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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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