ANTHEM, AZ – A Valley man almost lost his life this week after a rattlesnake sunk its fangs into his right thumb Sunday evening.

Bill Johnson of Anthem was taking out the trash after his daughter’s birthday party when he heard a “hissing sound.”

“I thought I might have either a gas line or water line that had come loose,” Johnson said.

It was 10 p.m. when he said he reached down into the darkness and was struck.

Johnson didn’t see his attacker, but said he knew from the power of the “bee-like sting” that it was a snake.

He rushed inside and said within five minutes, he passed out.

His wife called 911. The first hospital he went to did not have enough anti-venin to treat his severe condition, so he was airlifted to Good Samaritan hospital in Phoenix.

Johnson is the 14th rattlesnake case this month alone to receive treatment there.

Toxicologist Michael Levine said most rattlesnake bites aren’t life threatening, but Johnson’s was.

He was put on life support for 24 hours.

“This gentleman was critically ill,” said Levine. “I think he very well would have died if he didn’t get therapy.”

Good Samaritan sees an average of 60-80 rattlesnake bites a year, with monsoon season being the busiest time for the deadly desert dwellers to attack, according to Levine.

Not only did Johnson spend his daughter’s “Sweet 16″ hooked to IVs, he also celebrated his 18th wedding anniversary in a hospital gown.

“It was kind of odd because it was like I’d do anything to upstage those events,” said Johnson.

He was discharged from the hospital on Friday.

via Anthem man almost dies from snake bite.

A feisty 2-year-old Olinda boy who was bitten on the shin by a baby rattlesnake on Sunday is expected to make a full recovery and should soon be released from the hospital.

“He’s already trying to crawl out of his crib,” said the boy’s foster sister, 18-year-old Hannah Blue.

Blue said her baby foster brother, who she declined to name because he’s a foster child, was transferred to U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento after being rushed by ambulance to Mercy Medical Center in Redding.

Alex Bostick, a captain with the Happy Valley Fire Protection District, has said the boy was in the front yard of his Willett Way home when his foster mother heard him yell “snake!”

She ran out side, saw the foot-long snake, killed it and called 911.

Bostick said the boy was fearless, saying ‘Bad snake! Mean snake!’ to the firefighters when they arrived.

“He’s just a fun kid,” Blue said.

Paramedics were especially concerned given the boy’s age and the small size of the snake, since they’d heard that young rattlesnakes are generally considered to be more venomous, Bostick said.

But that’s not the case, said Bob Hassel, the owner of Animal Nuisance Control of Cottonwood.

“If you’re going to get bit, get bitten by a little one,” Hassel said. “That’s an old wives’ tale.”

Hassel, who has to frequently handle rattlesnakes, said small snakes have smaller fangs and less venom than their adult counterparts, making them less likely to inject as much venom, which is no more potent than an adult snake’s.

Mercy Medical Center’s emergency room chief Dr. Rob Hamilton said 10 or 12 people are bitten by rattlesnakes in the north state each year.

He has never heard of anyone local dying from a bite. He said as many as 25 percent of the bites are harmless, since the snakes often don’t inject venom in what are known as “dry bites.”

Rattlesnake venom is a hemotoxin, meaning it attacks the muscles and bloodstream rather than the body’s nervous system.

The venom starts breaking down muscle tissue to help a snake not only incapacitate its prey but also to aid in the snake’s digestion.

“It’s more like a really nasty digestive juice,” he said.

Even so, unless the venom is injected directly into a major blood vessel which pumps directly to the heart and the brain, the venom only attacks the area around a bite.

Hamilton said most bites are easily treated with anti-venom, and there’s little risk of allergic reactions any more since most hospitals use synthetic versions of the drugs.

Anti-venom is expensive, however, running around $1,000 for a small vial, he said.

Hamilton said that if someone gets bitten by a rattlesnake they should not panic and should head to their nearest hospital.

He said not to use tourniquets, snake bite kits or attempt to suck the poison out, all of which are likely to do more harm than the actual snakebite.

Hamilton said studies have shown that the age group most likely to be bitten by a rattler are 18- to 25-year-old men, most of whom are bitten on the upper body as they try to drunkenly play with or pickup a snake.

via Olinda toddler bitten by rattlesnake expected to recover » Redding Record Searchlight.

SAN DIEGO — While people become sicker and sicker from rattlesnake bites, researchers at the University of California, San Diego are working to combat that trend by developing more potent anti-venom.

Several weeks ago, a bite killed a 5-year-old Schnauzer in Bonita, but it’s not just dogs that have been bit that have raised the most alarms.

“It’s a definite concern,” said Dr. Richard Clark, the director of toxicology at UCSD.

Clark said although a few dozen human bites are reported locally every year, a puzzling trend has emerged.

“We continue to see very bad snake bites, probably worse than last several years previously,” he said.

More severe reactions, including breathing problems, low blood pressure, and uncontrollable bleeding have led many to wonder if rattlesnake venom is becoming more potent.

One theory proposes rodents, the rattlesnake’s food source, are developing resistance to venom, causing snakes to develop more potent venom by natural selection.

Another theory suggests the rattlesnake has evolved to have more potent venom because of a shrinking habitat and a tougher time finding food over the years.

None of these theories have been proven.

Whatever the cause, UCSD is researching a possible response in the form of more potent anti-venom. A clinical trial began a year and a half ago.

Unlike the conventional anti-venom, the molecules of the new anti-venom are bigger, which means a bigger potential impact on severe and recurring symptoms. The bigger molecules remain in the body long, making the anti-venom more effective.

Clinical trials should be complete by the end of the year. If proven effective, the anti-venom would be a much-needed weapon against venom that may be turning more potent.

Dr. Clark said that every year, there are several rattlesnake-related deaths in California. He said he fears the number could climb, because people with more severe reactions are more at risk for fatal complications.

via Local Rattlesnake Bites Becoming More Severe – San Diego News Story – KGTV San Diego.

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – Several people have left comments on our Facebook page, saying they’ve seen more snakes on the South Plains since the July 4th weekend floods. One Tahoka woman is just glad her father is alive after being bitten by a rattlesnake multiple times.

Penny Redman said she always knew her dad was a fighter. “He’s been a real trooper, he’s a tough man,” said Redman.

A couple of weeks ago, 87-year-old Pug Parker of Tahoka went outside to get something out of a toolbox. “He’s diabetic so his vision is very poor, he reached in with his left hand because he can’t see, feeling for a screw and evidently there was a mom and some babies,” said Redman.

Parker was bitten ten times. Baby rattlesnake bites are more venomous than adult rattlesnakes. “They don’t know how to stop releasing the venom. They release all they have. Adults can judge how much they want to release,” said Redman. Parker was rushed by AeroCare to Covenant Hospital, and on the way to the hospital, the flight nurse administered anti-venom in the helicopter.

A few years ago, this immediate medical attention may not have been possible. AeroCare started carrying the anti-venom in 2008. “When AeroCare made the decision to carry the anti-venom, it was something that we could deliver to the rural communities that might not have the resources locally,” says flight nurse Bobby Sanchez.

Medical experts say after you are bitten, you have a four-hour window to seek medical attention, but the sooner you can get doses of the anti-venom, the better, and Redman believes that is why her father is alive today. “He’s a miracle… he is.”

Parker was checked into Covenant Specialty Hospital on June 24th. Doctors say he could be ready to go back to Tahoka as early as next week. His daughter tells us that he is healing like no diabetic should heal.

via 87-year-old Tahoka man recovering from multiple rattlesnake bites – KCBD, NewsChannel 11 Lubbock |.

AURORA | Initially, there was no pain, but there were fang marks. Jim Kehl had been hiking in White Ranch Open Space Park in Golden seven years ago when the rattlesnake bit his calf.

“At first it didn’t feel like anything, just a tap,” said Kehl, an Evergreen resident who used to work in Aurora. “About 60 seconds later it started to ache. Like a really bad bee sting, except under the skin.”

Five minutes later, on the hike back down to his car, Kehl’s hands and face started tingling, his eyelids began twitching, his leg started swelling and his vision became blurry. An hour later, he was in a Wheat Ridge hospital receiving antivenom medication into his bloodstream, a limb-saving remedy that Kehl said cost about $48,000.

Local doctors say rattlesnake bites like Kehl’s are on the rise this year compared with previous years, for both humans and pets.

The culprit is the prairie rattlesnake, the most-common type of venomous snake in Colorado. It grows to about three feet in length and eats mostly ground squirrels, mice, rats, small rabbits and prairie dogs.

Great Plains Dog Park in Aurora has been closed indefinitely since early May because two dogs, owned by the same person, were bitten by a rattlesnake.

“Spring seems to be kind of the hotbed of activity,” said Matt Demey, a doctor at Seven Hills Veterinary Center in Aurora who has treated five dogs with snake bites this spring, up from the usual two or three cases he sees in a typical year. The sudden increase might be because younger snakes are more frequently seen slithering around during the springtime, and they’re more aggressive and more likely to strike than older snakes, Demey said. He expects to treat dogs with rattlesnake bites through fall, he said.

Dogs are commonly bitten around the face and neck, which could result in fatalities.

“Dogs will see snakes or smell them and go investigate with their noses, then get bit on the nose or face, which is the most dangerous place to be bit,” he said.

Within the first 30 minutes, the venom can cause swelling in the face and neck and can even block off airways. In most cases, antivenom can be a life-saving antidote. Dog owners should be prepared to drop at least $700 for the medicine, Demey said, who treated the two dogs bitten at Great Plains Dog Park.

The park is now closed until rattlesnakes are no longer considered to be a threat, said Jenna Baker, special projects coordinator for the city’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space department.

“We’re just doing an evaluation to determine when it can be reopened,” she said. “People, their pets and their safety are our main concern.”

The incident was the only recorded event this year in which a rattlesnake bit a dog in a city-owned property, she said.

Prairie rattlesnakes come out of hibernation in the spring, so it’s crucial that pet owners take precautions when hiking on local trails during the spring and summer, she said.

“It’s important for people to stay on trails, leash and supervise their pets, and if they see a snake, the best thing to do is give it distance,” Baker said.

If hikers encounter rattlesnakes, Baker says they should remain calm and walk away from the snake.

“They will not attack unless they are disturbed or threatened,” she said. “Walk around it, walk away from it and do not disturb it because it wants to get away from you as much as you want to get away from it.”

Rattlesnakes bite about 1,300 people a year in the United States, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

The bites in humans are seldom fatal, though, said Kennon Herd, physician at the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.

“Deaths in the U.S. from snake bites are very rare,” he said. “They do happen — every year, one or two are reported. In general, those are cases where someone does not seek treatment or, very rarely, they have a severe reaction where a person will react very badly to antivenom.”

Usually the bites are not serious enough to require more than a tetanus shot or pain medication because there is only a small amount of venom injected, he said.

Herd says he has seen an increase in rattlesnake bites in humans this year.

“We see somewhere between 10 and 25 bites (in humans) a year in the metro area, and we’re towards the higher end of that this year,” Herd said.

In more serious cases where a patient’s limbs begin to swell and the injury worsens rapidly, antivenom is the only alternative to prevent tissue breakdown, he said.

Normally, the medication costs between $5,000 and $10,000, “but that would be on the low end,” Herd said. He has seen hospital bills in excess of $30,000 after rattlesnake bite treatment, but the medication is covered under most health insurances, he said.

“It’s one of those things that falls in the category of very expensive to produce and also it’s not commonly used,” he said.

Antivenom is created by injecting a small amount of venom into an animal like a sheep, goat or horse. The animal’s blood undergoes an immune response, producing antibodies, which are siphoned out and used to treat bites, Herd said.

Not everyone sees rattlesnakes as harmful perpetrators, ready to strike at any moment. Especially not snake handler Tim Gunther, a resident of Fort Collins who performs tricks with rattlesnakes in Kansas.

“The snake has had a bad rap,” said Gunther, who says he routinely performs a “kiss of death” trick in which a rattlesnake brushes its tongue across Gunther’s nose. “People think that if they see a snake, it’s going to attack them. That’s just not true. They don’t want to confront you because they know they’re going to lose.”

via Parks put on alert after rattler incident – News – Aurora Sentinel.

Although a Trafford man was bit by a snake in Fayette County early Thursday morning, a local herpetologist said close encounters with reptiles are rare.

Chad Heasley, 39, was riding an all-terrain vehicle through the woods with friends when his vehicle got stuck in mud. State police said he went to get some rocks to help elevate his tires and a snake bit him. He was flown to Highlands Hospital and Health Center in Connellsville. A report on his condition was not immediately available.

Ken Stairs of Somerset, a field biologist, said trails go through scenic areas of high mountains where snakes live. Police had not confirmed what kind of snake bit Heasley, but there are copperheads and rattlesnakes in the woods near Connellsville, Stairs said.

“They are secretive and they like to go undetected and unmolested,” he said. “If you step on one or try to pick it up, you will get bit. The snake feels threatened.”

Snakes are often found around rocks or beside logs.

“Never be afraid to hike, but wear boots or sturdy shoes, not flip-flops,” he said. “Look carefully before sitting on the ground and don’t put your fingers on ledges without looking carefully. Step up on logs and look around the side before stepping over it. A snake may be lying on the ground near the log waiting for a chipmunk. Stay on the trail.”

It isn’t true that snakes travel in pairs. Adults that are hunting will be alone. Gestating females will be in groups — he once saw 46 together at a boulder. It isn’t true that snakes can strike a great distance. They can only strike about half of their body length or a little longer if they are on a rock. Their body length isn’t as long as people think, either.

“Snakes aren’t going to chase anybody,” he said. “They are looking for an escape route. Noise wakes them. If you hear a rattle, stop, look for the snake and sidestep around him.”

Ninety-five percent of snakes are nonpoisonous, Stairs said. Those bites are similar to scratches. Someone who is bitten by a poisonous snake can be treated in most hospitals and should be fine if he doesn’t have any underlying medical problems. It isn’t true that physicians need to know what type of snake bit you before starting treatment, he said. The medication is the same.

“Don’t take the snake to the hospital with you — it causes trauma in the ER,” Stairs said. “Thirty percent of bites are dry bites. Out in the southwest you may be further away from medical facilities and the snakes are bigger and have a higher toxicity. There a snake bite is more dangerous.”

Stairs was bitten by a snake once. He had wild-caught a western diamondback rattlesnake in Texas and brought it back with him. He was measuring the snake and it bit him on the thumb.

“It didn’t like being handled,” he said. “I spent seven days in the hospital.”

Venomous snake bites can cause tissue and nerve death. If you are bitten by a rattlesnake or copperhead snake, immobilize the limb at or above the heart if possible. If you are bit on the hand or arm, put your arm across your stomach and hold it there. If you have a cell phone with you, call 911.

“Remain calm — I know it’s hard, but keep your heart rate from going up,” Stairs said. “Get to the nearest medical facility as soon as you can, but don’t run. That raises the heart rate. If you are bit on the hand, remove any rings you’re wearing because your hand will swell. If you have a constricting band — not a tourniquet — put it above the bite. Don’t drink alcohol or take medications.”

The new antivenin serum is sheep blood based and has fewer side effects than the older one that was horse blood based.

About five years ago, he asked the state Health Department how many people in Pennsylvania died of bites from indigenous snakes. There were no deaths for 10 years prior to that.

Stairs and three other men are catching large male rattlesnakes and copperheads on a mountain in Bedford County where wind turbines are to be placed. Two-inch-long transmitters will be implanted in the snakes to track them to dens. The dens will be mapped so the wind turbines don’t break up the dens. The snakes will be caught again in the spring to remove the implants.

Dave Fox, Somerset County 911 coordinator, said people who hike on the trails or through woods need to be aware of where they are. They’ve had problems before with people having a medical emergency on the trail and because they are calling on an older cell phone or the tree canopy was interfering with reception, the 911 center couldn’t pinpoint their location.

“We asked one person where he parked his car so we’d have a starting point, and he replied ‘In a lot with a sign with a big P on it,’” he said. “You need to be aware of which trail you are on and where you went in. Try to know what direction you walked and about how far you walked. If you have a GPS that can be used while walking and a cell phone, take them along. Some people leave the main trail and are on footpaths. That causes problems. Never go alone. It’s like hunting season: You’re safer if you go in numbers. If you do go alone, tell somebody where you are going. People should also wear proper clothing in case they are stranded outside at night. Carry matches to start a fire. Take any survival gear you have.”

via Man bitten by snake in Fayette County woods – Johnstown’s Community Newspaper.

“Hey Dad, I’m riding a turtle.”

My 13-year-old daughter, Abby, was helping clear some of the weeds from our pond and was calling out to me while standing neck deep in weedy water.

I glanced over at her smiling face from where I was lifting out clumps of weeds. The claim didn’t make much sense to me and I figured this was going to be some kind of joke: “Nah, you’re not riding a turtle.”

“Well I’m standing on its back and it’s moving.”

“It’s probably a rock.”

“How much will you give me if it’s a turtle?” she persisted.

“I’ll give you five bucks.” I was starting to think maybe she was really riding a turtle.

“If you’re really on a snapping turtle you’d probably better just swim away, those things have a bite.”

“I really want to catch him. Bring over a bucket so I can throw him in it when I get him.”

I waded over with a medium-sized bucket.

“That’s not big enough.”

I waded back with five gallon bucket. Abby paused. “What are you doing, Abby?”

“Praying.”

The next moment Abby went down under water while I stood with the bucket at the ready.

She came up with a huge snapping monster which she quickly pitched into the bucket.

We took this beast onto shore and surveyed him as he easily snapped off finger-thick sticks with lightning strikes from his powerful jaws.

I was picturing my daughter’s fingers.

“Abby, next time you’re riding a turtle just swim away. But, I have to say, I believe that’s a $10 turtle.”

Snapping turtles are just one of the dangerous creatures folks encounter in east Tennessee. However snappers almost never bother you unless you’re actively bothering them.

Let’s take a brief look at the other potentially dangerous creatures you might encounter around the woods, streams, ponds and backyards of our area.

Let’s start with snakes. There are four kinds of venomous snakes in Tennessee: northern and southern copperhead, timber rattlesnake, western cottonmouth and the western pigmy rattlesnake.

The copperhead is a relatively shy snake, but they account for the most reported bites each year in Tennessee.

Roughly 50 percent of their bites are dry bites; meaning that when they bite, no venom is injected.

Fatal bites are exceedingly rare in Tennessee. Although there are 50,000 deaths worldwide from venomous snakebites reported each year, only 12-15 are in the United States.

Within Tennessee, only four deaths from venomous snakebites have been reported since 1960.

If bitten, the best approach is to try to remain calm and get to a local emergency room. Remove all jewelry around or above the bite area, since there will probably be swelling. But do not apply a tourniquet, nor make cuts around the bite, nor try to suck out the venom. These are outdated approaches that can cause delay, tissue damage, and infection. Don’t try to capture the snake since anti venom is the same for all Tennessee snakes and trying to capture the snake only increases the chances of a second snakebite victim. On average, bites from copperheads result in a week of pain, eleven days of extremity swelling, and two weeks of missed work.

Moving to the smaller culprits, there are two spiders of concern: the black widow and the brown recluse. The black widow is black with a telltale yellow or red hourglass marking on its underside. They are often found in basements, woodpiles and rock walls. Symptoms of a bite may include profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting, headache, and muscle spasms.

The brown recluse hides out in unused shoes, attics, closets and boxes. Its venom destroys tissue. Pain may occur at the bite site six to eight hours afterwards. At 48 hours, there may be itching, redness, blisters, and then a dark crust may form at the bite site followed by sloughing off of some tissue. A visit to the doctor would be wise after a bite from either of these two venomous spiders.

Tennessee is also home to two species of scorpion, the southern unstriped scorpion and the introduced striped Scorpion. Rocky hillsides, rock or brick walls, crawl spaces, and log piles are favorite scorpion habitats. The sting of these scorpions is considered mild. The sensation is a sharp pain that usually lasts for 15 to 20 minutes.

What about fish? The dorsal and pectoral fins of many species of catfish, particularly the small mad toms, have venomous spines that can inflict painful wounds, though generally not life threatening.

Then, of course, there are the red and the black fire ants, bees, wasps, and hornets.

If you should get bitten or stung by any of these creatures, be sure to get immediate medical attention if any of the following occur: Difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips or throat, slurred speech, chest pain, faintness, rapid heart rate, nausea, cramping, vomiting, or a known venomous snakebite.

In spite of all these worrisome critters, the outdoors is still hard to beat here in east Tennessee. So enjoy it! But keep your eyes open.

via Dangerous creatures could ruin a summer.

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ENIGMA, Ga. (AP) – Police say an 82-year-old Berrien County man is dead after a rattlesnake bit him several times while he was fixing his lawnmower Wednesday.

Investigators believe Eddie Lee Dorminey was changing the lawnmower belt and didn’t notice the snake was there.

Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Larry Tabor says authorities first thought the man had died of a heart attack. But Tabor says when he looked under the lawnmower, he noticed a rattlesnake wrapped around a pulley.

He says authorities checked the body again, and saw puncture wounds on Dorminey’s wrist.

The venomous snake has been killed.

Link

A Floral Park man was hospitalized after being bitten on the hand by his pet diamondback rattlesnake, one of a handful of reptiles – most venomous – he kept at his residence in violation of New York State law, authorities said.

Robert Lantier, 31, was bitten inside his Oak Street home late Thursday morning and taken to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx for treatment where hospital spokeswoman…

Link

FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ — Ronn Hart still has trouble getting around after being bitten by a rattlesnake, even though the snake bit him more than two weeks ago.

“My leg was so swollen I couldn’t even get my shorts on,” said Hart.

His leg is still swollen, but Hart said at one point it was twice its size. He spent five days in the hospital and is just now able to get up and walk with crutches.

“Standing up just felt like all the fluids in my body were rushing into my leg below my knee,” Hart described.

Hart said he went to go hike in the Fountain Hills area and was reading a text message when he accidentally stepped on the rattlesnake.

“Don’t text and hike,” joked Hart. “I thought I kicked a rock or caught a stick or something.”

Doctors at Banner Good Samaritan’s Poison and Drug Information Center said this is the time of year they start seeing rattlesnake bites.

“The rattlesnake bite can be profoundly painful,” said Dr. Steven Curry, co-medical director of the center.

Although it’s rare to die from a snake bite, Curry said it is possible if someone doesn’t get immediate treatment. Most patients are given anti-venom to treat the bite and their symptoms.

“We see patients who we admit to the intensive care unit who certainly would have died,” said Curry.

But that treatment is expensive. Hart said he needed 18 vials of anti-venom, which according to Dr. Curry is average for most patients. Ron said the medicine ended up costing him more than $75,000.

Dr. Curry said the cost is hefty because the treatment is rare.

“The only anti-venom that’s available to use in the United States as an FDA approved product is very expensive and treatment for the average patient will certainly result in the administration of many thousands of dollars,” said Curry.

If you are bitten, Dr. Curry said do not use a tourniquet or anything to tie the bite. He said it can restrict blood flow and do more damage.

He also advised do not try to cut the bite or try to suck out the venom, saying it doesn’t do any good.

Anyone bitten on the hand is encouraged to remove any jewelry immediately before swelling begins.

Link

FLORAL PARK, N.Y. (WPIX) – A Floral Park man was rushed to the hospital Thursday morning after being attacked by a poisonous Western Diamondback rattlesnake in his home, police said.

The victim, identified as 31-year-old Robert Lantier, was rushed to Jacobi Hospital in the South Bronx where he was admitted. He was listed in fair condition late Thursday.

According to authorities, the pet rattlesnake was one of many venomous reptiles he kept at his Oak St. residence in violation of New York State law.

Animal control officers from the Suffolk SPCA and the State Department of Environmental Conservation converged on the home and later collected the illegal reptiles. Officers were seen emerging from the man’s home with large containers sealed with duct tape.

Among the animals seized included a cobra, a baby eyelash viper, a bamboo viper, an albino diamondback rattlesnake and a three-foot crocodile monitor. Crocodile monitors, considered to be the world’s longest lizards, can grow up to 10 feet long.

Nassau County Police tell PIX News that Lantier should expect to receive a slew of summons for housing the reptiles in his home.

Lantier, who was bitten on his left hand by the poisonous rattlesnake, is expected to survive from his injuries, a hospital spokesperson said.

Link

So it turns out that whole “I thought it was a stick in the mall parking lot but oh my goodness it was actually a cobra, in Baltimore… in freezing weather” story didn’t hold together.

BALTIMORE — Police with the Department of Natural Resources have charged a woman with possession of a venomous snake after she recently claimed she was bitten by one.

Last month, 58-year-old Betsy Nighthorse claimed she was bitten by a cobra that she discovered in a White Marsh parking lot.

Police investigating her claim found another snake — a Neo Tropical Rattlesnake — at her home in Hydes. The snake was about 4 feet long and 4 inches in diameter.

The rattlesnake was taken to the Catoctin Mountain Zoo in Thurmont, as was the cobra.
Nighthorse is due in court in April. She could get a $1,000 for each count.

Link

ALEXANDRIA, MINN. - Jason Raasch was driving home from a trip to Missouri when he looked down and saw a rattlesnake in his car.

“I was pretty scared, because I’d never even seen a rattlesnake except for at the zoo, so for it to be in the car and to bite me to top it off was pretty scary,” Raasch said.

It happened at the intersection of I-94 and Highway 27 in Alexandria. Raasch said he didn’t know the snake was there until it bit him. Raasch’s friend rushed him to Douglas County Hospital where an ambulance took him to HCMC.  A few days later, Raasch developed pancreatitis, which was the start of his insurance problems.

“My health insurance would only cover so many days of my stay, and it just so happens that on that amount of days I was discharged,” Raasch explained.

The CT scans of Raasch’s stomach show a large mass by his pancreas.  Dr. Shawn Lanman with Alexandria Clinic found the mass and send Raasch to the University of Minnesota; however, they told him there was no mass.  Even though Raasch has proof there is in fact a mass in his stomach, the UofM won’t help him.

Raasch experiences intense stomach pain on a daily basis.  The pain is so great; his doctor isn’t allowing him to work at all.  Now Raasch can’t pay his bills.

“I’ve got bills.  I’ve got rent.  I mean I have all kinds of bills that need to be paid, and I can’t pay any of them,” Raasch said.

Those bills include his health insurance.  His insurance doesn’t cover most of his medical care, or some of his prescriptions.  The insurance won’t cover the 12 hour surgery Raasch needs to remove the mass.  He thinks that’s the reason Mayo and the UofM won’t help him.

“My insurance won’t cover it, and they won’t even see me without health insurance,” Raasch explained.

If he doesn’t pay his bills, Raasch might lose his insurance altogether.

“If they drop my health insurance, I’m like a fish out of water,” Raasch said.

He hopes the health care reform bill working its way through WashingtonD.C. will help his situation.  Until then, he’ll have to wait.

Link

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 28 (UPI) — A Florida truck driver was bitten by two species of poisonous snakes while trying to retrieve his runa

Spokesman Will Darnell says John Agin, 46, was the 13th snake bite patient treated at University Community Hospital this year, the St. Petersburg (Fla.,) Times reports.

Agin said he was walking his rat terrier, Lil Bit, Tuesday when the dog ran away from him.

While chasing her, he suddenly felt a sharp, stinging pain in his right shin and when he looked down he saw a 10-inch, red-and-yellow snake gnawing on his foot.

Hillsborough County paramedics identified one bite as belonging to a pygmy rattlesnake. Hospital workers said a second bite was probably inflicted by a coral snake.

“It’s not impossible for snakes of two different kinds to be in the same area at the same time,” said Lt. Lisa Wood of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s anti-venom unit.

Agan said it’s not the first time he’s been bitten by a snake. He’s also had encounters with a water moccasin, a diamondback rattlesnake and some non-venomous species.

“They happened mostly around my yard,” he said.

Link

Logger bitten by snake

By Lisa Tindell

news editor

Published:

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 9:22 AM CDT

One rattlesnake bite can lead to a serious situation, but a Brewton area man is living through the ordeal of having been bitten eight times.

Johnny Lavon Odom’s family is thankful for his life. Odom’s wife, Nancy, said he has spent more than three weeks in intensive care as a result of the incident, which took place in the Little River community in western Escambia County.

“He has been in ICU for 24 days,” Nancy said. “The doctors are saying we are just taking it a day at a time right now.”

Nancy said Odom is now able to sit up for a period of time but will remain in ICU until a ventilator is no longer needed.

“He is still on the ventilator some,” Nancy said. “The doctors are trying to build up his lungs so they take him off the ventilator for a little at a time. He will have to be off the ventilator before they can move him to a room on the floor.”

Nancy said the medical bills are continuing to mount with no planned release from the hospital in the near future.

“I’m not sure what the bill is right now,” Nancy said. “A couple of weeks ago one of the hospital staff members told me it was already near six figures.”

The log truck driver does not have any medical insurance, Nancy said.

“I don’t know exactly what we will do about that,” Nancy said. “We’ll just have to see what we can do.”

A rattlesnake bite can be debilitating or even deadly. Jackie Word, director of Turtle Point Science Center in Flomaton, said the age of the snake could have a great bearing on the amount of venom injected into a victim.

“Younger snakes have less control on the amount of venom they inject into their victim,” Word said. “They are more reckless and careless with their venom. Older snakes, on the other hand, have more control over their venom.”

Although Odom was reportedly bitten eight times, Word said chances are that venom wasn’t injected on every bite.

“Typically, it’s my belief that a snake’s venom supply is exhausted after two or possibly three bites,” Word said. “Of course, in a defense situation, typically snakes inject venom in smaller doses in repeated strikes.”

Nancy said she is not sure just what happened to her husband in the woods of the Little River community — and he does not remember.

“I’m not clear on exactly what happened out there,” Nancy said. “He’s very lucky though. He seems to be getting better. Right now, he’s just a little bored sitting in ICU.”

Physical therapists are working with Odom on a regular basis, Nancy said. His physicians have not determined a possible date for discharge, she said.

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A Dothan man has died from apparent snake bites.

Henry County coroner Derek Wright says 65-year-old Larry D. Lewis died Friday. Wright said he thought at first that Lewis died from heat stroke but then found two puncture wounds on Lewis’ body. Wright says Lewis was bitten on the right side of the neck and the right hand.

Wright says Lewis’ son found his father collapsed next to a tractor in a field on the family farm in Henry County. Wright estimates Lewis was bitten around 12 p.m. Friday, according to a story in The Dothan Eagle.

Wright says rescue workers didn’t find the snake, but he believes it was likely a rattlesnake.

Wright says the fact that Lewis was bitten in the neck is probably what made the attack fatal.

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A Winder man died Saturday morning after a rattlesnake bit him while he was hunting in Oglethorpe County with his grandson.

Dick Rupert, 68, got bitten in the calf at about 7:30 a.m. by a small rattlesnake in the woods off Thaxton Wynne Road south of U.S. Highway 78, Oglethorpe County Coroner James Mathews said.

Rupert died at Wills Memorial Hospital in Washington about an hour later, Mathews said.

The rattlesnake bit Rupert in the calf as he climbed down from a tree stand, he said.

Rupert tried to get back to the road on a four-wheeler driven by his 12-year-old grandson, but he passed out and fell off twice, Mathews said. He was unresponsive when Oglethorpe EMS workers arrived at 7:44 a.m.

“The grandson was doing CPR when our crew got there,” Mathews said. “But Mr. Rupert was already in full cardiac arrest.”

The puncture marks on Rupert’s calf could barely be seen, Mathews said.

Thaxton Wynne Road runs between U.S. 78 and Georgia Highway 22 about seven miles southeast of Lexington, not far from the Wilkes County border.

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Lightning strikes, rattler bites man in two-day span

What are the chances?

By JB Miller

Published Friday, September 18, 2009 1:11 PM MDT

It was getting to be rather a ho-hum weekend at the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District firehouse when Mother Nature struck from sky and earth.�

On the afternoon of Sept. 13, Sonoita-Elgin Fire Department (SEFD) personnel responded to Rain Valley after a lightning strike ignited a fire that burned nearly three acres near a subdivision. �

“Lucky for us it rained shortly after the strike so all we had to do was basically mop up,” said SEFD Battalion Chief Kevin Venos. “People right now think we’re in good shape, but we still need to keep our eyes peeled.”

On Sept. 14, a local construction worker was brought to the station to be treated for a rattlesnake bite.� The snake struck the worker after he lifted a piece of sheet metal.�

“The poor fellow got hammered good,” said Venos.�

Emergency personnel knew the man was bitten in the leg by a Mojave rattlesnake because the worker’s boss decapitated the snake and brought it in a bucket. Venos said that isn’t necessary anymore because the anti-venom is the same for all snake bites. �

“It looked like it hit him twice,” said Venos. “That’s an automatic helicopter ride.”�

The patient, “a young adult,” was flown to University Medical Center in Tucson.�

Lightning strikes, rattler bites man in two-day span

What are the chances?

By JB Miller

Published Friday, September 18, 2009 1:11 PM MDT

It was getting to be rather a ho-hum weekend at the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District firehouse when Mother Nature struck from sky and earth.�

On the afternoon of Sept. 13, Sonoita-Elgin Fire Department (SEFD) personnel responded to Rain Valley after a lightning strike ignited a fire that burned nearly three acres near a subdivision. �

“Lucky for us it rained shortly after the strike so all we had to do was basically mop up,” said SEFD Battalion Chief Kevin Venos. “People right now think we’re in good shape, but we still need to keep our eyes peeled.”

On Sept. 14, a local construction worker was brought to the station to be treated for a rattlesnake bite.� The snake struck the worker after he lifted a piece of sheet metal.�

“The poor fellow got hammered good,” said Venos.�

Emergency personnel knew the man was bitten in the leg by a Mojave rattlesnake because the worker’s boss decapitated the snake and brought it in a bucket. Venos said that isn’t necessary anymore because the anti-venom is the same for all snake bites. �

“It looked like it hit him twice,” said Venos. “That’s an automatic helicopter ride.”�

The patient, “a young adult,” was flown to University Medical Center in Tucson.�

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You have to click through for the pictures. Incredibly large.

Huge Snake Found In St. Augustine Neighborhood (PIC)

By

Adam Kirk – Morning News Producer

@ October 1, 2009 4:30 AM Permalink | Comments (16)

It’s thicker than your arm… and taller than most basketball players… and it was found in a St. Augustine neighborhood.

The 7 foot 3 inch Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake made its way into Tuscany Village, off State Road 16 and I-95.

When someone spotted it, they called police, who called a professional trapper.

Brandon Booth caught it and killed it.

“When I got there, I looked at it and said, ‘That’s bigger than 6 feet,’” Booth said. “I didn’t have time to really think. I just jumped out of the truck with my gig and got him. He wasn’t going to get away.”

Photos Courtesy of our news partner Channel 4 and Jason Huntley.

Link

ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida — A 27-year-old Palm Coast man has been hospitalized after being bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake while shopping for a fern at a Walmart garden center.

Jeriel Joiner told the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office that he was bitten on his right pointer finger in the garden center at a Walmart store in St. Augustine.

The snake was still holding on when he knocked it off. A Walmart employee killed the snake with a broom.

Joiner was hospitalized in the Flagler Hospital in serious condition on Wednesday.

According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, doctors administered an antivenin, but Joiner had a severe allergic reaction. Joiner was given a number of allergy medicines to stop the reaction, and was moved to the intensive care unit at Shands Hospital in Jacksonville.

Joiner’s fiancee, Rhiannon Gross, said on Thursday the swelling that was once in just one finger had spread through his right hand and up his arm.

Gross said the doctors gave them the option of taking the antivenin again as a slower pace and in diluted form, but that they would have to sign a waiver. They turned down the option.

According to Gross, Joiner could get permanent nerve damage, arm paralysis and amputation.

The couple is considering a lawsuit, saying Walmart did nothing to help them until an “elderly greeter” shooed the snake away.

He is the fourth person bitten since 2006 at the company’s stores in Florida.

Walmart spokesman Dan Fogleman in Bentonville, Ark., said the safety of customers and employees is a top priority. The garden center is closed while the company works to ensure it is safe.

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ST. AUGUSTINE, FL — A local Walmart had an unwelcome guest Tuesday, and it left a customer in the hospital.

According to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, a man was looking at some plants in the garden center Tuesday afternoon, and dropped a baby bottle.

The bottle rolled under the plastic shelves that were holding the plants.

When he reached under the shelf to get the bottle, he felt a bite.

He pulled his hand out, and a baby pigmy rattlesnake was holding on to his finger.

He knocked the snake off and a Walmart associate killed the snake.

Rescue personnel took the man to Flagler Hospital for treatment. He was in critical condition, but was stabilized. He was then taken to Shands in Jacksonville, where he is in serious condition as of Wednesday afternoon.

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WINTERGREEN — An injured man had to be airlifted Tuesday from the Blue Ridge Parkway and flown to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville after he was repeatedly bitten by a poisonous snake, according to details released by the Waynesboro First-Aid Crew.

The man, believed to be in his 40s, was spotted about 2 p.m. leaning against a tree at the 9.6 mile marker at the Dripping Rock pull-off, said Chief George Maupin of the Waynesboro First-Aid Crew. Maupin said the man told a passerby that he’d been bitten five times in the hand by a timber rattlesnake.

By the time rescue personnel arrived at the scene, Maupin said, “he wasn’t able to talk to us when we got there. He was in a dazed state.”

Maupin said the victim, whose identity has not been released, was airlifted from Reed’s Gap. He did not know the man’s condition, but added, “We would assume he was critical.”

Maupin said the man had been about a quarter of a mile off the Blue Ridge Parkway and was alone when attacked, but said rescue personnel received limited details about the incident.

“We’re not sure of the exact circumstances,” he said.

According to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Web site, the timber rattlesnake is venomous and can grow up to 60 inches long. It is typically nocturnal in the summer months and lives at elevations up to 6,000 feet, sometimes even higher, in the Blue Ridge.

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Rattlesnake bite sends Pierson man to hospital

By PATRICIO G. BALONA
Staff Writer

PIERSON — A Pierson man was rushed to a Daytona Beach hospital after he was bitten by a rattlesnake this morning, authorities said.

Emergency workers assisting the man said he suffered a single snake bite to the lower left calf.

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

The adult male, whose identity was not released, showed up at the Volusia County Fire Services Station 44 in Pierson at 9:36 a.m., said county fire services spokeswoman Pat Kuehn.

“He said he had been bitten by a diamondback rattler,” Kuehn said.

Fire paramedics at the station at 132 N. Fountain Drive in Pierson cared for the snake bite victim until a sheriff’s helicopter arrived to transport him, Kuehn said.

The unidentified man was airlifted in stable condtiion to Halifax Health Medical Center, said EVAC spokesman Mark O’Keefe.

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Texas hospitals seeing alarming increase in rattlesnake bites

SAN ANTONIO — Hospitals across central Texas said they are seeing an alarming increase in rattlesnake bites.

Hays County has treated five people for the bites in recent weeks, and Travis County reported eleven rattlesnake bites in the last three months.

So, why the increase now?

Experts say it is mating season for snakes. But the drought is also pushing them into residential areas to find water.

EMS officials in the area have teamed up with experts from the Snake Farm in New Braunfels to educate the public on how to be more careful, and what to do if they come across a rattlesnake.

They said if you get bitten call 911 immediately, because a rattlesnake bite can be deadly.

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Officials advise caution in wake of rattlesnake bites

Health authorities in the sun-baked Interior are advising caution after three incidents of rattlesnake bites near Penticton in the last month.

Last week an Okanagan man was bitten on the ankle after stepping on a rattler in his backyard. After four days in intensive care and 40 vials of anti-venom, costing $1,000 each, his condition has stabilized.

Another person was bitten on the hand while out on a trail, and the other was bitten on the finger in a backyard.

On average there are five rattlesnake bites a year in B.C., and there have been two deaths in the province’s recorded history.

Rattlers reside on grassy hillsides in territory ranging from the southern Okanagan to the northern outskirts of Kamloops, and have come into increasing contact with humans owing to residential development.

Here are some tips from Interior doctors familiar with rattlesnake bites:

Keep in mind that the striking distance of a snake is about two-thirds its length. Do not pick up or handle snakes. Even a dead snake can bite and release venom through reflexes for 90 minutes after it dies.

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Girl Bitten by Rattlesnake Nearly Loses Leg

A 9-year-old Washington City girl is recovering after being bitten by a rattlesnake.
She was recently bitten while walking around her grandparents backyard in Brookside.

By the time Cassie Robinson arrived in Saint George her leg was swollen and bruised.
“We figured we’d get in, get the anti-venom, and then be able to go home…but no” Cassie’s mother J’neal Robinson said.
Cassie was then flown to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake. By the time she arrived, the Doctors had assembled the anti-venom to give her. Then they went and got more.
“Normally they give anywhere between 10-20 vials (to patients) but they ended up giving her 38 vials. So they thought the snake really injected a lot of venom.” J’neal Robinson added.
Medical staff checked the swelling of her leg every hour.
They watched and even marked her with a pen, tracing the venom’s path through her leg.
Her parents say at that point every touch left Cassie in excruciating pain.
Joseph Robinson, Cassie’s Father, says, “most adults wouldn’t act the way she did. She was really brave, and a trouper through the whole thing.”
The best part for Cassie was when her leg started improving.
The Doctors, who had kept the family positive the whole time, then expressed concerns from earlier.
“A pediatrician was telling us that this is a bad bite, and we’re grateful it didn’t get any farther than that” J’neal said.
None more grateful than Cassie Robinson, who has a busy summer ahead of her.
Doctor’s say it will take Cassie at least four more weeks of rest and physical therapy to fully recover.

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Man bitten by young rattlesnake in Poolesville

Two to six people annually are bitten by venomous snakes in Maryland

Sam Pettengill encountered his fair share of rattlers when he lived in Arizona, so he was unfazed when he found a small brown snake just inside the door of his Poolesville home Sunday.

Pettengill, a cook who lives and works at Kunzang Palyul Choling Buddhist temple on River Road, discovered the 7-inch snake around 11 p.m. after coming back from a walk with his dog. He tried pick up the snake to bring it outside when it bit him on the knuckle. Twice.

“It hurt like a bee sting, like something burning,” Pettengill, 36, said from his room at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital on Tuesday.

An hour and a half later, his hand was swollen and the pain began traveling up his arm. Pettengill looked at pictures online to figure out what bit him — a timber rattlesnake, one of two venomous snake species found in the state, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Timber rattlers live in rocky, forested areas and can grow up to 6 feet long but average 9-10 inches when they’re born, according to the department. They generally avoid people but will venture inside to hibernate or follow mice.

Pettengill was treated with antivenin and will require some physical therapy to regain full use of his arm, he said. He moved to Poolesville in September from Arizona, where he occasionally had to relocate large rattlesnakes. He assumed the small snake was a more innocuous species and was shocked when it fought back.

“It was just five seconds of grabbing a snake,” he said. “Poison control didn’t even believe me.”

Venomous snake bites are uncommon in Maryland, according to DNR — two to six people are bitten each year and fatalities are rare. About 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the U.S. each year and about five are killed, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Doctors at Shady Grove see one to two venomous snake bites a year, mostly people who keep the animals as pets or have encountered them in the wild, according to emergency physician Dr. Joel Buzy.

“It’s actually fairly rare,” he said.

People who suspect they have been bitten by a venomous snake should remain calm, immobilize the bitten area and immediately seek medical attention, Buzy said. Remove tight jewelry or clothing from the bitten extremity and remember what the snake looked like so it can be identified. Do not ice or cool the bite, use a tourniquet, cut the skin or attempt to suck out the venom.

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Utah girl bitten by rattlesnake recovers at Primary Children’s

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – A nine year-old Washington county girl is spending her birthday at Primary Children’s Medical Center. She was bitten by a large rattlesnake.  Cassie Robinson was playing at her grandma’s house in Brookside when the snake struck her from behind — without any warning. Wednesday is Cassie’s birthday, and it’s one she’ll never forget, anymore than she can forget what put her in this hospital bed.  “I was going up the path and it felt like something grabbed me and I turned around and it was a rattlesnake,” Cassie said.  She says there was no warning, no rattle. But Cassie says when she saw the rattlesnake behind her, she knew what happened. “It was scary,” she said.  The fang marks in her ankle were bleeding when she ran into the house. “She was saying over and over “I got bit by a snake,’” Cassie’s mom, Jneal Robinson said.  Cassie’s dad knew if they could identify it, Cassie could get better treatment. He found it nearby. “It was three to five feet,” Cassie’s dad, Joe Robinson said.  Cassie’s foot and leg were starting to swell and turn purple. “I knew that we needed to get her to the medical center soon as we could because every precious minute counts,” Joe said.  Cassie was rushed to a hospital in St. George, where they gave her anti-venom. Then she was flown to Primary Children’s Medical Center. “This was a really bad bite,” Cassie’s Doctor, Michelle Hoffman said.  Hoffman said Cassie’s bite was full of venom, and required 38 viles of anti-venom, unusual for our state.  Hoffman said acting quickly was important, because rattlesnake bites can be life threatening if untreated. Cassie’s parents want others to educate their kids about the dangers of snakes. “Be aware of places that they might be, and watch your kids. Watch where they play and just warn them,” Jneal said.  Cassie has a warning too: watch before you step. She is responding well to treatment, and may be able to go home as soon as tomorrow.  Her aunt tells us she is going to have a pair of boots made out of the snake skin, so Cassie can kick that snake around.

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Girl bitten by rattler on school playground

By BECKY SHAY – Billings Gazette – 05/31/09

BILLINGS — A student at Eagle Cliffs Elementary was hospitalized Friday after being bitten by a rattlesnake.

Billings School District 2 Superintendent Jack Copps said the unidentified girl is in the lower grades. She was on the playground shortly before 11 a.m. and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Steve Wilson, a captain with the Billings Fire Department, was one of the first emergency responders on the scene, along with engineer Bret Thormahlen and firefighter Craig Riske. He said the girl, who is 6 or 7 years old, told the firefighters she was running on the playground when “she ran into what felt like a couple of sharp sticks” on her foot, which turned out to be the snakebite

“She was a little scared but still in good spirits,” Wilson said.

The snake was caught and killed by somebody at the school before emergency crews arrived. It was a small rattlesnake, about a foot long, with just one rattle on its tail.

At about 6 p.m., Copps said he was told the girl would stay overnight at the hospital for treatment and evaluation, but did not know her condition. 

Children are being advised not to pick up snakes and to report seeing snakes immediately to adults. School officials will inspect the playground and aren’t sure yet whether they will close the area to students.

“It may have been a small snake, and that means there may be a den up there we need to look for,” said Copps.

Two Billings health care providers said snakes like to avoid people and people should try to avoid them, including not reaching under rocks or into other places where snakes may hide to avoid the heat.

“It’s a dangerous time for snakes,” said Dr. Peter Light at Billings Clinic. “They are usually very active at this time of year.”

Someone bitten by a snake should go to the nearest emergency department. It is important to avoid significant activity and exertion, Light said. Venom starts in the soft tissue and will eventually go into the bloodstream and circulate, he said.

“Then it causes problems,” Light said. “If it’s not systemic, it’s better for the patient.”

Dean Angell is a registered nurse at St. Vincent Healthcare emergency department who has an interest in rattlesnakes. The most common variety in this part of Montana are prairie rattlers. Research suggests about 40 percent of their bites are “dry” and do not release significant amounts of venom, he said, but people should not make assumptions.

“Things are drying out and the snakes are starting to come out,” Wilson said. He has been a firefighter for 25 years and said this is the first rattlesnake bite to which he’s responded, but that the possibility of a bite is always there.

If enough venom is injected, there will be immediate swelling and pain. But, it can also take hours for other venom complications, such as neurological or clotting abnormalities, to become obvious.

“We want anyone who has been bitten by a snake, whether they think it is a rattlesnake or not, to come in,” he said.

Antivenin counteracts the effects of the venom. Both Billings hospitals have adequate supplies of the drug, which is called Cro-Fab. Antivenin is expensive, Angell said, and how much is needed depends on the bite and the reaction. He’s seen people who require two to three doses and those who require more than 20 vials.

Both Angell and Light also said snakes have their place in the world, including helping to control rodent populations.

“They are part of the food chain,” Angell said. “If you see a rattlesnake, they don’t want to bother you if you don’t bother them.”

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Former Sutter coach recovering from snakebite

Comments 2 | Recommend 4

June 01, 2009 02:32:00 PM

Appeal-Democrat

Former Sutter High School football coach Scott Turner is on the mend after being bitten by a rattlesnake at his home last week, a high school official said.

Superintendent-Principal Ryan Robison said Turner was bit Thursday and has been recovering since, but his prognosis is good.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation, but he should be OK,” Robison said.

A school official said Turner would come home today from Rideout Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for the bite.

Turner’s family and hospital officials would not comment or release any information Monday.

Turner stepped down as football coach after last season, capping a career that included five Northern Section championships and 10 Butte View League titles at Sutter.

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Six foot four versus barely a foot, and the snake wins the battle.

Snake bite sends Wharton student to ICU

News Channel 8 photo by INDIRA LEVINE

Jonathan Yokel was bitten on his finger by a pygmy rattlesnake Thursday in New Tampa.

By NATALIE SHEPHERD | News Channel 8

Published: May 29, 2009

Updated: 05/29/2009 05:11 pm

RELATED LINKS

• Rains rile up snakes

NEW TAMPA – A snake barely a foot long has sent a 6 feet, 4 inch Wharton High School basketball player to the intensive care unit.

Jonathan Yokel was playing basketball at the Arbor Greene development in New Tampa on Thursday night when the ball rolled into some nearby bushes. When he reached down to get it, a 14-inch pygmy rattlesnake bit his right hand, then slithered away.

“When I went to grab it out of the bushes, I felt the snake strike my finger,” Yokel said this afternoon from his bed at University Community Hospital. “I looked down, saw the two fang marks. “It was bleeding really bad.”

Though tiny, pygmy rattlesnakes can be deadly. Doctors already have given him 14 vials of antivenin and other medicine and expect he’ll need at least another four.

“It’s burning and stinging and throbbing,” Yokel said. “I mean, it’s crazy the kind of pain I’m in and it’s from one little reptile.”

Emergency workers who treated Yokel said snakes have been on the move because of the recent rains.

Yokel is still in the pediatric intensive care unit in fair condition. He might be discharged Sunday if there are no complications.

Dr. James Orlowski, chief of pediatrics at the hospital, said on a scale of 1 to 10, Yokel’s bite was a 7 in terms of seriousness. He said by the time Yokel got to the hospital, his finger was already swollen and discolored.

“You could tell by distance between the fangs that it was a mature snake and it had a lot of venom on board because of how rapidly things spread,” Orlowski said.

Orlowski said Yokel and his mother, Christine, did the right thing by recognizing the bite was from a venomous snake and immediately getting him to the hospital.

“He’d taken zoology and recognized just what type of snake it was and knew it was a venomous snake right away,” Orlowski said.

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Rattlesnake turns up in middle of downtown

Taft, Calif. -

Police and animal control officers are used to dealing with gopher snakes and other nonpoisonous reptiles from time to time.

Poisonous snakes are rare, at least in the populated areas.

But on Sunday a Taft Police officer had to deal with a rattlesnake right downtown.

The 20-inch snake was curled up next a tree right in front of Alpha House on the 200 block of Seventh St.

It was also right across the street from two churches and just a half a block away from a third.

Officer Kevin Altenhofel was sent to handle the problem.

He had no choice but the kill the snake because there was no way to safely handle it or transport it and it couldn’t be left in a populated and area right on a heavily traveled sidewalk.
 

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Be careful and don’t ever try to handle a rattlesnake – even the pros get bitten.

It’s Snake Season: Clarkdale snake catcher bitten by rattlesnake

CLARKDALE — Mother’s Day had been a really good day for Kevin and Katie Keller’s family of Clarkdale. Kevin wasn’t thinking about rattlesnakes. Sometimes he does because Kevin has a sideline business of catching them for other people. But Sunday afternoon he was simply adjusting a drip-head on an irrigation line next to a rose bush.

He didn’t feel anything. But he did notice a little blood on his ring finger. Then he noticed a couple of bite marks. He’d been struck! Without knowing the snake was there.

Within 10 minutes Katie had Kevin at Verde Valley Medical Center’s emergency room. In about an hour, the medical personnel had the anti-venom powder mixed with saline solution and flowing into Kevin.

With rattlesnake bites, Kevin has been told, “time is tissue.” He was being treated about as quickly as any rattlesnake bite victim could be. 

Even so …. “It was gut-wrenchingly painful,” Kevin said. “I was in the ER and got seven shots of morphine.”

Kevin said the excruciating pain lasted for about 12 hours. He said the medical staff at VVMC was awesome. “I started out in the ER, and they moved me to ICU for two days.” He said the pain was the worst part of the ordeal. “I had no sweats, no nausea, no hives, no nightmares.”

“One thing they were watching for was edema,” Katie said. If the swelling gets bad, it’s likely VVMC would fly Kevin to Phoenix. Katie said swelling could cause a snakebite victim to lose an arm or leg.

Wednesday morning Kevin was home. But he isn’t entirely out of the snakebite woods yet.

“For the next three weeks, he has to get his blood checked every 48 hours,” Katie said. 

She explained that Kevin is being watched for either a reaction to the anti-venom or — once the anti-venom leaves his system – for a reaction to the original snake venom. “He could have to go in for more anti-venom,” Katie said.

Robert Barth, director of Emergency Services for VVMC, said snakebite victims are sometimes transferred to Banner Poison Control Center in Phoenix if symptoms are serious. Initial treatment takes place at VVMC. In Kevin’s case, he was able to stay at VVMC.

The Kellers have lived in the Clarkdale foothills for three years. Rattlesnakes are common in the area. “The first year we were here, we had 17 rattlesnakes on this property,” Kevin said. The second year wasn’t as bad, but the Kellers saw the first rattlesnake this year in February. 

“All of our neighbors are getting them in their yards right now,” Kevin said. “Lately, I’ve been seeing 48- and 50-inch snakes.”

The one that got Kevin was small, only about 12-inches long. And contrary to popular belief, that little, hard-to-see snake didn’t rattle until after it bit Kevin.

Kevin catches snakes for his neighbors and for other local people. He has all of the safety equipment, a snake pole, boots and gloves. When he’s called to catch a snake, he doesn’t worry so much about being bitten. 

“I believe that at least 50 percent of the risk factor is just knowing they’re there,” he said. 

“I’ve got to be more careful,” Kevin said, “that’s what I learned.” But he doesn’t intend to quit catching snakes for a fee. That isn’t where the danger is. “If you go to remove a snake, nine times out of 10 you know where the snake is.”

Kevin warns that snakes are more aggressive in the spring and in the fall. He recommends keeping brush and junk cleared from property near a home. He and Katie are taking out all of their rose bushes and non-native landscaping. Kevin said the snakes love water, and irrigation systems tend to attract them.

He also warns that it is a myth that rattlesnakes always rattle before striking. His didn’t rattle until after Kevin was bitten. “Out of all the snakes I’ve seen and removed,” Kevin said, “only one of them rattled.”

Kevin’s “Snake Catcher” service can be reached at (949) 636-1841.

What to do after snakebite

Robert Barth, RN, MSN, and director of Emergency Services at Verde Valley Medical Center refers snakebite victims to a website at Banner Poison Control Center for information about what to do after being bitten by a poisonous snake. The control center is part of Banner Health in Phoenix. The site can be reached at www.bannerhealth.com. Go to Rattlesnake Bite Treatment. A few guidelines to help if you are bit: • Don’t panic: Stay as calm as possible. If bitten on the hand, remove all jewelry immediately before swelling begins. • Don’t apply ice to the bite site or immerse the bite in a bucket of ice. • Don’t use a constricting band/ cloth/ belt or tourniquet. Do not restrict blood flow in any manner. • Don’t cut the bite site or try to suck out the venom. Leave the bite site alone. • Don’t use electric shock or stun guns of any kind. • Don’t try to capture the snake to bring to the hospital. Time spent capturing a snake delays arrival at the emergency department, and may result in additional bites. Identification of the snake is not necessary for treatment. The physicians treat the symptoms as they occur and modify the anti-venom and treatment as needed. Treatment is not snake specific. Each year, more than 150 rattlesnake bites are reported to the Banner Poison Control Center.

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Scorpions to Snakes; Bites and Stings That Hurt the Most

New Scorpion Anti-Venom Shows Promise; Other Stings and Bites Show Nature’s Painful Side

By LAUREN CAHOON
ABC News Medical Unit

May 14, 2009—

 

Certain members of the animal kingdom have a talent for torture, as those of us who have been unlucky enough to experience it can attest.

The perpetrators of burning bites and painful stings are often minuscule. Take, for example, the bark scorpion. Usually measuring in at one to three inches in length, it is a critter that still packs a venomous sting. In children, the poison from a single sting can lead to irregular eye movements, involuntary thrashing of limbs, breathing difficulties and other symptoms.

Its sting made headlines today with the release of a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that an experimental anti-venom medication used in Mexico but not approved for use in the United States appears effective in helping children recover quickly.

Researchers at the University of Arizona looked at a total of 15 young children in the small study, all of whom were receiving treatment at a Tucson pediatric intensive-care unit after having been stung by a bark scorpion, which is common to the southwest United States. What they found was that the eight children who received the drug had their symptoms disappear within two hours. The seven children who did not receive the drug, however, suffered for more than four hours and needed sedation and hospitalization before recovering fully.

“This study told us that the dangerous effects of bark scorpion venom can be reversed quickly with the right anti-venom,” Dr. Leslie Boyer, principal investigator of the study and director of the Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology and Emergency Response Institute at The University of Arizona College of Medicine, said in a news release issued by the university. “One-hundred percent of the children who received it got better very quickly, meaning that using this anti-venom in the emergency room will make intensive care treatment unnecessary for most patients.”

Of course, not all bites and stings can be ameliorated with a well-timed dose of anti-venom, and some are even deadly. On the following pages are 10 more of the most excruciating stings and bites nature has to offer. Some are potentially fatal, some are not. All are absolutely worth avoiding.

 

Bullet Ant

These inch-long insects are named after their sting; the pain is likened to being shot. Most scientists claim the creature has the most excruciating sting of all insects.

“I have had some of the most painful experiences I’ve ever had from bullet ant stings,” said Randy Morgan, curator of invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians at the Cincinnati Zoo. “For two or three hours, it felt like people had just hauled off and whacked me with a baseball bat. It’s a deep, aching pain.”

The bullet ant sting scores highest on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, a rating created by entomologist Justin Schmidt, director of the Southwestern Biological Institute, which compares the ouch factors of different insects.

How does he know how much these insects’ stings hurt? He’s willingly endured each of them himself.

Schmidt’s rating gives a poetic description of the bullet ant’s sting: “Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch rusty nail in your heel.”

An indigenous tribe in the South America (the bullet ant’s home territory) requires their young men to pass a harrowing trial with bullet ants  the boys must wear special mitts that have been lined with hundreds of the angry insects. Not only must the youths endure the stinging treatment for 10 minutes at a time, they must repeat the process 20 times over again.

Luckily for them, as painful as the sting is, it does no permanent damage.

 

Box Jellyfish

These diaphanous sea creatures are the bane of tropical beaches. Considered to be one of the more dangerous critters in the animal kingdom, their tentacles contain extremely powerful venom that can kill humans.

Along with the poison comes extraordinary, burning pain. The creature’s tentacles discharge tiny needles into the victim’s skin; each needle contains a cocktail of pain-inducing ingredients that make it “the most painful sting. There is no question about it,” according to Dr. Joseph Burnett, past chairman of dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “The bullet ant is nothing compared to this.”

What makes the animal so painfully effective are the 10-foot-long, stinging tentacles. Unfortunate swimmers can become draped and entangled in these drifting strands, and the intense doses of venom can induce shock and eventual drowning.

While it may seem like nothing but an instrument of torture, “the box jelly didn’t develop its horrible toxic venom just to torture people at the beach,” said Don Boyer, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the San Diego Zoo. The jellyfish requires its powerful poison to catch and eat its preferred prey, shrimp. Since a struggling shrimp can easily damage the delicate creature, the jellies need to kill their meal as quickly as possible.

 

Rattlesnakes and Their Relations

If there’s a family of snakes you don’t want to anger, it would be the vipers.

While these snakes don’t always have the most deadly bites, they have the most painful ones.

Van Wallach of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology has had several viper bites; the worst one, he said, “came from an African bush viper. It felt like somebody had a blowtorch and was burning you inside your arm. & It went on for three straight days before I had any relief.”

Kelly Zamudio, a biologist at Cornell University, described a similar sensation when she was bitten by another member of the viper family  the rattlesnake.

“It feels like burning, like you’re being branded, but the brand never lifts,” she said.

The key to the excruciating pain of the viper’s bite is its tissue-destroying venom, which dissolves cell walls and causes internal bleeding. As the venom works its way through the body, so does the pain.

Vipers’ tissue-eating venom isn’t designed to hurt humans, but rather, to get a jump on digesting their food. When the snake strikes a rodent, bird or another type of prey, the toxins work quickly to help breaking down the tissue and get the meal ready for eating.

 

Stingrays

Although these animals gained a bad rep after the tragic Steve Irwin incident, stingrays are not aggressive or (usually) lethal animals. However, they have a sting, and on the rare occasion they choose to use it, “it’s very excruciating,” said Edward DeMartini, a research biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries.

When these gentle animals are stepped on or threatened, they will strike out with a sharp, serrated barb  about the thickness of a golf pencil  located at the base of the tail.

“The physical wound can be pretty intense,” said Jon Hoech, director of husbandry operations at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. “It’s extremely painful, like getting punctured with an eight-penny nail. Also, it’s like a cat scratch, it can carry a lot of bacteria.”

On top of the sizeable puncture wound comes a dose of toxins that cause instantaneous pain.

Stingrays only use their venomous barbs as a defense, not for hunting or attacking. As many marine biologists, scuba divers and snorkelers know, the animals are the ocean’s pussycats.

“I work with rays on a regular basis,” said Hoech. “I swim with them, I feed them by hand, and they’re very benign.” Just be sure to look where you step.

 

Scorpions

There are thousands of scorpion species, all of them equipped with stings. Many species’ stings aren’t much worse than a bee or hornet; but a select few can be a serious source of suffering.

“There are scorpions in the Old World that have extremely painful stings,” said Don Boyer. “It gets worse and worse and worse.”

These types of scorpions  found in Africa and Asia  can be dangerous as well as painful. However, in the Southwestern United States, the Arizona Bark Scorpion doesn’t pose much of a threat to healthy adults. It just means extreme pain.

“If you’re an adult and you get the poison in your finger, it just stays, and fires your pain nerve,” said Dr. Leslie Boyer  no relation to Don Boyer. “It locks the nerve in the on position.”

Leslie Boyer, who is medical director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, said that the tiny sting will “send shooting sensations up your arm.” If you’re clumsy enough to tap or bump that finger on anything, the pain instantly amplifies.

“You just give it a tap and you’re screaming in pain,” said Leslie Boyer. “Just that one little spot hurts like heck, it radiates up to your arm pit with this throbbing pain  but there’s nothing to see.”

Boyer says that since her practice sees so many painful stings and bites, “I tend to give out morphine like it’s candy.”

 

Spitting Cobra

While this reptile has a poisonous bite, it doesn’t actually induce much pain. Sure, it stops you from breathing, but for the venom to really make you scream, it needs to get into your eyes.

Spitting cobras have perfected the art of defense by shooting venom into an attacker’s eyes, which creates a blinding, burning pain. Like many other pain-inducing animals, the reason for the agony is to keep attackers away, rather than to stage an offensive.

Van Wallach was unfortunate enough to get the spitting treatment from a cobra in the Philippines.

“It is excruciating,” he said. “The only way I could relieve it was to pour milk into my eye about every 15 minutes. I was blind for about four to six hours.”

The cobra’s venom contains a mix of nerve poisons, tissue-destroying chemicals and other nasty compounds designed to elicit severe stinging. In worst case scenarios, it can lead to permanent blindness.

Should you ever encounter a spitting cobra  which is unlikely as they are fairly rare  make sure to keep a good 10-foot distance away from it. Their venom can shoot about four to eight feet.

 

Tarantula Hawk Wasp

This colorful, solitary wasp uses its stinging power to paralyze large tarantulas as food for its young. While the insect is not aggressive and rarely stings humans  “you really have to force them to sting you,” said Leslie Boyer  the experience is fabled to be one of the top most painful stings out there.

According to sting expert Schmidt, the tarantula hawk rates just below the agonizing bullet ant.

“When that one when it hits you, it almost feels like you’ve been hit by a lightning bolt,” said Schmidt. “You’ll be screaming and writhing in agony. & It feels like every gland in your body is purged of all its hormones, you’ll feel absolutely drained from the experience.”

Unlike other animals on this Top 10 list, the tarantula hawk’s venom is not for defense, but for paralyzing its much larger prey, tarantulas. The mother wasp lays a single egg on the comatose spider, dooming it to a horrific death. The egg hatches into a hungry larva, which then literally eats the tarantula alive, using it as a food source as it grows.

 

Stonefish

In terms of a perfect combo of pain and lethality, the homely stonefish’s sting may take first prize.

The stonefish, found in the rocky, shallow waters of tropical oceans, has several extremely sharp spines along its back. Hapless waders can easily mistake the well-camouflaged fish for a rock or hunk of coral  and if they step on the animal, the spines will puncture the skin and inject a complex and deadly venom.

The pain from the sting is described as instant and intense. One victim described the experience on an online aquarium enthusiasts’ forum:

“I got spiked on the finger by a stonefish in Australia & never mind a bee sting. & Imagine having each knuckle, then the wrist, elbow and shoulder being hit in turn with a sledgehammer over the course of about an hour. Then about an hour later imagine taking a real kicking to both kidneys for about 45 minutes so that you couldn’t stand or straighten up. I was late 20s, pretty fit physically and this was the tiniest of nicks. Got sensation back in my finger after a few days but had recurrent kidney pains periodically for several years afterwards.”

Other stories describe sting victims wanting to have their stung limb amputated from their body.

Hoech of the Monterey Bay Aquarium has worked closely with the stonefish, and he agreed that the animal “is definitely at the top of the list” of the most pain-producing creatures.

 

Black Widow Spider

“I never want a bad black widow bite,” said Leslie Boyer, referring to the poisonous spider found all over the southern United States.

Although 95 percent of the spiders’ bites are trivial, if you’re unlucky enough to get nipped by a large, healthy black widow where your skin is thin, the experience can be excruciating.

Leslie Boyer described the time when a rural doctor called her up about an athletic 20-something man who had been bitten.

“The patient had looked at him and said ‘It hurts too much to breathe,’ and then he just stopped,” she said. “To be awake enough to say that, and then willingly stop breathing  that’s got to be intense pain.”

The black widow bite doesn’t hurt initially, as the fangs are small. But an hour and a half later, the venom, which contains a toxic ingredient that interacts with the body’s muscles, causes extreme cramping throughout the body.

“Imagine every muscle in a spasm at the same time, and they won’t relax for days,” said Leslie Boyer.

But people shouldn’t revile the black widow, she stressed. “I have them on my porch and in my house,” she said. “They never leave their webs, you always know where they are  they’re better than a bug zapper.”

 

Gila Monster

This slow-moving lizard from the Southwest United States packs a surprisingly painful bite.

Cecil Schwalbe, ecologist with the U.S. geological survey, was bit by a Gila monster while handling one in an outreach demonstration in front of 200 people. He lists it as the most painful bite in his experience.

“My finger was on fire, the wave of fire moved slowly up my body,” Schwalbe said. Within five minutes I turned pasty green and went into shock. & I had pain in my kidneys, blood in my urine. & All of my sphincters in my body were trying to relax. It was on my finger for two minutes and it bit me five times  every bite went right to the bone.”

The reasons for the pain are twofold. First, the Gila monster has very sharp teeth, each about a quarter of an inch long. When the animal bites, it chomps down hard  and doesn’t let go. Stories are told of bite victims rushing to the hospital with the lizard still attached.

Second, Gila monsters are equipped with specialized venom, full of compounds that break down collagen and vein membranes, a cocktail that is “built to cause inflammation, and just cause pain  it’s all about pain,” said Beck. On top of the pain, the venom’s chemicals cause sweating, diarrhea, vomiting and a drop in blood pressure.

The goal of all this misery is to make predators and enemies stay away. The slow-moving Gila monster can become easy prey, and it relies on its knack for a nasty bite to defend itself.

While the Gila monster’s venom might have caused misery in a few people, it has ended up helping many others; it’s now the source of a new drug, called Byetta, which treats type Type II Diabetes. Researchers believe that this drug is just scratching the surface of the potential that venomous species have  each creature in this list produces complex, potentially lifesaving compounds.

Something to keep in mind next time you curse the existence of that pesky bee or sneaky snake.

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Watch Your Step, It’s Rattlesnake Season

Things are warming up and that means rattlesnakes are coming out of hibernation, and these creatures will bite if provoked. But San Diegans can take precautions if bitten.

Rattlesnakes love to play hide and seek in bushes. However, they can’t hear you coming, but you can hear them and that’s why you need to be careful.

You’ve got to watch your step, especially when you’re hiking near bushes and rocks, because rattlesnakes are ready to strike. This is a warning from the Senior Reptile Keeper at the San Diego Zoo, Brandon Scott.

Here are some fascinating facts about rattlesnake season.

Most bites occur between April and October and the greatest number of bites happen in May.

The California Poison Control System says there were 41 rattlesnake bites in San Diego County in 2008.

To prevent snakebites, herpetologists say to keep your children and pets close to you on walks and hikes. 
Wear boots or other closed toed shoes and don’t under any circumstances pick up a snake – even if it looks like its dead.

A couple of other snake bite don’ts:

Do not apply a tourniquet, do not try to put heat or ice on the wound and do not give the victim alcohol, coffee or any medication.

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Never mess with the snake. Just move out of the area. This man should not have been trying to shoo it away. Especially with his hand.

Man Bitten by Rattlesnake at SoCal Cemetery

KTLA News

12:36 PM PDT, May 8, 2009

ALDWIN PARK — A 40 year old man is hospitalized in serious condition after being bitten by a rattlesnake at a Southland cemetery, according to officials.

Dean Maddox was visiting a gravesite at Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary in Whittier Thursday afternoon when he and his family noticed a snake in the grass.

Maddox tried to protect his family from the snake by scaring the creature away. But, that’s when the snake bit him on the hand.

Maddox immediately began to experience symptoms of a snake bite.

His wife called 911 and he was rushed to near-by Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital.

From there, Maddox was transferred to Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Baldwin Park for treatment.

Doctors say Maddox is being treated with anti-venom. His wife, Patty, says her husband is in a “fight for his life”.

The couple has a son in Iraq. Doctors told her to find a way to get him home so he could be with his father.

She says she had no idea a snake bite could be so serious.

Experts say rattlesnake sightings rise dramatically in the hot weather and warn everyone to stay far away if you see one.

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Experts: Utah rattlesnake danger high

Rattlesnake Information (519.7KB)

Related Links How to handle snake bites SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – In the next two weeks, Great Basin Rattlesnakes will be coming out of hibernation and they will be hungry, agitated and on the move.  Finding them on hiking, and bike trails, and even in your own backyard is not uncommon.  The snakes are common in canyons and on our benches. That means you need to think twice about where you step and put your hands.  It’s a sound that instills fear the warning that a rattlesnake is about to strike. In Utah we have seven venomous snakes. The most common is the Great Basin Rattlesnake. In the next couple of weeks they will show up by the hundreds. “Make sure that you are aware of where you are walking and that it is open space. Stay out of the bushes, the sage brush, and rocks, retaining walls, stuff like that because they bask on those areas and have dens in certain areas like that,” said James Dix, founder of Reptile Rescue. Dix is the founder of reptile rescue. He teaches Utahns snake safety. He said this time of year is especially dangerous because snakes are hungry, irritable and mating.  “During mating time females come out, and you have six or seven males or more behind you if you encounter a snake in front of you. You don’t want to take off running,” he said.  Instead, stay still. There are some rattlesnakes that will strike without warning. Within three weeks baby snakes from last season will also be out of hibernation and they don’t have rattlers. “They will have a little black button on them. They cannot warn you but it will be the only snake that looks like its got a little glass bead on the end of its tail,” he said.  He said baby rattlesnakes are potentially more dangerous than larger ones. He said adult snakes only release venom 75 percent of the time. “Babies its one-hundred percent inventation. You get bit by a baby, it doesn’t save its venom for its prey. It doesn’t know any better. It will invenomate you every time it strikes, and they can do that several times,” he said.  If a snake bites you, regardless of it’s size, get help immediately.  If you need help removing snakes or other reptiles from your property, you can call James Dix with the Reptile Rescue Service at (801) 860-2497.

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Snake season approaches
Posted: May 6, 2009 04:03 PM

Updated: May 6, 2009 04:52 PM

 

By Adam Hooper - bio | email

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) – It is beginning to feel more and more like summer every day. But with the warmer weather comes the start of snake season. More often than not people try and avoid those slithering serpents, but it is important to note snakes are a vital part of our ecosystem. They feed off of rodents and insects.

But it is never a bad idea to be safe by steering clear of venomous snakes. In Louisiana there are six, the Diamond Back Rattle snake, found in eastern Louisiana, the Coral snake, the Canebreak snake, the Cotton Mouth snake, the Pigmy Rattler, and the Copper Head.

“All poisonous snakes have slits for eyes, cat eyes. They also have vents in the front of their head, where the venom is stored,” said John Robinette, with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

An old tire is a perfect example of where you might find a snake looking for food, like rodents and bugs, but snakes are not limited to these areas. You can find them anywhere, from your front yard, to the inside of your home.

“They like dense areas. Pretty much where you think a snake would be. High grass, firewood, trashy areas,” said Robinette.

But, if one does find its way into your home, Calcasieu Parish Animal Services says not to remove it yourself.

“If a snake does get into your home or on your porch just call us. We will come out and remove the snake,” said Rita Cavenaugh, with Calcasieu Parish Animal Services.

But snakes are not mean like you may think. They are just as scared of us as many of us are of them.

“Snakes do not want to bite. They would rather get away. They will not usually bite unless you put them in a position to bite,” said Robinette.

 

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Staying safe: Valley hospitals see spike in snake bites

Patrick Hotchkiss spent his second night in the hospital Monday night.  He was flown by helicopter to Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center after being bitten by a rattlesnake on Sunday afternoon.  “It was like a couple pieces of glass stabbed into you and snapped off. It was very clean and sharp,” said Hotchkiss.  Doctors at the hospital said they’ve seen eight snakebites in the past week. Four happened over the weekend.  “Number wise, Arizona is probably has the most poisonous snakes compared to any other states,” said Dr. Michael Levine. Bites can be deadly but it’s rare.  Symptoms often include significant swelling, immediate pain that intensifies over time, and venom from a bite can lead to other complications.  “It affects your blood and makes you bleed a lot more and really makes your blood a little too think and effects the ability to form blood clots,” said Levine.  Levine said a lot of snakebites happen when someone teases or tries to pickup a snake.  He encourages people to avoid snakes or walking around them.  Levine said anyone bitten by a snake should avoid wrapping or putting a bandage on the bite.  He also discourages anyone from sucking or trying to cut out the venom.  Instead, Levine said anyone bitten should leave the bite alone and call for help immediately.

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How to handle a rattlesnake bite

May 6, 7:49 AM

Rattlesnakes are plentiful along the Front Range. Make sure you know what to do if one happens to get the best of you.  Photo: Colorado Division of Wildlife

Most anyone that has ever been outside for much time has had the thought: What do I do if I get bit by a rattlesnake? One scenario flashes in the mind. It is a scene straight out of any western movie or adventure film: kill the snake, get something tightly wrapped around the arm or leg, just above the bite, cut open the wound with a knife and suck out the poison, making sure to spit and not swallow.

That is not exactly the best way to handle a snake bite. M Cerato and W.F. Andelt, both with the Colorado State University Extension, propose a simpler and safer alternative. They say that “the most useful snakebite first aid kit is car keys and coins for calling the hospital.” In other words, seek medical attention quickly.

Here are more guidlines from Cerato and Andelt:

1. Remain calm so as not to increase circulation and thus the spread of the venom.
2. Immediately remove anything from the body that may cause increased swelling below the bite area (i.e., rings, watch, shoes, tight clothing, etc.)
3. If possible, wash the wound with soap and water. If available, a Sawyer Extractor Pump may be used to remove some of the venom. Be familiar with the procedure and instructions before you need to use it. 
4. Immobilize the bite area, keeping it in a neutral to below the heart position.
5. Get to the hospital immediately. Do not wait for the pain to get severe. The use of approved antivenom is the most effective treatment for envenomation. If possible, have another person drive, and call ahead to the hospital and the poison center.

And here’s what not to do:

• Do not use a tourniquet.
• Do not make an incision at the bite site.
• Do not suck out the venom with your mouth as this may increase the risk of infection.
• Do not pack the limb in ice.

For more from Cerato and Andelt, read their rattlesnake information page, Coping with snakes.

The plain fact is that hiking around the Front Range for any amount of time in the summer could mean an encounter with a rattlesnake. Knowing what they look like and sound like will go a long ways in preventing a bite. If you do happen to hear a snake, don’t start running. Look around calmly and slowly. When you have spotted the snake, don’t panic. In most cases, and given any chance, the snake will move out. The last thing a snake wants is a confrontation with a human.