Oh, almost forgot. Heat is a factor on how much
venom is injected. If it is very hot, there will be more venom. The snake
doesn't want to go too far to get the prey. He wants it to die quickly. If it is
nice out, he wants to save venom for later, so he may have to follow the animal
a little while.
As far as antivenom goes, doctors don't use it
unless they feel that the patient's life is in danger (the bite was on the
face or the patient is allergic) because it often causes worse symptoms than
the bite itself, often anaphylaxis. Not to mention that hospitals often only
have one dose on hand. It is needed so infrequently that it expires before it
gets used.
As far as bites that don't cause problems, only 1
in 4 bites injects venom. Several factors come into play here. If the snake
was planning ahead to bite you (ie mistook your foot for something
yummy) there will be venom. If the snake is younger there will be venom
because he doesn't know that he can't eat you so he tries to kill you. An old
snake knows that you are too big to eat, so he just wants to scare you off. If
the snake just finished hunting and injected several small animals, there may
not be venom left to inject you or your horse.
Now for some interesting statistics: and sorry
folks, I don't remember the source, only that it was in a lecture by a very
knowledgeable physician that collects this type of data.
Most poisonous snakebites:
-occur in men
-occur with alcohol involved
-are not the first bite for the
person
-occur in the south
I will not comment on the above for fear of
offending some southern, beer-drinking gentleman that has been bitten more
than once.
Ride safely, and remember that the odds are on
your side.
I got bitten by a copperhead once, with just
a tiny open area on the ankle. Didn't even get sick. And no, I did not shock
myself.
