Snake Bite Kit

Hospitals carry anti-venom according to the area. For instance, Copperheads are not in the western deserts so that wouldn't be carried.

D.E.Bishop wrote:
Forty five or so years ago we were rock hounds and ventured into some remote areas with our kids when they were under ten. Snakes bites were on our minds constantly and we contacted our family DR, she recommended an Anti-Venon kit. Her take was that it would give us a few minutes more getting the kids to a hospital. It was not a total solution and would just help gain a few minutes. Our pharmacist said the same thing. For the DW it was something she could do, and hopefully would help calm her and the person bitten.

Staying calm and limiting exertion are the two most important things if bitten, that and getting to a hospital as quickly as possible of course.

I don't know if the anti-venen kits(a single injection) are now up to $2000 apiece or if it is just the total cost of emergency treatment, but regardless of the costs, it is worth it.

The problem is that anti-venom is specific to the snake. A rattlesnake takes a different one than a cotton mouth than a copperhead, etc.

Forty five or so years ago we were rock hounds and ventured into some remote areas with our kids when they were under ten. Snakes bites were on our minds constantly and we contacted our family DR, she recommended an Anti-Venon kit. Her take was that it would give us a few minutes more getting the kids to a hospital. It was not a total solution and would just help gain a few minutes. Our pharmacist said the same thing. For the DW it was something she could do, and hopefully would help calm her and the person bitten.

Staying calm and limiting exertion are the two most important things if bitten, that and getting to a hospital as quickly as possible of course.

I don't know if the anti-venen kits(a single injection) are now up to $2000 apiece or if it is just the total cost of emergency treatment, but regardless of the costs, it is worth it.

dcmac214 wrote:
Just last week saw a TV program that strongly recommended this kind of 'reverse-syringe' suction cup kit:

Allegedly - not ad hype - it really works on snake bites and insect stings.

And whatever you do DO NOT CUT THE BITE PUNCTURES! That only causes additional problems.

The ad says this is not "ad hype", I love it. This is "snake oil" pure and simple.

As a Pharmacist, I spend more time talking people out of wasting their money on the "latest and greatest" thing they see on television. Snake oil salesmen are alive and well, and using the mass marketing medium.

I was surprised by the articles statement that the Mojave Green and the Western Diamond back range, is NOT the same or even overlapping. I always thought they inhabited the same areas in the south. Learn something new every day and this is todays lesson. Now I know that ALL the rattlers I see in Yuma county and La Paz county are from the Mojave family.

I was curious about the Mojave Green Rattlesnake so I found this link which had the best pictures of it:

Mojave Green

It's even more toxic than that, about 16X the strength of a Diamond Back.
With about 7,000 snake bites yearly in the U.S. only around 1% are fatal, Of course that doesn't take into account the other damage to limbs, nervous system, etc. Not to mention the cost of Anti-Venom. A vial can run $2,000 or more, and easily need 10 vials or more if the venom gets into the system. That's enough to kill ya right there. :E Thank the drug companies for that.
The baby ones here are the worst. We call them no-see-ums, they are very small, 6" long or so, haven't got their coloring yet, and blend into the garden rock. The babies will release all their venom, basically because they don't know any better. These are the ones that we worry about the most, for us, and the dogs.
It's that time of year here, have seen two adults in the last couple of days. Time to start looking again where I'm going.

The Texan wrote:
We encounter 3 or 4 rattlers every year while off roading and the one common denominator we see is, they are all trying to get away from us. They want NO contact with you unless you corner them or harass them. A walking stick is the best deterrent for hikers, as you can use it to check rocks and bushes, without sticking your hand there. There is only one aggressive rattler that I am aware of and we travel in their area often, the Mojave Green rattler of the southwest. This snake will come after you and for him I carry another deterrent.

Snake bite kits are dangerous in untrained hands, so before you buy and carry one, talk to a medical professional about using it. I know we have never carried one and have never had the need for one. situational awareness is a better deterrent than using a bite kit.

The Mojave Green packs the most lethal venom of any vipers in N or S America. It's toxin is estimated 10x more potent than the Western Diamondback. One has not too many minutes to get help as a bite will render unconsciousness in less than 30 minutes..and that's for someone healthy. Nasty and very dangerous critter..thinking it's why the 12ga was invented.

Living out in the boonies of Tucson, I have dealt with many Rattlers, haven't been bit, but have come close.

Like other people have said, forget the Snake Bite kit. If bit, stay calm, and try to capture the snake, or at least get a photo. This is important if anti-venom is needed. Call for an Ambulance, or get your self to an ER asap.

As far as Rattlesnakes are conserved, they don't always inject venom, so panicking can be worse than the bite. People have died of heart attacks from dry bites, so try and stay calm.
Although Rattle snake bites can cause severe tissue damage, death is fairly rare.

You've gotten some good advice so far. This from a PA Park Ranger who gives the rattlesnake program at Sinnemahoning:

Two types of people get bitten by snakes. Those who mess with them and those who surprise them. Don't be in either of those groups and the chances drop dramatically.

Rattlers are pit vipers, meaning they have heat sensor pits in their noses to sense the heat signature of prey. You are too big for them to eat so they're not likely going to bite you unless you frighten them. If they do, chances are good it will be a dry bite. 70% of human bites are.

As said, the snake kits are not the way to go. Stay calm, walk or be carried out, and seek medical attention ASAP.