Killed by a copperhead??

[1shotwade]

I've got to go to a funeral in just a few minutes. This guy died of liver failure/kidney failure. I was talking to a friend last night about this and we realized he had been bitten by a copperhead just about a year ago. We were wondering if that bite could have contributed to his liver failure. He was fine till less than a week ago,felt bad,went to DR. and died in less than a week.Since the function of the liver and kidneys are to remove toxin from the body, is it possible that the poison from the bite overloaded the system and caused his death?? What do you think??


Wade

[Pigeon Lady]

I met a guy who had been bitten by a Copperhead. He accidentally stepped on it while in the woods logging. He said he'd been in the hospital a long time extremely sick with kidney failure and other complications. Said he was lucky to be alive. I mentioned his name to someone about a year later and found out that he'd passed away. Don't know if it was anything to do with the snake bite or not.

[JoePa]

I know that a lot of people don't think it is right to kill a poisonous snake - but - me I gets rid of everyone that I happen upon - they are something that is a hazzard to people and we don't need them around where people are -

[Darren]

Many don't know a poisonous from a non-poisonous snake. A neighbor pointed out a copperhead he'd killed on the road. I showed him it didn't have fangs. Trying to explain the difference in markings would have been a waste of time. It was a milk snake.

The poisonous ones I kill if I can get them. Never seen one here.

If the snake bite didn't kill that man it surely helped things along.

[Boomer]

My mother in-law got bit by a copperhead years ago. It was a mild bite, and she got treatment in time.

Only thing is, now if she drinks any alcohol like wine, etc, she turns red on her face and chest (like blushing). Maybe there's something to the kidney thing?

As far as killing copperheads?

I've chopped up a few with my machete, I'm always carrying it out in the woods.

[Danaus29]

I'll have to ask dh if he remembers what his grandpa died of. He got bit by a copperhead and spent 3 days in a drunken stupor on the porch. Whenever he woke up he drank until he passed out again. Doctors said the alcohol saved his life but he died a few years later.

[Paumon]

It's possible. Was his snake bite medically treated or at the very least was it assessed? Renal failure is a very common cause of delayed mortality from untreated envenomation. Bites from copperhead snakes are the most common in USA but they seldom require antivenin therapy because they have the least potent venom and a negligible fatality rate. Because of that many people who get bitten by copperheads and feel no very serious effects don't seek out medical treatment when really they should have gone for an envenomation assessment to determine what their health risk was. They might not die from the venom but still have a delayed reaction that effects their health in other ways at a later date, sometimes even a few years down the road. Some do die.

[7thswan]

When I was bit by a Brown Recluse spider, the first thing the venom attacked was my kidneys. So I imm. called my Dr. because I thought I had a Kidney infection, got antibotics(I was on the road on a Harley rideing across the country so he called them in without seeing me). Even before the tell tale Bullseye wound showed up. Those antibotics probably saved my life, or in the least, my arm. The hospital I eventualy went to for tests said my white blood cells were out of control and they wanted to do a blood transfusion. I refused. 9 months later after I fully healed it came back. I belive there is very little is known still of these things, the Posion Control center kept calling and asking me for an update on my condition, to help them gain knowlage.

[1shotwade]

Originally Posted by Paumon

It's possible. Was his snake bite medically treated or at the very least was it assessed? Renal failure is a very common cause of delayed mortality from untreated envenomation. Bites from copperhead snakes are the most common in USA but they seldom require antivenin therapy because they have the least potent venom and a negligible fatality rate. Because of that many people who get bitten by copperheads and feel no very serious effects don't seek out medical treatment when really they should have gone for an envenomation assessment to determine what their health risk was. They might not die from the venom but still have a delayed reaction that effects their health in other ways at a later date, sometimes even a few years down the road. Some do die.

O.K.,I wasn't there but here is how I understand the event. He was walking thru a garden along a sidewalk. No one had tended the garden and it was full of briers.A brier stuck him in the leg(so he thought)and he continued on. A few blocks away he just went down and couldn't get up.Someone tried to help him to his feet and notice the fang marks in his leg.(he was probably drunk as usual).
They called the ems and took him to the hospital where they treated him for some number of days for the bite. I don't remember how long he was there but he was down with the bite for a few months.That leg was twice normal size and had turned black and he was always checked for gang green.This was lasr spring/summer.


Wade

[vicker]

Here in SC we have had a serious decline in the Eastern King Snake population, mostly from people killing them. That has caused a corresponding increase in Copperheads. King Snakes eat Copperheads. Copperheads used to be relatively rare in this area, but now they are common.

[DryHeat]

I know it was the case a couple decades back that official statistics said nobody, or at least any adults, had died of a copperhead bite since the 1950s. On the other hand, I have no problem at all accepting that an envenomation by one could cause chronic liver, kidney, or other organ damage that could sneak up during the following few years. Especially, that could be the case for someone who is a chronic alcoholic since they'd already be on the way to cirrhosis of the liver or whatever. Another factor is that IF antivenom were used (avoided often with copperheads since there's not as much history of the bites being deadly), there's a reaction called serum sickness that can kick in especially if a number of antivenin vials are given.

[Shrek]

Originally Posted by Darren

Many don't know a poisonous from a non-poisonous snake. A neighbor pointed out a copperhead he'd killed on the road. I showed him it didn't have fangs. Trying to explain the difference in markings would have been a waste of time. It was a milk snake.

The poisonous ones I kill if I can get them. Never seen one here.

If the snake bite didn't kill that man it surely helped things along.

How I tell a poisonous snake from a non poisonous one. A poisonous snake will easy kill me by biting the back of my leg or top of my ear if he strikes after I hit and bounce off the tree I ran into straddled position that knocked me out cold.

A non poisonous snake is the one I kill as it dies laughing to death after watching me turn, run, hit, straddle, bounce off of and drop knocked out cold from my encounter with the tree I turned and ran into.


Then there are the few snakes I don't know are poisonous or nonpoisonous and for some reason I don't run. If I don't run their status doesn't matter because either way they get shot at and usually hit at least twice.

[Old Vet]

I was bit by a copper head 14 years ago and a cotton mouth that same year. I took several andistimanies and went to the Dr and got a shot. My Kidneys have given me problems since but most of that was from Diabetes.

[Darren]

I've always been shocked by the people with extreme reactions to snakes. I had a coworker on a construction job take advantage of that once. I had caught a small black snake and left it in a box in the trailer. He got it out and surprised people with it when they walked in the door. There were a few that jumped out of their skin so to speak.

[big rockpile]

Here Copperheads and Rattle Snakes are protected.

After what I seen a Little tick do to me nothing surprises me.

big rockpile

[am1too]

Originally Posted by JoePa

I know that a lot of people don't think it is right to kill a poisonous snake - but - me I gets rid of everyone that I happen upon - they are something that is a hazzard to people and we don't need them around where people are -

Keep the place mowed which removes habitat for the snake and its food source.

[Cascade Failure]

Originally Posted by am1too

Keep the place mowed which removes habitat for the snake and its food source.

Not here in CT. Just give them a rock wall.

[Old John]

We have a few copperheads out here, too. A few years ago, I was mowing with the DR Brush-mower, the strip of land between the branch or ditch/creek, and the road. I only mow it a couple times a year. It's mostly full of Sycamores. And, I do watch for snakes!!

Out from under the back of the DR came a copperhead, not a real big one, maybe 2 1/2 feet long. And I saw it right away. So I backed away from the DR, and it shut off when I let go of the clutch. I gave that copperhead plenty of time to leave the area. But he just laid there. I know you're not supposed to kill them. But I did not want to walk on back to the house and leave the mower down there by the road.

So I shot him with the .357 magnum. I carry 110 gr. hollow-points for varmints and snakes. That little hollow point nearly blew the copperhead in two..
That's the only time I've had to kill a snake, in the 10 years we've lived out here.

But, y'all are right, Poisonous Snakes do not belong around people. They are too risky to have around.

[Alice In TX/MO]

ALL the things that happen in your life contribute to your death.

[simi-steading]

Originally Posted by 1shotwade

.Someone tried to help him to his feet and notice the fang marks in his leg.(he was probably drunk as usual).


Wade

I think you just answered your original question..