Strange news about a snake bite.

Anywhere around them Have a snake bit kit handy, wally world has them……

No offense intended toward you, but as a 40+ year Paramedic, I need to make clear that "Snake Bite Kits" are NOT effective, nor are they recommended

Please do NOT waste your money, and time, on these harmful/useless "kits", which can delay access to PROPER care for the victim

To provide some reference, I will include some links....



 
Whatever happened, with about 6-7K bites per year and about 5 or 6 deaths per year in the U.S., fatal snakebites are extremely rare.

It's just my opinion, but I think the reason there are so few deaths from snake bites is because so few people live and operate very far from a hospital. And that statistic doesn't mention how many people are seriously injured, but survived. Where I live it's 2 hours to the nearest hospital, and a lot more if you have a ways to go before you get to your vehicle. I heard of a rancher who stepped out his back door one night to take a leak, and stepped on a rattlesnake. The snake bit him and it took about 3 hours to get to the hospital. They had mixed up his anti venom and tested a little on him to see if he was allergic to it. He was, but they had already mixed up the antivenom and he had to pay for it even tho he couldn't use it. So into the hospital he went. They saved his life but he was crippled after that due to the necrosis caused by the bite.
 
Years ago Jerry Mucilek and his wife were at my club to shoot a match . She saw a snake and reached down and got bit , pygmy rattler . She was rushed to the hospital and they kept a surgeon there all night in case they had to take her arm .

That's an odd case for a Pygmy Rattler.

"A pygmy rattlesnake bite is painful and causes local swelling and tissue damage, but is generally not considered life-threatening to humans, especially adults, though it can be serious for children and small pets. The severity of the bite depends on the individual's age, health, and the amount of venom injected. All venomous snake bites, including those from a pygmy rattlesnake, are considered medical emergencies and require immediate medical attention to monitor for severe symptoms and prevent long-term complications like tissue necrosis.

There are no recorded deaths from a pygmy rattlesnake bite, though the species has a highly toxic venom that can cause tissue damage. The small size of the snake and its smaller fangs contribute to a lower risk of fatality. Bites can still be serious, especially for children, and medical attention is always recommended to prevent severe complications like tissue damage.
Why the risk is low

Small size:
Pygmy rattlesnakes are small snakes, which limits the amount of venom they can inject with a bite.

Venom type:
Their venom contains hemorrhagic properties that cause tissue damage, but it lacks the neurotoxins found in some other venomous snakes, which can be more immediately dangerous."
 
No offense intended toward you, but as a 40+ year Paramedic, I need to make clear that "Snake Bite Kits" are NOT effective, nor are they recommended

Please do NOT waste your money, and time, on these harmful/useless "kits", which can delay access to PROPER care for the victim

To provide some reference, I will include some links....



Well, my Dad was a timber manager for Georgia Pacific for 20+ years and every logging job had snake bit kits and they were used several times And the bitten was taken to medical care. Grew up in the country and was always very aware of surroundings when in the woods or swamp, killed many water moccasins copper heads and rattle snakes. Rattle snakes are ok if away from the house or live stock but copper heads and water moccasins are just down right Mean.
 
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