Snakes any worse in your area?

H

hollowdweller

Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
13,182
How are the snakes in your areas?

I haven't seen many this summer but my two pals who live not far from me have both been bitten (by copperheads)

One got the antivenom one didn't. The one who did was happy she was insured because the antivenom bill was 60,000!

Both were walking thru grass, barefoot, at night.
 
Usually I see several, but this year I haven't seen a single one. Weird that you bring it up because I was just thinking about that.
 
Copperheads arent very venomness, so I doubt she died. Antivenom is expensive, and you get alot. Might have been a dry bite though so she didnt require it.

Ive seen quite a few copperheads, and a nasty cottonmouth this year as far as the venomness ones go. Lots of water snakes out fishin, and saw a black snake at the farm. Not a rattler to be found though.

I was watching a show last night called I was Bitten. They were talking about an African snake called a swtchblade snake. That thing was crazy. Never heard of it before. No antivenom in exsistance.
 
Jeez..if it was $60,000 for a copperhead, who knows what it would be for an exotic species?
 
Well, I guess that's another reason that health insurance rates are so outrageous now. I'm wondering if it was $600 in anti-venom, not $60,000.
 
Have seen just one racer this summer on the trail. Garter snake in backyard. It has been extremely hot this summer tho, havnt been out much. Ticks on the other hand.......
 
I haven't seen a single snake this year. Of course, I haven't been out that much either. The local lake a few blocks away is usually a snake haven, but I haven't seen any out there.
 
Actually SHE got the antivenom and the swelling wasn't as bad.

HE went in shortly after he was bit and they said they didn't think much venom was injected so they didn't give him any antivenom.

He said after he got home that the swelling got bad and over several days that his leg swole up to the knee. Bit him right on his toe joint. He said he was actually happy to see the swelling go up his leg because intially the swelling near the bite was so tight it really hurt. They gave him pain meds to deal with it.

I can't help but think that he didn't get any because he was medicaid and my other friend was private insurance.:o Although I believe it's covered under medicaid.

I have a buddy that's an ER doctor and he said the new antivenom Crofab is really great very few side effects but EXPENSIVE. He said he had a guy bit not bad and I can't remember how many doses but the bill was 38,000.
 
60,000!
Note to self- if i ever visit the U.S again i must first get travel/medical insurance!
:eek:
Thankfully there are no snakes and no humungous honking spiders here!
 
KuRUpTD said:
60 grand :eek: how many vials did she need ?

http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/Copperhead_050704.htm
Click to expand...

Exactly. Here in Panamá, we have two of the more venomous snakes in the world: the bushmaster (Lachesis mutta), and the Fer de Lance -Lance head-
(Bothrops atrox atrox), and even with these two, you don't need 60 grand in antivenim serum; that would be the equivalen of administering a couple of GALLONS of serum to a single patient (we use serum made in Costa Rica). I'd like to know how much does the antivenim cost in the USA.
:confused:
 
I don't know about the snakes where you guys are.
Over here they are extremely vicious. We have multiple varieties, but the two most dangerous are called lawyers & bankers:D:eek::D :p

Hope your friends get well soon.
 
Alvaro Candanedo said:
Exactly. Here in Panamá, we have two of the more venomous snakes in the world: the bushmaster (Lachesis mutta), and the Fer de Lance -Lance head-
(Bothrops atrox atrox), and even with these two, you don't need 60 grand in antivenim serum; that would be the equivalen of administering a couple of GALLONS of serum to a single patient (we use serum made in Costa Rica). I'd like to know how much does the antivenim cost in the USA.
:confused:
Click to expand...

Remember we have a for profit health care system so regardless of the wholesale hospitals can mark it up however much they need to.

I'm reading figues of between 800 and 5000 per vial of crofab and for mild envenomation 20 vials.

Some quotes from here:
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/forums/Experts/48012

"
amen on the crofab- C.cerastes bite, 13 vials, $110k.
Viperkeeper speaks the truth."

Yes, that's $110,000 for just a nip from a Sidewinder...
Click to expand...

by pictigaster1 on March 4, 2010
My copperhead bite was 52,ooo plus finger removal 16,000
Click to expand...

by Peter84Jenkins on March 4, 2010
The cost for my timber bite in 2007 was $123,000. I was treated with Crofab.
Click to expand...

by agkistrodude on March 5, 2010
Last May I received 23 vials of CroFab for a horridus bite @ $900.00 per vial.Don't ask me why it was so "cheap", but I was pleasantly surprised. Chris H. said that the hospital being so rural probably had a lot to do with it. If I had gone to Atlanta or Athens, it probably would have been a lot more. Plus 5 days stay, 4 in ICU. Thank God for insurance! Take
Click to expand...

RE: Snakebite cost Reply
by hgsmoth on August 5, 2010
I was bitten twice by a rattlesnake while hiking in Ojai 2 months ago (June 5th). They are charging me over $500,000. Yeah. Really. 48 vials of Crofab. 4 1/2 days in ICU. Does this bill sound "normal" to anyone who's been through this???
Click to expand...

by ViperLover on March 4, 2010
This, alone is pretty bad to your pocket.

Over here, we are kind of lucky with the National Health Service (NHS) in the sense that our healthcare is free, subsequently, so is treating snake bites. I guess that is one upside to Government ran Healthcare. LOL!

Last I heard on another Forum, CroFab was pushing $2,500 an ampule? Times that by three, or four, and you're looking at a Car! Times it by 20 or more, plus a week or more's stay in hospital, and you can safely say goodbye to any Vacations you may wish to take for a few years. If your in the US atleast.
Click to expand...
 
Here in NW Ohio I have not seen many snakes this year. We have very large number of BIG Fox Shakes out in the pasture and I have not see one around the house this summer. When I mow the lawn I ocassionally get a Garder Snake and have not sliced one up all season.
 
You really must be using antivenom made with lawyer's blood as SkinnyJoe said. In Panamá, one vial of antivenom neutralize about 30 grams of snake venom and for severe cases you use about 10 vials (each vial cost to the public about $30, so the total cost in antivenom is about $300.00).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top