Not exactly. While they are not aggressive, they are not harmless.
> Also, it is absolutely essential to keep the
> circulation going as the other big threat is gangrene. Cold treatment
> (which compromises circulation even further) is TOTALLY contraindicated in
> the treatment of rattlesnake wounds...this is true both for people and
> horses. In order to keep his circulation going to his feet, I worked his
> butt off for the next 1-2 weeks.
BUT ONLY AFTER TREAMENT!
>
> About six weeks after the incident, a hunk of his frog which had died,
> fell off. That was the total effect of a rattlesnake bite to the leg on
> my horse.
Don't forget the kidney damange that you didn't see.
Rattlesnake venom is a protein posion. It makes its way through the
body by flowing through the muscles, not through the blood stream or
through the nerves (those are other types of snakes). Yes rattlesnake
venom will go along the blood stream but it is not the path most seen.
The posion will get into the muscles and slowly (24 hours) disolve the
muscle tissue. Without treament, it may move into the heart and other
muscle type organs. As the body tries to get rid of the posion, the
kidneys and liver may also be affected.
If a horse is bit, you can fork out the $150 for antivenom, or you
can hope that only minor damage will be done. For horses bit in the
leg, most people will not pay the bucks for the antivenom. For horses
bit in the nose, the nose tube is manditory and antivenom highly
recommended. Most hospitals in major snake country will carry the
antivenom. Anti-biotics are also recommended. (Same for dogs
although a bite on the nose will look horrible, only anti-biotics
are generally given.)
For people, restriction of all muscle movement in the affected area,
placing a restrictive bandange (never turnique) from the joint above
to the bite and from the joint below to the bite, and then rushing to
the hospital to get the antivenom is the recommended treatment.
The restrictive bandage (take vet wrap or an ace bandage) will keep the
venom from invading the muscles too much. Doctors who see this type
of treatment say that the wound looks like the bite incurred minutes
ago, even if it was a hour or more. Without treatment, the muscles
are eaten away by the venom.
Depending on the snake, a bite may contain no venom or a very heavy
dose. Take all snake bites from venomous snakes very serious.
My information comes from the foremost authority on wilderness survival,
search and rescue training, forest ranger training, vets and a few other
sources. I get several rattlesnakes a year in my corral (they want the
mice), and around my riding area.
-- Wendy\|/ /\ -O- /**\ /|\ /****\ /\ / \ /**\ Here there be dragons / /\ / \ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\/\/\ /\ / / \ / \ / \/\/ \/ \ /\/ \/\ /\ /\/ / / \/ \ / / \/ /\ \ / \ \ / \/ / / \/ \/ \ / \ \ / / \/ \/\ \ / \ / / \ __/__/_______/___/__\___\__________________________________________________
Wendy Milner HPDesk: wendy_milner@hp4000 Training Development Engineer HP-UX: wendy@fc.hp.com Mail Stop 46 Telnet: 229-2182 3404 E. Harmony Rd. AT&T: (970) 229-2182 Fort Collins, CO, 80525 FAX: (970) 229-4292