My 2 year old was bit by this snake what is it

[Zeake]

Thanks for all the kind words as I said she is my little girl and I had figured it was a rat snake just wanted some clarification and saw it was non venomous but this is the first time I have dealt with this and I just wanted to take what I thought was the safest course. It's a whole different story then when she gets scratched from roughhousing with the puppy or if it had been me that had gotten bit but my two babies are the most important things to me and since they are my first I might overreact sometimes. But thanks again for all the responses.


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You did the right thing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

 

[Realtor]

Enjoy your rats, mice, roaches, and other pests, then.

terminator

 

[TheGman]

coachwhip,black racer non poisonous.Aggressive though.

Exactly what we called these as kids both names.

 

[Thomas Eeyore]

A two year old would be dead in 20 minutes if it was poisonous, but it a good time to teach him not to touch.

 

[24on48hunting]

You did the right thing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Yessir, I would've done the same if it were my baby girl!

 

[Jayro]

It's a non venomous snake. Wheres the danger?

You're in more danger of picking up an illness or infection at the hospital than a snake bite.

Im grateful to know that the ODT has herpetology experts as yourself. Instead of going to an ER in the event I'm bitten by an unknown snake I will seek sound professional advice from some dude on the internet I never met but has over four thousand posts so I'm sure his credentials are board certified. I can also rely on the fact that aforementioned individual is additionally a physician with an insurmountable understanding of tocicology and application of pharmaceutical treatment in the event that I experience allergic reactions. I can only hope that I have good wifi in the event that I'm bitten; because it may take precious moments for an ODT post explaining how to concoct an anti-venom serum from household suppliers to transpire.

 

[Jayro]

We only have about 10 snake bite fatalities in the US each year. That number would be greatly reduced if we didn't have to figure so much malpractice into the equation. Drs are as squeamish and ignorant about reptiles as many of you are. Giving antivenin when not called for or the wrong type, or stopping it due to anaphylaxis rather than continuing while treating the anaphylaxis (proper protocol) ....Your best bet is to avoid the ER altogether unless it's venomous. Arm yourself with knowledge or stay out of the woods. Depending on an ER doc to be the expert on reptiles is as dumb as not familiarizing yourself with the few species you have lurking around your yard.

No need to provide everyone with innocuous rhetoric behind an arbitrary statistic that has no merit. Multiple medical and wildlife resources indicate 7,000-8,000 poisonous snake bites in the US alone. The reason that there are not more deaths is a result of the US capacity to provide expeditious medical treatment in the first place. Not one death as you eluded to was a result of a medical misdiagnosis. Furthermore the low venomous snakebite mortality rate is consistently attributed to either the incapacity or refusal of medical treatment in the first place.

 

[RdKill]

Im grateful to know that the ODT has herpetology experts as yourself. Instead of going to an ER in the event I'm bitten by an unknown snake I will seek sound professional advice from some dude on the internet I never met but has over four thousand posts so I'm sure his credentials are board certified. I can also rely on the fact that aforementioned individual is additionally a physician with an insurmountable understanding of tocicology and application of pharmaceutical treatment in the event that I experience allergic reactions. I can only hope that I have good wifi in the event that I'm bitten; because it may take precious moments for an ODT post explaining how to concoct an anti-venom serum from household suppliers to transpire.

Actually, I have studied, kept, bred, rescue/rehabbed snakes since the 70s. I put myself through nursing school and made my living developing, manufacturing and marketing snake handling equipment, supplying herpetologists, hobbyists, universities, zoos etc all over the world with handling equipment for over a decade. I consider myself somewhat an expert. The snake pictured is a black ratsnake. It is not a racer nor a coachwhip. Yes, you can get an infection from any snake bite. You can get an infection anytime the skin is broken regardless of how it is broken. It is how you care for the wound after the bite that matters. Exposing the wound to bacteria around the house isn't nearly as dangerous as exposing it to any of 30 types or so of Staphylococcus found on every surface of every hospital in the populated world....just saying.

 

[RdKill]

No need to provide everyone with innocuous rhetoric behind an arbitrary statistic that has no merit. Multiple medical and wildlife resources indicate 7,000-8,000 poisonous snake bites in the US alone. The reason that there are not more deaths is a result of the US capacity to provide expeditious medical treatment in the first place. Not one death as you eluded to was a result of a medical misdiagnosis. Every report attributed the mortality rate a result of the incapacity or refusal of medical treatment in the first place.

"We did all we could"...Man...you have no freaking idea how many patients go from the hospital to the funeral home without actual cause of death being properly documented. Doctors kill a lot of people.

7000-8000 venomous bites? perhaps...I don't have a figure on that. But, that's probably about right. The majority of those are copperhead bites. Because copperheads aren't typically lethal, with or without medical care the mortality rate from copperhead bites is extremely low to almost non-existent. Most rattlesnake bites were easily avoidable and a huge portion are alcohol related incidents.

 

[Jayro]

I can appreciate the logic of not going to a modern US medical center for the shear fact that there his a greater propensity to contract an infection/illness than treating the initial ailment.