I lost a good friend to cottonmouth bites. He was swimming in a
lake in Arkansas and a mating ball of the snakes bumped him. He was
bitten so many times. He had several strokes and then kidney and
liver failure because of the poison. That was when I was a
teenager. It was horrible but he was swimming where he knew the
snakes could be so it was a risk he took. I don't live around allot
of water anymore so I don?t have to deal with water moccasins like you
do. I would imagine where you live it could get pretty scary.
I'm sorry about your cat. The hemotoxin is what makes the flesh rot
like that. It kind of pre-digests the flesh. I wonder if it
would be better if we had more neurotoxic snakes here like cobras.
Then you would just die quick or get antivenin in time and be okay.
Not rotting to death, gross. I also know someone who had to put her
horse down because his leg was ruined from being bitten by a
rattlesnake. It must have been awful for her. With all that
said I will never hate snakes or any dangerous animal. I just try to
respect them and stay out of their way. These animals have been on
this planet allot longer than my kind and haven't damaged their
environment at all. Can people say that? Anyway, stay
safe. Here's hoping you don't lose anything you care about to a
snakebite.
Tracy
Every
time I see Steve Irwin on TV I'm rooting for the Croc. Normally, Tracy,
I'd agree with you, when it comes to respecting nature and all. But, if
you've ever run into a water moccasin down here (aka cottonmouth) you
might think otherwise. They hide underwater, like submarines, and when
they surface (usually when you're halfway into a swamp crossing while
riding your horse) right by your left leg you'll understand the need to
kill or be killed. These things are the most aggressive snakes around and
they will come after you. Just for fun.
I had a cat that
was bit by one of these things. Spent over 500 bucks at the midnight
animal hospital trying to save my cat, "Jax." Anti-venom is incredibly
expensive. His poor leg swelled up like a balloon and it got so bad the
vet had to put him down. Ever since then, because of Jax and, maybe, that
500 bucks, if I find a cotton mouth out on the trail or near my place I
will take him out (and, not out for dinner).
I've known
some neighbors who have had run ins with these vipers and their horses.
Once the horse is bitten, if it's lucky enough to survive, it's never the
same. The area near the bite swells up and after awhile the skin starts to
slough off. The smell of the skin in that area is the smell of death
because that part of the horse's body is literally
dead.
