Poisonous snakes

PamelaDelafield · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 2:53 pm

Does anyone know if the snakes we find in our gardens here are poisonous. I usually pick them up and place them somewhere so the cats can't get them but this time one bit me 3 times. It was small but active. In all the years I've picked up snakes this was the first time I was bitten. Just wondering if I need to seek treatment or not. If it is poisonous I'll probably be in a coma or dead by the time someone answers this.

It looks like a little garden snake like in the U.S. Maybe a kind of grey brown color. This one was small about 6 inches long but I've seen ones over a couple of feet long. I don't think it had a triangular head. Even if poisonous, maybe it is so small it can't do too much damage. I did immediately take 3 antihistamines.

This is great my first scorpion stings and now snake bite.

kipissippi · **Joined:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 4:56 pm **Posts:** 55

Baby poisonous snakes are just as poisonous..sometimes more so than the adults. Take a look at your bites....are there two fang marks? Or regular teeth marks? I think mayby in the future...identify before picking up?

speedy g · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:24 pm

I hope you are OK! The next time leave them a lone unless you know what you are doing. I had a friend die because no one would suck the venom out. :lol:

Andale......

PamelaDelafield · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:37 pm

kipissippi wrote:

Baby poisonous snakes are just as poisonous..sometimes more so than the adults. Take a look at your bites....are there two fang marks? Or regular teeth marks? I think mayby in the future...identify before picking up?

It's been over an hour and no discoloration or swelling. The antihistamines made my heart race. Heart attack.

Worse than a snake bite, I had to have the vet over to put down an old worn out Doberman. He got where he couldn't get up to eat and was soiling himself. Poor old dog.

kipissippi · **Joined:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 4:56 pm **Posts:** 55

I think you lucked out. If it had been one of the bad guys, I'm pretty sure you would have known about it immediately. ( I'm an avid Animal Planet watcher!) Watch a few snake bite stories on there and you will be VERY careful! :shock:

PamelaDelafield · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:54 pm

pedro wrote:

a friend had a coral snake in his hide-a-bed when he moved from santa cruz just east of chapala. they don't have triangular heads like vipers and rattlers but are easy to id.
actually small rattlers are more dangerous than the big guys-they whack ya with the whole load.
there are rattlers in them thar hills.

I would immediately know a rattler and similar poisonous snakes especially a coral. I've always liked snakes and don't really have a fear of them but one has never bitten me and I've picked up too many to count. It was my fault because I was trying to get the dog buried, thinking about the dog, and I didn't place my hand directly behind his head so he couldn't bite me. The snake is in a safe happy spot so the cats can't get him.

tamal mercurio · **Joined:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 3:01 pm **Posts:** 278

pedro wrote:

a friend had a coral snake in his hide-a-bed when he moved from santa cruz just east of chapala. they don't have triangular heads like vipers and rattlers but are easy to id.
actually small rattlers are more dangerous than the big guys-they whack ya with the whole load.
there are rattlers in them thar hills.

It was more than likely a Lake Chapala milk snake. Far more common and harmless.

chinagringo · **Posted:** Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:37 am

Sorry to hear about you having to put the dog down!

Man was given a brain while animals must rely more on instinct for self preservation. I would doubt that when you find or come upon a snake on your property, it is their first day in the neighborhood. Dogs, cats, snakes or other animals often co-exist quite well without assistance of a human attempting to use their brain. Speaking of brains - why would you even think about picking up any snake without knowing if it was poisonous or not? Secondly, had the snake been poisonous and you had decided to seek real medical help instead of advice from us "nutcases" on this forum - most anti-venoms are specific to the brand/model of snake. Had this been a poisonous snake, the histamines would have done a great job of accelerating the venom through your body!

PamelaDelafield · **Posted:** Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:23 pm

chinagringo wrote:

Sorry to hear about you having to put the dog down!

Man was given a brain while animals must rely more on instinct for self preservation. I would doubt that when you find or come upon a snake on your property, it is their first day in the neighborhood. Dogs, cats, snakes or other animals often co-exist quite well without assistance of a human attempting to use their brain. Speaking of brains - why would you even think about picking up any snake without knowing if it was poisonous or not? Secondly, had the snake been poisonous and you had decided to seek real medical help instead of advice from us "nutcases" on this forum - most anti-venoms are specific to the brand/model of snake. Had this been a poisonous snake, the histamines would have done a great job of accelerating the venom through your body!

Thank you so much for the lecture Stevebrtx, I mean ChingGringo,

I had to move the snake to save it. I saved it. I assumed it was not poisonous because of it's appearance and under normal circumstances, I never would have been bitten. I've picked up 8' long Water Moccasins and have not been bitten and that is a snake one does not want biting him. Snakes do not instantaneously kill. If bitten by a rattler one has at least an hour to seek medical treatment. To tell if a snake is venomous, there will be swelling, discolouration, etc., at the bite site.

I took "anti" histamines. Why would I want to take histamines and increase a reaction? The antihistamine might not block all venom reaction but it will degrade and slow it down giving the victim more time. Since you don't understand poisonous bites here is a clip from a snake venom medical paper:

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script= ... 8000400009

CONCLUSIONS

Quote:

The anti-snake venom is the specific antidote for venomous snakebites. In Bangladesh, polyvalent anti-snake venom by Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceuticals Company (India) is available in limited quantity. Although the antivenom is effective and specific, it presents a potential risk of adverse reactions including anaphylaxis. The antivenom must be administered in standard doses and routes to reach its optimum efficacy. Neurotoxic snakebites should be treated with anticholinesterases and artificial ventilatory support with all monitoring facilities available in health centers. The potential dangers of anaphylactic reactions - urticaria, vomiting, bronchospasm, hypotension, circulatory collapse and angioedema - can be managed with adrenaline, hydrocortisone, antihistamine and ranitidine. Due to the danger of reactions the anti-snake venom should not be withheld by physicians from a snakebite victim, when indicated and appropriate guidelines should be followed for its administration. The present study proved that anti-snake venom is effective and an eventual antivenom reaction can be easily managed through a proper approach.

PamelaDelafield · **Posted:** Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:39 pm

The reason I knew to take antihistamine is because a friend had a Doberman that caught Water Moccasins. When the dog was at the vet getting hi shots, my friend told the vet about Thor catching poisonous snakes and asked what to do if Thor was bitten. The vet said when he was in vet school a rancher had an English Bull Dog that was brought in every few months with a rattlesnake bite on his head. They gave the dog Benadryl shots and sent him on his way to get his next bite. The vet told my friend that the treatment for snake bites in dogs is antihistamine. It's been proven effective for humans who are bitten also.

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Poisonous snakes

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