Snake! More on animals that bite
Remember that song,
Last summer, I was returning home with my grandson from a little outing. My excited wife ran up to me and said not to say anything to the kids, but we have a huge rattlesnake in the garage. She stated that she saw it, heard it rattle. By the length of her outstretched arms, it was estimated to be in excess of six feet long and nearly six inches in diameter.
Sounded like an Anaconda to me; or perhaps a Python! Either way, as a man, I was delegated to the task of ridding the snake from our garage. I momentarily felt like St. Patrick.
My garage has not seen a car in over ten years. It is the depository of everything that will not fit in the house, including boxes headed for Goodwill, extra washer and dryer (in case one of our adult children need it), and just about anything else you can imagine. Big Foot could hide in our garage and not ever be found.
A snake would likely find ample hiding places in my urban jungle. So, I began to remove items from the garage, not unlike cleaning out King Tut's tomb. Box after box was carefully removed in an effort of find this huge rattlesnake. My heart stopped several times at the sight of a garden hose and a black sprinkler pipe.
Then, I saw the snake. Apparently, sometime between the time my wife saw it and now, the snake had lost about four feet in length (And they say men lie about the size of things!), was considerably thinner, and the rattle had dropped off. Or, perhaps the rattlesnake was cleverly wearing a gopher snake suit!
To this day, my wife (who was hiding in house during the search) thinks that I am lying about the snake's true identity.
Several years ago, we had a little patient that was bit by a rattlesnake...in his living room while watching television. The snake had entered an open door and was under the couch! That will give you nightmares.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, we had our share of visiting rattlesnakes and Copperheads. Among children, the frenetic cry of "Snake!!" was heard on nearly every outing to the woods. In the little Appalachian town were I was born, we even have an annual SnakeFest, where for a few dollars and some borrowed boots, you can mingle with some rattlesnakes and copperheads in a snake pit.
Personally, I have never been bitten, mostly because of my highly advanced skill at jumping or madly running away. And, I was never stupid enough to jump in that snake pit. Most of the people in my town that had been bitten by snakes sort of deserved it. They were trying to catch them, hold them, or even dance with them. Yes, we had Pentecostal Snake Handlers in our community - a religious sect that uses serpents (and poison) in their church services. I did not attend that church, but I did witness a service once. Unbelievable. You gotta love us Hillbillies.
About 8,000 people in the U.S. do sustain a poisonous snake bite every year; but only 12-15 fatalities occur. More people die from allergic reactions to bee stings (about 90-100 per year); however, that is out of two million people getting stung.
Statistically, about 15% of all snake bites occur from venomous snakes, the top four being the rattlesnake, the copperhead, cottonmouth (water moccasin), and the coral snake), but only two-thirds of those involve true envenomation. All snake bites are cause for concern, both to the person bitten and to the medical provider treating them.
A quick trip to the ER is in order for the appropriate antivenin and supportive care for shock. Many times, people will kill the snake and bring it with them in a bag or box for proper identification. I don't even like looking at snakes, even dead ones, but a quick look is necessary just to say, "Yep, that's a rattler, now get it outta here!" I sure do not want to be injecting antivenin for a gopher snake bite.
Snakes serve a vital ecological place in our world and should be left alone (unless they are in your garage). An occasional misdirected snake will surely encounter an equally-misdirected human from time to time. Medically, we have the technology to deal with it. Socially, we have long way to go.
Related Topics: Outdoor Safety 101, Health and Safety Guide for the Home
"I don't like Spiders and Snakes..."Well, that was written about me. My last blog addressed spider bites, but I still have snakes, dogs, and toddlers to discuss.
Last summer, I was returning home with my grandson from a little outing. My excited wife ran up to me and said not to say anything to the kids, but we have a huge rattlesnake in the garage. She stated that she saw it, heard it rattle. By the length of her outstretched arms, it was estimated to be in excess of six feet long and nearly six inches in diameter.
Sounded like an Anaconda to me; or perhaps a Python! Either way, as a man, I was delegated to the task of ridding the snake from our garage. I momentarily felt like St. Patrick.
My garage has not seen a car in over ten years. It is the depository of everything that will not fit in the house, including boxes headed for Goodwill, extra washer and dryer (in case one of our adult children need it), and just about anything else you can imagine. Big Foot could hide in our garage and not ever be found.
A snake would likely find ample hiding places in my urban jungle. So, I began to remove items from the garage, not unlike cleaning out King Tut's tomb. Box after box was carefully removed in an effort of find this huge rattlesnake. My heart stopped several times at the sight of a garden hose and a black sprinkler pipe.
Then, I saw the snake. Apparently, sometime between the time my wife saw it and now, the snake had lost about four feet in length (And they say men lie about the size of things!), was considerably thinner, and the rattle had dropped off. Or, perhaps the rattlesnake was cleverly wearing a gopher snake suit!
To this day, my wife (who was hiding in house during the search) thinks that I am lying about the snake's true identity.
Several years ago, we had a little patient that was bit by a rattlesnake...in his living room while watching television. The snake had entered an open door and was under the couch! That will give you nightmares.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, we had our share of visiting rattlesnakes and Copperheads. Among children, the frenetic cry of "Snake!!" was heard on nearly every outing to the woods. In the little Appalachian town were I was born, we even have an annual SnakeFest, where for a few dollars and some borrowed boots, you can mingle with some rattlesnakes and copperheads in a snake pit.
Personally, I have never been bitten, mostly because of my highly advanced skill at jumping or madly running away. And, I was never stupid enough to jump in that snake pit. Most of the people in my town that had been bitten by snakes sort of deserved it. They were trying to catch them, hold them, or even dance with them. Yes, we had Pentecostal Snake Handlers in our community - a religious sect that uses serpents (and poison) in their church services. I did not attend that church, but I did witness a service once. Unbelievable. You gotta love us Hillbillies.
About 8,000 people in the U.S. do sustain a poisonous snake bite every year; but only 12-15 fatalities occur. More people die from allergic reactions to bee stings (about 90-100 per year); however, that is out of two million people getting stung.
Statistically, about 15% of all snake bites occur from venomous snakes, the top four being the rattlesnake, the copperhead, cottonmouth (water moccasin), and the coral snake), but only two-thirds of those involve true envenomation. All snake bites are cause for concern, both to the person bitten and to the medical provider treating them.
A quick trip to the ER is in order for the appropriate antivenin and supportive care for shock. Many times, people will kill the snake and bring it with them in a bag or box for proper identification. I don't even like looking at snakes, even dead ones, but a quick look is necessary just to say, "Yep, that's a rattler, now get it outta here!" I sure do not want to be injecting antivenin for a gopher snake bite.
Snakes serve a vital ecological place in our world and should be left alone (unless they are in your garage). An occasional misdirected snake will surely encounter an equally-misdirected human from time to time. Medically, we have the technology to deal with it. Socially, we have long way to go.
Related Topics: Outdoor Safety 101, Health and Safety Guide for the Home
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10 Comments:
Dr. Moser, This was a great story. I understand your wife's reasoning completely. It would make no difference to me how big a snake was, if it were invading my home it would be the largest one anyone had ever seen.
For another funny "snake in the home" story you should read "gruntdoc" He has had several of them in the last couple of years. He recently posted one on his BLOG with a link to an earlier snake episode with a home flood thrown in!
One time my mom came running into the house yelling that there was a big snake in the garden. My dad ran out with his shotgun...and shot the hell out of...a perfectly good garden hose. Pretty cool.
A friend of mine (a woman) was walking across her field where there were a lot of black irrigation hoses that had been torn up during an excavation. While on a mission to pick up some of these black plastic hose pieces, she inadvertently picked up a surprised black snake! This is a sure cure for constipation.
Gah, I hate snakes and have became thoroughly paranoid about them. I live in Australia, mind you, on the outskirts of Melbourne, which are apparently this year just teemings with tiger and black snakes (some of the most poisonous, but then again all Aussie snakes are). And they don't have that nice rattle thing to warn you. You Americans have it so good!
After taking to a friendly vet this spring (snakes bite a lot of dogs and cats in early spring, apparently...) I realised that antivenim doesn't actually guarantee recovery. At least not in animals. Do you know what the percentages are in kids?
Spooked in Australia
Gopher snakes will sometimes do a very good rattlesnake immitation when confronted.
The gopher snake will coil, hiss loudly, strike out with widely-opened mouth AND, believe it or not, rattle.
The sound of their rapidly vibrating tail can, especially if in dry leaves or paper, sound remarkedly like a rattlesnake's rattle.
Be sure you see the rattles before you act.
California Snake Lover
(and former owner of pet, but never petted, rattlesnakes)
I know the majority of
people will NOT believe this but it did happen (in
Nebraska) My oldest brother was a baby and my parents lived in a house that had huge holes in the floor. My brother found a "rattle" and put it in his mouth. By the time my parents got to a Prayer meeting his head was so swollen he looked like an animal not a baby. He is still alive today--but we know he wouldn't be without prayer, because a hospital was just to far away..
hi how are i saw a snake.
it was a big snake i throw it outside ok.
i saw a hognose i thought it was a rattler ok it was scary. twas 2 o clock in afternoon.i almost pee my pants.
I am not a very big snake person accually i am a big wimp when it comes to snakes. Fortunately the only venamis snake ive seen was a Piggmy rattler when i was a kid but one of my dads friends decided to crush its head with his boot. I felt bad for the snake but not as bad if it would have bitten me or someone else around.
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