Kacey Musgraves says her dog Pepper saved her from stepping on venomous Timber Rattlesnake barefoot

Kacey Musgraves praised her pooch, Pepper, for potentially saving her from a venomous bite from a Timber Rattlesnake.

The Texas native, 36, took to her Instagram page on Friday to reveal that she had to rush her dog to an animal hospital after she and two others got in between her and the snake, which proceeded to bite her four-legged family member. 

‘She honestly saved me, @jacob pix & @trevordavisaa from stepping on it barefoot,’ she revealed in one of the snaps, adding a halo over Pepper’s head.

Musgraves began with a photo of her beloved adopted pooch looking under the weather with a graphic: ‘Copperhead: 1 Pepper: 0.’ In the nest post she corrected herself to reveal that it was a Timber Rattlesnake. 

In the photo, there appears to be a red blood stain on the side of Pepper’s nose, just above her mouth, and another blood mark on her paw. 

‘Think she’s gonna be ok. Just a little busted up,’ the country music star revealed in an update on Instagram.’ Got her to the vet quick for some [antivenom].’ 

The next photo was a closeup on one of her paws that had more blood, which could possibly indicate that this could be the spot where Pepper got bit.

In the first of two videos, Pepper can be seen laying still on the hospital floor with her eyes closed with an IV on her leg.

‘The bite made her lethargic. Those who have Blue Heelers know they ain’t ever this calm,’ she said of her dog’s breed, which is basically an Australian Cattle Dog.

She opened her eyes long enough for her human family to shoot a second clip of her laying on the floor as the antivenom does its thing. 

This type of rattlesnake, the Timber, is the only one of its species to populate the Northeastern United States, and is second only to its relatives to the west, the prairie rattlesnake, as the most northerly distributed venomous snake in North America.

Like all other pit vipers, it typically packs a very toxic venomous bite when it feels threatened.

Adults usually grow to total length of three to five feet (91–152 cm), although the largest one on record came in at six free and 2.5 inches (189.2 cm).

Potentially, this is one of North America’s most dangerous snakes, due to its long fangs, impressive size, and high venom yield, according to Wikipedia.

Musgraves and her then husband Ruston Kelly adopted the rescue dog back in 2020 when she was just a puppy.

It’s at this point that the Happy & Sad star corrected herself about the type of rattlesnake that bit Pepper.

‘Update: It was actually a Timber Rattlesnake not a Copperhead,’ she wrote along with an image that appears to show Pepper starting to regian her composure and become more alert. 

And in the most recent update, the hero doggie looked her normal self, with her eyes wide open, as one of the veterinarian workers gives her a rub on her belly.

‘Pepper is stable and doing well tho on some hefty pain meds,’ she wrote across the top of a photo showing Pepper uright and with bright eyes, before announcing that she ‘coming home tomorrow.’ 

Musgaves has been out on tour in support of her sixth studio album, Deeper Well, which dropped back in March, but is currently on a break from the road.

After kicking off in April, The Deeper Well World Tour is set to resume on November 6 in Laval, Quebec, Canada and go on though until December 7 when she wrapps up the tour at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.