copperhead bite ...

motdaugrnds · #1 08/17/13, 08:32 AM

I'm feeling a bit anxious as David just brought in what looked like a 3' long copperhead. (Oh yes, it was definately that copper colored headed copperhead and not a look-alike.) David was holding it just below its head, its mouth was open and it was alive. He had just caught it in the barn. It was pregnant. (He took it outdoors, cut off its head and I watched as David squeezed eight...yes 8..."live" baby snakes out of it. It was apparent she was about to give birth as 3 were already out of the sack.)

In doing some research I know it is a social snake and will den with black rat snakes, which we do have here.

The concensus of what I read was, when bitten, rush to the hospital. I'm wondering if there is any home remedies that can be done should either David, myself, a goat, a chicken or a dog be bitten. Can any of you speak to this?

Also, I found "Sentinel Snake Q Repeller" that is purported to run off these snakes (and all other snakes); that it is solar powered and works 24/7 even on cloudy days; that each comes with AA rechargeable batteries and has an inbuilt battery charger; and that all should beware of "inferior imitations of older models". This was found at http://www.stop-snakes.com/ selling for $80 each and each covers a diameter of 140 ft. Has anyone experience with these?

Travis in Louisiana · #2 08/17/13, 08:43 AM

I recall, being told to lower the bitten part below the heart, ice down, and tie a string on the heart side of the bite. Then ROLL to the hospital, QUICK, QUICK, QUICK!!

I HAD TO EDIT THE LOWERING THE BITTEN PART!

Alice In TX/MO · #3 08/17/13, 09:03 AM

From: http://www.srel.edu/outreach/factsheet/snake-4.htm

The DONT's
Do not eat or drink anything, including alcoholic beverages or medicine.
Do not run or engage in strenuous physical activity.
Do not cut into or incise bite marks with a blade.
Do not apply a constrictive tourniquet.
Do not use a stun gun or other electrical shock.
Do not freeze or apply extreme cold to the area of the bite.

The DO's
Try to stay calm!
Keep the bitten body part below heart level and remove rings, watches, and tight clothing.
Try to identify the offending snake if you can do so easily without putting yourself at risk or wasting valuable time.
Get to the nearest hospital or emergency medical facility immediately.

RebelDigger · #4 08/17/13, 12:25 PM

When I was about 12, Grandma and I were out in the pasture checking on her milk cow Valentine who was about to give birth. Grandma killed snakes by picking them up by the tail and popping them like a whip. Well, that day the copperhead was quicker than her and bit her on the hand. I was freaking, started running back to the house to call my Dad to come take her to the hospital but, she stopped me. She said she did not need a doctor. She was sucking the wound the whole walk back to the house and spitting the blood and venom out, then she put some of her "white liniment" (she used that stuff for everything) on it and wrapped it up in a clean handkerchief. By the time Dad came to pick me up several hours later, it was only swelled a little bit, he did insist on taking her to the doctor though. The doctor looked at it, asked what she did for it, advised continuing the same, put a clean bandage on it and sent her home. Of course, Grandma was a gritty, old school country woman. I on the other hand would have to be put in intensive care for the heart attack I would suffer.

Wolfy-hound · #5 08/17/13, 02:21 PM

Not all snakes inject venom in every bite. Many stories of recovery without issue may be from having a "dry bite" or a bite that injected little to no venom.

You can 'wait and see' if the wound swells(depending on type of venom) but you are risking death, paralysis or loss of flesh by doing so. Antivenin works directly against what the venom does and that's what a hospital gives(CroFab being most common in the US).

I know people who have been bitten by venomous snakes and lived just fine with little reaction. I've also seen people bitten that had major life-threatening issues despite fast care at a ER. People can also have a mild reaction to a non-venomous snake bite(think like a allergic reaction to anything) and therefor believe a venomous snake bit them. Or people's treatment of a non-venomous snakebite can make things worse too.

Safest bet is treatment with antivenin.

For livestock, my neighbor used to have horses bitten all the time by snakes and she rarely bothered to get the vet out unless it got infected looking. The horses or cows or pig were always fine(except one cow that got bit on the face).

goatlady · #6 08/17/13, 02:24 PM

BTDT - got hit twice on my ankle. Went to the hospital, biggest waste of $$ and time. All they do is keep measuring the swelling creep by marking the limb with black magic marker, give pain meds and hydration. Kept me a whole 23 hours and sent me home not able to walk for 2 weeks! Took that long for the swelling from my ankle to mid thigh to finally subside. Cold towels wrapped around the leg was the best help. I can scarf pain meds at home and stay hydrated, no need to pay over $4000 for something I can do at home. When my cat got bitten, the vet just gave an antibiotic shot, some prednisone and said not to worry. The cat's swelling was gone in 24 hours. BTW, copperhead venom is hemotoxic - it kills red blood cells - you become anemic so plan to beef up the blood system with high iron foods.

soulsurvivor · #7 08/17/13, 02:32 PM

We lived smack dab in the middle of snake knobs and daddy always kept beagles in pairs. He liked to hear them run coons and I think he used them to keep the snakes drained of venom. Them dogs would come in with their noses all swelled up to their eyes looking like pugs. None of them ever died from a snake bite though.

unregistered41671 · #8 08/17/13, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulsurvivor

We lived smack dab in the middle of snake knobs and daddy always kept beagles in pairs. He liked to hear them run coons and I think he used them to keep the snakes drained of venom. Them dogs would come in with their noses all swelled up to their eyes looking like pugs. None of them ever died from a snake bite though.

Yep, I spent many years with cow dogs on the S FLA swamps and prairies. Have seen many get bitten by Eastern Diamondbacks and Moccasins. They really swelled up but never lost a dog to snakebite. I have read that snakebite does kill some dogs. Now a days, to be on the safe side, I would probably carry mine to the vet if he got a bad bite.

Ravenlost · #9 08/17/13, 07:03 PM

Our dog Maggie got bit by a copperhead last week...second time this summer. We didn't carry her to the vet. Instead, we gave her Benadryl and watched her breathing and reaction. Since she never had any breathing issues from the swelling (boy, did she swell...got bit on the lip) and seemed fine, other than being drowsy from Benadryl) we didn't take her in. We keep antibiotics on hand for the dogs and gave them to her until the bite healed.

Moccasin bites are a different story. We almost lost a dog to a moccasin bite. He ended up at the vet's for a week and had 24 hour care. Vet said it must have been a huge moccasin and it pumped poor Huck full of venom. He swelled so much it was compressing his heart. So, we always take in dogs that get bit by moccasins.

patty12 · #10 08/17/13, 08:21 PM

don't think for a minute a copper head snake bite isn't poison. I have heard the stories someone gets bite and not getting ill. sometimes if a snake bites some thing and then bites some thing else the snake has not had time to make more poison so they are the snake bites that didn't amount to much watch out you might be the bite of the week.

NamasteMama · #11 08/17/13, 10:09 PM

Ok Im no snake expert, but I though snakes laid eggs? Am I wrong? Could some one explain to me?

patty12 · #12 08/17/13, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NamasteMama

Ok Im no snake expert, but I though snakes laid eggs? Am I wrong? Could some one explain to me?

some snakes lay eggs while others give birth to young. depends on the type of snake.

NamasteMama · #13 08/18/13, 12:08 AM

Ahh thanks. My Biology guru DH wasn't at home and I couldn't wrap my head around it, LOL!

vicker · #14 08/18/13, 12:08 AM

The correct tourniquet only constricts the lymph vessels, or only tight enough to slightly dent the surface. I once too one of our Brittanies on a dove shoot, she was a good retriever, but disappeared for some time. She returned after I had been calling her for some time, and had been bitten by a large timber rattler. She actually had a fang puncture near each ear, and lost hair under her chin from the snake's bottom jaw. I noticed the swelling and fang marks and rushed her to the vet. By the time I got to the vet it had probably been about an hour since she had been bitten and she had a large swollen "bulb on the top of her head. The vet simply squeezed that bulb until all the black, nasty looking stuff came out, and sent me home with her. Her head grew to an enormous size, and she was one sick dog, but after a few days it started to go down and she recovered fully. Some snake bites cause severe and traumatic tissue death, and gangrene is a serious threat. Others can cause severe nerve damage. Myself, if I'm ever bit I will go to the doctor. I'm not so afraid that I may die of the bite, but the complications can be very nasty.

Ozarks Tom · #15 08/18/13, 06:18 AM

If your dog is bitten on the head, take it's collar off! The swelling will choke it to death. In my experience with copperhead bites the swelling is nearly gone in 24 hours, and completely gone the next day.

motdaugrnds · #16 08/18/13, 06:19 AM

Thank you all. This is a frightening situation for me now. I know it doesn't bother David; but his catching it sent my nerves to reeling!

Also, no one has responded to my inquiry about the gadget you place in the ground:

I found "Sentinel Snake Q Repeller" that is purported to run off these snakes (and all other snakes); that it is solar powered and works 24/7 even on cloudy days; that each comes with AA rechargeable batteries and has an inbuilt battery charger; and that all should beware of "inferior imitations of older models". This was found at http://www.stop-snakes.com/ selling for $80 each and each covers a diameter of 140 ft.

Has anyone had experiences with these? That is a lot of money to spend if they don't even work....but if they do....well worth it for peace of mind.

JoePa · #17 08/18/13, 08:48 AM

I know there are people who get upset when you tell them that you killed a poisonous snake - but let me tell you something - these snakes are dangerous to people and should be killed - sure they eat some rodents but the harm that they can cause far outweighs that good - just like mosquitoes, ticks and other things - they are no good and should be eliminated - just keep a couple in a zoo so that people can see what they look like -

wannabechef · #18 08/18/13, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoePa

I know there are people who get upset when you tell them that you killed a poisonous snake - but let me tell you something - these snakes are dangerous to people and should be killed - sure they eat some rodents but the harm that they can cause far outweighs that good - just like mosquitoes, ticks and other things - they are no good and should be eliminated - just keep a couple in a zoo so that people can see what they look like -

Your logic is flawed.

Some white folks murder people, should we eliminate the white race?

How about being more aware of your surroundings and educating yourself? When I was land surveying I saw many snakes, not once bitten. I have found that non venomous snakes are far more aggressive than venomous. Ill take snakes over rats any day.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2

JoePa · #19 08/19/13, 09:32 AM

Dear Wannabechef - we are talking snakes - not people - but even then - people who commit murder should be eliminated - and snakes that are posionous should be eliminated - you would feel differently if you had a child and it was bitten by a posionous snake and nearly dies - people come first -

Sent from my laptop on the kitchen table while eating breakfast -

wannabechef · #20 08/19/13, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoePa

Dear Wannabechef - we are talking snakes - not people - but even then - people who commit murder should be eliminated - and snakes that are posionous should be eliminated - you would feel differently if you had a child and it was bitten by a posionous snake and nearly dies - people come first -

Sent from my laptop on the kitchen table while eating breakfast -

Had a cousin that nearly died from a pigmy rattler, I still feel the way I do. My child was taught at an early age to respect snakes of all types. I would not feel differenty if my child was bitten, but its great to know that you think you know how i would feel. If they should be eliminated why did our dear lord put them here?

Ignorance is why many snakes are killed, that and fear.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2