keeps shaking it… I’m trying to find the source by looking and feeling her paw. I can see nothing. Luckily we are now very close to the car, maybe a quarter mile. She limps back to the car but is unable to put any weight on her leg. I took my friend and her dog back home. At that point we can tell that her paw is starting to swell.

When I got home I looked up bee and wasp stings. We got the recommended Benadryl and I called Mission Med Vet. They said give her another 25mg of Benedrill, one mg per lb of dog. They said if the swelling didn’t go down to bring her in. It didn’t go down, it went up in size and up her whole arm until it reach her body. At that point I was at the Mission Med Vet. The vet informed me that my dog, Luna, had been bit by a snake and most likely a Copperhead. He said he could tell by the bite and the bruising around it. They kept her for the next 24 hours, watching the blood count levels, giving antibiotics, hydro therapy, etc.

I feel very lucky that this story has a happy ending. She is back home and almost as good as new except for a couple of funny looking shaved legs. I did however feel compelled to tell this story to hikers and bikers using the Swope Park trails. I don’t want to discourage people from using the trail but you might want to ponder the “what if”. I’m still not sure how I would have gotten my 65lb dog out of the woods if this had happened half way through our walk. My suggestion would be to wear protective foot gear and carry a cell phone.

I would certainly like to hear any suggestions because I want to continue hiking these great trails.

Happy Trails,
Sonia Spotts

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