Rattlesnake Bites Bite

[ForkedTung]

Link:

http://www.kpho.com/news/19368769/detail.html

Also, do not try to capture the snake and bring it to the hospital. Identification of the snake is not necessary for treatment.

I found this interesting, as I didn't know that, I'm still not sure why they wouldn't want to know what type of snake bite it is for the anti-venom.

 

[snakewispera snr]

Link:

http://www.kpho.com/news/19368769/detail.html



I found this interesting, as I didn't know that, I'm still not sure why they wouldn't want to know what type of snake bite it is for the anti-venom.

I liked this quote best....
Doctors said one man was bitten on the hand after trying to pet a snake. They said the man had been drinking prior to the incident.“We've seen several people who've tried petting the snakes, and even on occasion people trying to kiss the snake. Any of those things usually result in the patient getting bitten," said Dr. Michael Levine, a toxicologist at Banner Poison Control Center.

 

[tyflier]

...I found this interesting, as I didn't know that, I'm still not sure why they wouldn't want to know what type of snake bite it is for the anti-venom.

Because ALL North American vipers are treated with the same antivenom. It's called CroFab, and it's used equally to treat copperhead bites as it is to treat Mojave Green bites. It's really a matter of amount. That's why some bites require 2-4 vials and some require 30-40 for treatment. The main difference is going to be venom delivery amount and relative toxicity, both of which can be assessed visually, without knowing the species of snake.

 

[Chip]

^^^Yep. They don't even use cottonmouths in the production of the antiserum and it's equally effective on their bites. If you are bitten by a coral, you might be out of luck. The only drug company manufacturing anti-serum for that has ceased production! http://www.fda.gov/cber/safety/wyecor102808.htm

 

[ForkedTung]

Because ALL North American vipers are treated with the same antivenom. It's called CroFab, and it's used equally to treat copperhead bites as it is to treat Mojave Green bites. It's really a matter of amount. That's why some bites require 2-4 vials and some require 30-40 for treatment. The main difference is going to be venom delivery amount and relative toxicity, both of which can be assessed visually, without knowing the species of snake.

Thank Chris, Interesting...I was looking up info. on the Green Mojave and found this lil' gem of a story about a crazy dog here:

hursday, November 15, 2007
Mojave Green rattler story -- zombie dog cometh
We were covering snakes today in Vert. Zoo class, and the subject of vipers came up. Then the subject of venoms came up -- which naturally leads to a discussion of Mojave Green Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus), one of the most dangerous snakes in North America.

As I have mentioned in the past, I grew up taking field trips to the Southwestern deserts with T. and his father, who is a prominent archaeologist. D's specialty is SW indian rock art. On many of these trips he took us into very snaky territory. I never got to see a rattler (was dying to), but of course T., who was afraid of snakes, often did.

On one trip to the Eastern Mojave, D. pulled us into a little dried up shack of a gas station for a fill up and some drinks. This place was right out of an old bugle boy jeans ad, looked something like this but with a bunch of broken down rusted hulls of cars around and a single antique gas pump out front. There was one old guy running the place, and if memory serves he really was sitting on the front stoop in a rocking chair. He was ancient, a real desert rat.

Mojave Greens were a topic of conversation the whole drive out, so of course we had to ask the local about them. "Oh you won't find those around here, no siree. My dog kills em on sight, hates em, just hates em."

Just about then this horrific carcass of a dog limped around the corner. It was some mid sized fuzzy mutt that looked like a zombie dog, missing big chunks of flesh all over its body. It looked like someone had splashed acid on it. The side of it's face was melted back at the cheek, one leg wasn't working so hot and was missing flesh, and a huge bald spot showed on his haunch too. "Been bit 3 times, that dog has. Hates those dam snakes. Lives to kill 'em. So you won't find em anywhere near here."

Any time someone mentions Mojave Greens now, I get an image of the Zombie Dog of the Eastern Mojave and shiver just a little bit.

ps/edit: Almost forgot to mention WHY these snakes are so damned dangerous. They have a strong mix of both hemotoxin and neurotoxins to deliver. Normally vipers only have one or the other, both of them together is quite virulent. One starts digesting you from the inside out, the other paralyzes you, including your respiratory and cardiac function. Ouch.

ppss: No matter how dangerous they are to humans, I in no way condone the gratuitous and ignorant killing of these little guys. They are a vital part of the desert ecosystem and don't recover well from damage to population levels. Just give them the respect and distance they deserve and go your own way please.
[photo from californiaherps.com]

Enjoy your venomous childhood memories,

Bp

 

[ForkedTung]

Thanks Chip that was going to be my next question ( What about corals?)

If you are bitten by a coral, you might be out of luck. The only drug company manufacturing anti-serum for that has ceased production!

Bigtime Bummer. Nice article where suddenly the shelf life of the anitvenin ( correct spelling according to article?) extends itself a whole year...I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact that it's no longer being made? heh heh

 

[ForkedTung]

Here's a classic idiot story:

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PORTLAND, Ore. — Snake collector Matt Wilkinson of Portland grabbed a 20-inch rattler from the highway near Maupin, and three weeks later, to impress his ex-girlfriend, he stuck the serpent in his mouth.
He was soon near death with a swollen tongue that blocked his throat. Trauma doctors at the Oregon Health and Science University saved his life.

"You can assume alcohol was involved," he said. Actually, not just beer. It was something he called a "mixture of stupid stuff."

Calls from cable network television stations poured in Tuesday, when he still had sore muscles and nerves from the venom.

It happened at a barbecue with friends.

Wilkinson, 23, had downed a six-pack and his ex-girlfriend asked him for a beer. He handed her one, not realizing the snake was also in his hand.

"She said, 'Get that thing out of my face,'" Wilkinson said. "I told her it was a nice snake. 'Nothing can happen. Watch.'"

So he stuck the snake in his mouth.

"It got a hold of my tongue," he said.

He was having breathing problems when his ex-girlfriend drove him to the hospital. "She was the only one sober," Wilkinson said.

En route, they spotted a police car and asked for help.

His next memory, he said, was waking up at the hospital.

Doctors could not get a breathing tube down his throat.

Dr. Richard Mullins cut a hole in Wilkinson's neck to insert the breathing tube. Physicians started giving antivenin, moved him to intensive care and kept him sedated until the swelling went down.

The Poison Control Center sees about 50 people a year with snake bites, usually hikers. Deaths from rattlesnake bites in Oregon are extremely rare.

Wilkinson, who works in construction, has yet to return to work. His three Western diamondback rattlers have been removed from his home.

He says co-workers have been pretty blunt.

"They were like, 'What the heck were you thinking?'" Wilkinson said.

The answer? "It's my own stupidity."

 

[Chip]

Thanks Chip that was going to be my next question ( What about corals?)

Bigtime Bummer. Nice article where suddenly the shelf life of the anitvenin ( correct spelling according to article?) extends itself a whole year...I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact that it's no longer being made? heh heh

Yeah, the terms seem to be interchangeable. Charlie Green and Jim Harrison always use the term "anti-serum" and they are both adjudicated as court appointed experts in snake bite cases, so I deffer to their term. Either way, I tend to think that stuff (and LOTS more RXs out there) have a MUCH longer viable shelf life than is printed on the label. I always get a chuckle out of people when I do the NPR show who ask about buying it so "they can give themselves a shot" if bitten. :laugh:

Edit: Anyone who sticks a rattlesnake into their mouth should go ahead and get a vasectomy while undergoing bite treatment.

 

[ForkedTung]

Yeah, the terms seem to be interchangeable. Charlie Green and Jim Harrison always use the term "anti-serum" and they are both adjudicated as court appointed experts in snake bite cases, so I deffer to their term. What about Dr. Fry? Either way, I tend to think that stuff (and LOTS more RXs out there) have a MUCH longer viable shelf life than is printed on the label. I always get a chuckle out of people when I do the NPR show who ask about buying it so "they can give themselves a shot" if bitten. :laugh:You're on NPR? You're famous? I always listen to NPR...What are you on for exactly?

Edit: Anyone who sticks a rattlesnake into their mouth should go ahead and get a vasectomy while undergoing bite treatment.

I agree, I was a little disappointed he didn't die, just so his genes could be eradicated forever...rofl....










PS) I bid .50c for your sig. Do I win?

 

[midnightgallop]

I liked this quote best....
Doctors said one man was bitten on the hand after trying to pet a snake. They said the man had been drinking prior to the incident.“We've seen several people who've tried petting the snakes, and even on occasion people trying to kiss the snake. Any of those things usually result in the patient getting bitten," said Dr. Michael Levine, a toxicologist at Banner Poison Control Center.

lol That was my favorite quote too

 

[Chip]

I agree, I was a little disappointed he didn't die, just so his genes could be eradicated forever...rofl....
PS) I bid .50c for your sig. Do I win?

Not all the blue made it through the quote process, but I'm a guest on a local call-in show 2-3 times a year to talk about reptiles. Just mentioned Green & Harrison b/c I speak with them. As for the 50 cents, as they say on Ebay "Reserve not met!"