Copperheads on the move: How to avoid them

[kwillia]

It goes without saying that bites from venomous snakes can be painful and dangerous, but they can also be very expensive, an expert warns.

Medical bills of $50,000 or more are not uncommon for a person bitten by a venomous snake, said Jill Heatley, an associate professor of veterinary medicine at Texas A&M University in College Station.

The total cost includes hospitalization, which can last from one day to several weeks, treatment of damaged tissue, and antivenin therapy, which can run into the thousands of dollars.

Cost of Snakebite Therapy May Squeeze Victims' Wallets - US News and World Report

 

[Roman]

I may be wrong, because I haven't worked in the Hospital for a couple years, but the Antivenom costs the Hospital something like three grand per dose. If you think it may have been venomus, apply ice, and a venous constricting band, making sure it doesn't restrict the circulation so much. Then, get to the Hospital ASAP!

 

[desertrat]

I presume you guys followed through on that and thought 'what if?'

I don 't know so, I am asking; is it reasonable and available to have a bite kit on hand?

I've had one hanging in the garage cabinet since I moved in back in '94. Probably needs to be changed....

When I lived, camped, in the desert and worked in AZ snakes bites were a thing you always had to consider. Especially hours possibly from help. Always carried a snake bite kit. Not much more than a razor blade and a suction thing. Never got bit and I saw many, they rattled though, well sometimes,or they just went away. Copperheads are sneaky. Saw some nice diamondbacks in Mexico. 8' feet was the biggest. Dad killed it with a shovel, still have the rattlers. He threw the shovel away after because the snake had hit it a couple times. Soaked with venom. Should have burned it.

 

[Larry Gude]

Dad killed it with a shovel, still have the rattlers. He threw the shovel away after because the snake had hit it a couple times. Soaked with venom. Should have burned it.

Holy hell!!!

 

[Pushrod]

I got nailed for the first time in my life this past spring after handling I have no idea how many snakes. The bite isn't so bad. What stings is the reflex of jerking your hand back. It REALLY sets the hook. So to speak.

So, if you get bit, just don't jerk your hand away.

I had a 15' (150 lb) albino burmese python back in the day. It hit my hand by accident one day. I was so glad I had control of my reflexes or she would have shredded my hand if I had jerked it back As it was she let go after a few moments when she realized I wasn't something she wanted to eat leaving a bunch of holes seeping blood.