Anyone had a snake bite?

[garry1p]

Anyone on here ever been bitten by a snake and if so what was your experience.

My son was bit on the wrist by a copperhead, at the ER they washed it real good, gave him a BIG shot of adrenaline and said he will wait on giving him the antivenom since it can be worse than the snake bite.
The DR also said snake teeth are loaded with bad bacteria and gave him an antibiotic.

He did not need the antivenom, swelled up pretty good and had no long term effects.

 

[RayIN]

Yep, a blacksnake bite can kill a person if not adequately cleaned.
A nephews 4 yr old son was bitten by a copperhead on his leg. The ER treated the bite the same way.
It took the boy about 7 months to fully recover, his leg turned black and swelled up to the size of his dads biceps.
A neighbor farmer was bitten on his foot, the fangs went through a crack in his shoe. He didn't go to a Dr., just went in the house, removed his shoe, put his foot in a pan of ice-water for a few hours.
Hit foot turned black and swelled up to the size of a football. He was fully recovered in 3 months, but never stopped working his dairy farm every day after that first week.
Copperhead bites are seldom fatal.

 

[japody]

Anyone on here ever been bitten by a snake and if so what was your experience.

My son was bit on the wrist by a copperhead, at the ER they washed it real good, gave him a BIG shot of adrenaline and said he will wait on giving him the antivenom since it can be worse than the snake bite.
The DR also said snake teeth are loaded with bad bacteria and gave him an antibiotic.

He did not need the antivenom, swelled up pretty good and had no long term effects.

Friend of mine was bitten on his ankle last month. He stepped out on his deck at night to let his dogs out. Didn't turn on the lights. That's when the copperhead bit him. His wife rushed him to the ER in town. Of course she got pulled by the town cop, but then escorted them to the hospital. The hospital gave him the antivenom. What they didn't know was that the antivenom is somehow made by using lambs' blood as an ingredient. He has Alpha-gal syndrome. That's the disease you get from ticks and you can't eat red meat. He started to swell up and they had to give him an anaphylactic shot. They withdrew the antivenom IV and told him they couldn't administer it. His ankle and leg were sore for 2 weeks. He's OK now.

 

[deserteagle71]

Never been bit - been very careful and I always wear at least 10" high boots when out in the desert. But I've had some experience with rattlesnake bites as an EMT/firefighter. Depends a lot (at least with rattlesnakes) as to where they bite you and how much venom they decide to release. And the species of rattlesnake; the Mojave rattler's venom is the most toxic. Worked with a guy whose body was always twisted - contorted, and one day I asked him what happened to him. He said that at 18 years old he was walking through some tall sagebrush and was bitten on his side just above his waist by a rattler that had climbed up into a bush. Very sick for several weeks, and the venom destroyed enough tissue that he was crippled up for the rest of his life. Finally, this happened a few years ago only two miles from my house. Little girl might have lived but the ER refused to give her antivenom, fearing her reaction to it.

I feel for you folks who have to put up with copperheads and others that don't warn you before striking. At least our rattlesnakes give fair warning to get back! I was filling my bird feeders after dark a few years ago when this one buzzed under my feet...I bet I went 10 feet when I jumped!

 

[jyoutz]

Never been bit - been very careful and I always wear at least 10" high boots when out in the desert. But I've had some experience with rattlesnake bites as an EMT/firefighter. Depends a lot (at least with rattlesnakes) as to where they bite you and how much venom they decide to release. And the species of rattlesnake; the Mojave rattler's venom is the most toxic. Worked with a guy whose body was always twisted - contorted, and one day I asked him what happened to him. He said that at 18 years old he was walking through some tall sagebrush and was bitten on his side just above his waist by a rattler that had climbed up into a bush. Very sick for several weeks, and the venom destroyed enough tissue that he was crippled up for the rest of his life. Finally, this happened a few years ago only two miles from my house. Little girl might have lived but the ER refused to give her antivenom, fearing her reaction to it.
View attachment 1511390

I feel for you folks who have to put up with copperheads and others that don't warn you before striking. At least our rattlesnakes give fair warning to get back! I was filling my bird feeders after dark a few years ago when this one buzzed under my feet...I bet I went 10 feet when I jumped!
View attachment 1511391

Is that a Mohave Rattlesnake? It doesn’t look like our prairie or diamondback rattlers.

 

[mikester]

I got bit by a baby garter snake when I picked it up to show my kids. They screamed. I laughed. They petted it and we let it go.

 

[oosik]

We have Timber rattlers here. Never seen one on my property. We do have Bull snakes. Fortunately - they are not poisonous.

 

[ponytug]

Is that a Mohave Rattlesnake? It doesn’t look like our prairie or diamondback rattlers.

Probably not. Look at the last band at the rattle. I have read descriptions that if the last band is yellow, or mostly yellow, and the rest of the description matches, it is probably a Mohave.

Crotalus scutulatus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Note the text from above "...There is no single visual trait that reliably identifies C. scutulatus and the most reliable visual identifications result from careful consideration of multiple traits..."

Mohave rattlesnakes have a neurotoxic venom, for which there is no antivenin that I know of, (EDIT: see @JeepHead's post below) as well as the typical haemotoxic venom of other rattlesnakes. Around here, the rattlesnakes have such a wide variation in traits, color, patterns, skin texture that I assume Mohave until proven otherwise. If they are away from buildings, I leave them alone. Between the barn and the house is a rattlesnake free zone here.

All the best,

Peter

 

[jyoutz]

Probably not. Look at the last band at the rattle. I have read descriptions that if the last band is yellow, or mostly yellow, and the rest of the description matches, it is probably a Mohave.

Crotalus scutulatus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Note the text from above "...There is no single visual trait that reliably identifies C. scutulatus and the most reliable visual identifications result from careful consideration of multiple traits..."

Mohave rattlesnakes have a neurotoxic venom, for which there is no antivenin that I know of, as well as the typical haemotoxic venom of other rattlesnakes. Around here, the rattlesnakes have such a wide variation in traits, color, patterns, skin texture that I assume Mohave until proven otherwise. If they are away from buildings, I leave them alone. Between the barn and the house is a rattlesnake free zone here.

All the best,

Peter

During the summer months I keep my .357 revolver loaded with snakeshot. But usually when I see one, a shovel is handier. Thankfully we only have the small and less aggressive prairie rattlers. I’ve never seen a diamondback in this area and Mojave’s don’t occur this far east.

 

[scootr]

I knew a young man who picked up a Mojave green and got bitten on the finger. He lost that finger but otherwise survived.
We have mostly Southern Pacific rattlesnakes here which are less aggressive and human bites are rare. But my dog got bit on the nose last year. She got anti-venom and survived after a rough few days. I searched high and low for the critter, without any luck. Decided to let the dog show me. I let her out and she went almost straight back to it - where I killed it. My wife had some pretty mixed feelings about my method.

 

[JeepHead]

Anyone on here ever been bitten by a snake and if so what was your experience.

My son was bit on the wrist by a copperhead, at the ER they washed it real good, gave him a BIG shot of adrenaline and said he will wait on giving him the antivenom since it can be worse than the snake bite.
The DR also said snake teeth are loaded with bad bacteria and gave him an antibiotic.

He did not need the antivenom, swelled up pretty good and had no long term effects.

Your son was treated by a doctor who obviously isn't educated about snakebites or the antivenin, which isn't uncommon. Crowfab is very well regarded as effective treatment for snake bites and doesn't cause any issues for most people. Antibiotics are typical not advised. Labs need to be ran and treatment varies by what the results show.

I have been bitten by a water moccasin and received treatment. I also am a member of a national snake bit group that have some of the best doctors in the country supervising it.

 

[JeepHead]

Probably not. Look at the last band at the rattle. I have read descriptions that if the last band is yellow, or mostly yellow, and the rest of the description matches, it is probably a Mohave.

Crotalus scutulatus - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Note the text from above "...There is no single visual trait that reliably identifies C. scutulatus and the most reliable visual identifications result from careful consideration of multiple traits..."

Mohave rattlesnakes have a neurotoxic venom, for which there is no antivenin that I know of, as well as the typical haemotoxic venom of other rattlesnakes. Around here, the rattlesnakes have such a wide variation in traits, color, patterns, skin texture that I assume Mohave until proven otherwise. If they are away from buildings, I leave them alone. Between the barn and the house is a rattlesnake free zone here.

All the best,

Peter

crowfab antivenin works for all the US pit vipers including the Mojave.

 

[deserteagle71]

Is that a Mohave Rattlesnake? It doesn’t look like our prairie or diamondback rattlers.

Great Basin rattlesnake is what they are called. Very plentiful around here. This one was under my ATV:

 

[garry1p]

Your son was treated by a doctor who obviously isn't educated about snakebites or the antivenin, which isn't uncommon

You are correct, the DR had never treated a snake bite and had to reference a manual before treating

 

[JeepHead]

You are correct, the DR had never treated a snake bite and had to reference a manual before treating

This is what the general advice is by one of the leading snakebite doctors in the US.

 

[jyoutz]

Great Basin rattlesnake is what they are called. Very plentiful around here. This one was under my ATV:
View attachment 1528155

Those are fat and really mean looking. They make our prairie rattlers look docile.

 

[ponytug]

crowfab antivenin works for all the US pit vipers including the Mojave.

Thanks! I missed that.

BTW: the name of the drug is Crofab, and is a mix of antibodies from sheep to venoms from Mohave, copper mouth and two species of diamondback rattlesnakes.

All the best,

Peter

 

[jyoutz]

I knew a young man who picked up a Mojave green and got bitten on the finger. He lost that finger but otherwise survived.
We have mostly Southern Pacific rattlesnakes here which are less aggressive and human bites are rare. But my dog got bit on the nose last year. She got anti-venom and survived after a rough few days. I searched high and low for the critter, without any luck. Decided to let the dog show me. I let her out and she went almost straight back to it - where I killed it. My wife had some pretty mixed feelings about my method.

Every spring, I have the vet give the dogs their annual rattlesnake vaccinations. I’ve always wondered why they have these for dogs and not humans. The vet says, they really reduce the adverse reactions if a dog is snakebit.

 

[IndyIan]

View attachment 1520809

I got bit by a baby garter snake when I picked it up to show my kids. They screamed. I laughed. They petted it and we let it go.

Yep, that's the only snake bite I've gotten as well, but we have been hiking in Massasauga Rattler areas were more cautious there.

 

[Dftodd]

Anyone on here ever been bitten by a snake and if so what was your experience.

My son was bit on the wrist by a copperhead, at the ER they washed it real good, gave him a BIG shot of adrenaline and said he will wait on giving him the antivenom since it can be worse than the snake bite.
The DR also said snake teeth are loaded with bad bacteria and gave him an antibiotic.

He did not need the antivenom, swelled up pretty good and had no long term effects.

He must have been bitten by an adult copper head. They tend to be a dry bite.

The vet did similar for our Jack Russell Terrorist when he was bitten on the snout. They dosed with a broad spectrum antibiotic and steroids.

My grandson got bit on the heal by a baby copperhead when he was 6yo. His ankle swelled up to the size of my thigh

He spent 5 days down at the children's hospital in Little Rock and recieved 8 doses of antivrnom.