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.

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.

TAMPA – Growing up in Tampa, Mike Hendershot thought he knew snakes. He's even been bitten by non-poisonous ones a couple of times.

So Sunday night when he and his friends saw a foot and a half long snake under their car, Mike thought it was harmless.

“I've messed with snakes before. I saw this one, it looked like a garden snake to me. I just tried to, I was messing around. I tried to grab it,” he said.

But the snake turned its head, striking him. Its fangs pierced Mike's middle finger on his right hand.'

“It was as if someone hit me with a hammer on the finger. And then a needle. It was just a stinging, numbing pain,” he recalled, from his hospital room at University Community Hospital, in Tampa.

The 22-year-old recent FSU grad said he and his friends went on the internet and saw a picture of the snake. It turned out it was a water moccasin, a highly venomous snake.

Mike's friends rushed him to UCH, where he received 12 vials of anti-venin.

Hospital staff have had a lot of experience in venomous snake bites.

Last year, UCH treated the most poisonous snake bites than any other hospital in the country, with 15.

Jim Maister, a clinical pharmacist with UCH, said this is the season for snakes.

“Yes, it is the season. Summertime. They are cold-blooded animals, so they do need to warm themselves in the sun. It's one of those things, we have to be careful and we have to respect their environment too,” Maister said.

He's particularly worried right now too.

“Because this week, next week, all the kids get out of school. And there are lots of areas that are under construction. Areas that are plowed out or mowed over. These animals need some place to go, so they are going to end up in your garage, under your car,” Maister said.

Maister also says we all need to respect these animal's environment, and Mike Hendershot agrees. He admits it wasn't as easy as he thought to detect the differences between the poisonous snakes and the harmless ones.

“Don't grab them, that's for sure. Just don't even get around them,” Hendershot warned.

via Poisonous snakebite sends man to ER.

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

Everyone is accusing the lady of lying. It would be sad if she were telling the truth. (But she probably isn’t.)

Video: Woman Bitten By Cobra Bags Snake, Takes To Docs

Woman Bitten By Cobra Bags Snake, Takes To Docs

Woman Says She Was Bitten In Baltimore County Parking Lot

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — A woman told authorities she was bitten by a poisonous cobra on Sunday in a Baltimore County parking lot.

Baltimore City Animal Control recovered the snake on Sunday, but where it came from has yet to be determined.

Authorities told 11 News the woman walked into a White March Patient First location with a snake bite — as well as the snake that bit her. She had stuffed it into a bag.

“What the patient told our medic crews is that she was in the parking lot of a local shopping center when she saw what she thought was a stick on the ground. She bent down to pick up the stick when it bit her. It turned out to be a snake,” said Baltimore County Fire Department spokeswoman Elise Armacost.

The snake turned out to be a venomous Asian cobra known as a monacle cobra.

Armacost said Patient First called 911.

“The staff at Patient First said that they had put the snake in a trash can and wanted to know what to do with it,” Armacost said.

She said as the patient was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, her team launched a search for the antivenom, first calling Falls Road Animal Hospital.

“If we’re going to use something this dangerous in a human, it has to be for human use only, and it can’t be out of date,” said veterinarian Dr. Kim Hammond, who has extensive experience with venomous snakes.

“In this temperature, there’s no cobra out there running wild. It would be frozen. It’s not just unlikely — it’s impossible.” - Dr. Kim Hammond, Falls Road Animal Hospital

Falls Road Animal Hospital played a key role in locating the antivenom, which was ultimately flown in from Philadelphia.

“There are so many different species of venomous animals that you have to — in order to get the correct antivenom — have the exact species. You have to know what antivenom to use, because the antivenom is toxic by itself,” Hammond said.

While the woman said she stepped on the cobra in a parking lot, the Maryland Poison Center said it’s not a public health issue and that they’re confident there are no cobras running wild in Baltimore.

Animal experts said that in January, that’s not even possible.

“In this temperature, there’s no cobra out there running wild. It would be frozen. It’s not just unlikely — it’s impossible,” Hammond said.

He said keeping a cobra as a pet is “stupid” and dangerous. It’s also illegal in Maryland.

Department of Natural Resources Police took the snake to the Catoctin Zoo in Thurmont. Officials said the cobra was clearly a captive snake and used to being hooked and handled and around humans.

It’s being quarantined for a few months in case it has a virus, and then it will join the rest of the collection, zoo officials said.

Link

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.

Link

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.

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Rattlesnakes Bite 4 Over Weekend

Cara Liu
Reporter, KPHO.com

PHOENIX – Banner Poison Control Center treated four patients this past weekend for rattlesnake bites. There have been eight victims in the past week.

 

Experts said that means this is the time to take precautions; snakes are particularly active when daytime temperatures remain above 82 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Patrick Hotchkiss of Quartzsite, AZ was one of the victims. He had just stepped off his porch Sunday afternoon when he was struck. 

“I felt two sharp things, sort of akin to piece of broken glass that snaps off,” said Patrick Hotchkiss, from his hospital bed at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital.

Hotchkiss said this particular snake was about 2-and-a-half feet long and did not rattle prior to striking.

 

“I should’ve been more vigilant. Usually I am,” said Hotchkiss. 

The snake bit him on the right heel. His ankle swelled to twice its normal size. He’s in some pain, but doctors say he’ll recover. 

Some of the other victims were gardening or hiking. One child was playing in a yard. 

But others got closer than they should have. 

Doctors said one man was bitten on the hand after trying to pet a snake. They said the man had been drinking prior to the incident. 

“We’ve seen several people who’ve tried petting the snakes, and even on occasion people trying to kiss the snake. Any of those things usually result in the patient getting bitten,” said Dr. Michael Levine, a toxicologist at Banner Poison Control Center. 

Doctors said it’s important to call for help or get to a hospital after a rattlesnake bite. 

“Typically the snake’s envenomation can cause a lot of muscle problems and can cause a lot of bleeding problems,” said Dr. Levine. 

Doctors also want to dispel some common myths surrounding rattlesnake bites. 

They said do not use a tourniquet to restrict blood flow. Do not cut the bite site or try to suction out the venom. Also, do not try to capture the snake and bring it to the hospital. Identification of the snake is not necessary for treatment.

Link

Rattlers emerging from their winter hibernation

By LIZETH CAZARES

Created: 04/29/2009 02:32:37 AM PDT

 

Rattle snakes are becoming common sights this time of year in the Capay Valley. (Coutesy)

It’s rattlesnake season, and veterinarians at the Woodland Veterinary Hospital are already dealing with the consequences. 

Dr. Keith Robe said in the past couple of weeks, the hospital has taken care of two dogs from Capay Valley who came in with rattlesnake bites. They have also had reports that a yearling young horse in Winters was bitten in the nose.

 

“Unfortunately, when snakes come to inhabited areas any curious animals are at risk of getting bitten,” said Dr. Ellie Johnson, another veterinarian at the hospital.

 

It’s common to have these types of calls around this time of year, said Robe, and the hospital is obtaining antivenin for the months to come.

 

“We’re stocking up on that in preparation,” Robe said.

 

Last year, the California Poison Control System received 239 calls from people bitten by rattlesnakes throughout California, said executive director Stewart Heard. The CPCS also tends to see a spike of calls in the beginning of the season.

 

“It is an issue, so it’s a good time to remind people,” he said. “They’re in a lot of places, particularly the foothills.”

 

Yolo County Animal Services also gets its fair share of calls concerning rattlesnakes, said Chief Animal Service Officer Vicky Fletcher.

 

So far the department hasn’t received any, but since rattlesnake season starts in April and continues until the cold months officers won’t be surprised if they do.

 

“This is the time of year when rattle snakes start coming out of hibernation,” Fletcher said.

 

She said the warm weather causes female and baby rattlesnakes to come out of the ground. While they tend to stay near rocky areas and bodies of water, sometimes they find their way into trucks and get carried around the area.

 

“We’ve seen them in the city and found them in the darndest places,” she said.

 

Elizabeth Campbell, executive director for the Capay Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, said she hasn’t seen any rattlesnakes on her property yet, but already sees the signs of rattlesnake season.

 

On Tuesday, she said she saw two dead snakes on the side of the County Road 16.

 

“Some people think it’s an infestation,” she said. “But it’s just normal for this time of the year.”

 

There are several things residents can do to protect themselves throughout rattlesnake season.

 

Fletcher advises that if someone sees a rattlesnake to back off.

 

“Leave it alone and bring in your pets,” she said. “Usually, it will go along on its merry way.”

 

People can then call Animal Services or any of the local removal companies found in the yellow pages.

 

Fletcher also reminds the public that if they see one baby rattlesnake they need to be careful since they’re usually found in groups. Baby rattlesnakes tend to be especially dangerous since they so can’t control the amount of venom they release.

 

Dr. Robe advises people who have pets to take extra precautions as well.

 

“First of all, make sure that pets in areas where snake are prevalent are kept on leashes and not let them run off on their own,” he said.

 

There is also a vaccine dogs can receive which will help protect them from dying of rattlesnake bites, but even then he recommends that they are brought in for emergency care.

 

Fletcher just reminds people to be careful during this time of the year, especially if they live in areas where rattlesnakes might be found.

 

“If you live in that kind of terrain you just have to be careful and watch out for them,” she said.