Re: North American Cobra Snakebite

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: : Within the last 24 hours serious cobra bite envenomation number 8 : : in North America occurred when Kevin Stotler of Prince William County : : Virginia was bitten by one of his 10 "pet" venomous snakes. He is : : in serious condition and received 18 vials of cobra antivenom. Case : : #7 ocurred in New York City last week when a Florist was bitten by : : his "pet" albino monocled cobra in FLushing, Queens, N.Y. : : These 8 cases which include two deaths are cases which either made : : the news or were personally made known to me. There have probably : : been more. : : : : While tens of thousands of people in India and Asia endure cobra bites : : annually, this number of cases are more than we have the right to : : expect in the U.S. I urge anyone who keeps venomous snakes to : : reconsider their position on this matter and, at the very least, to : : visit our emergency snakebite website at: : : http://www.xmission.com/~gastown/herpmed/snbite.htm : : : : The website advocates Dr Struan Sutherland's method of pressure : : dressings to sequester venom. It is extremely effective and has been : : in use in Australia for more than a decade. U.S. snakebite experts : : believe it should not be used on U.S. snakebites. I hasten to point : : out that U.S. snakebites are crotalid bites. Anyone keeping an exotic : : elapid or an American elapid (Coral Snakes as well as some crotalids : : with neurotoxic venoms) are well advised to become familiar with the : : method. A pro/con discussion of why U.S. medical experts decry its : : use on crotalid bites appears at the end of the site. : : Sadly some keepers of elapids in the U.S. have been misled into : : believing that the "method is not approved here" or our doctors say : : it should not be used. Our doctors are speaking of crotalid bite only. : : If you keep an exotic elapid or any species whose venom is primarily : : neurotoxic (Mojaves, Aruba Island Rattlers, some ssps of Cascabel) : : then such dressings can save your life. Some of the deaths we have : : reviewed from these cobra bite cases ocurred in less than 30 minutes : : from time of bite. While it is obviously impossible to say if pressure : : dressings could have saved these people (two older cases had severe : : anbaphylactic reactions to the venom or so it appeared), it could : : be life saving to adopt the method. : : Steve Grenard : : Venom-Listserv Website: : : http://www.icomm.ca/venom : : Gateway to HerpMed: : : http://www.xmisison.com/~gastown/herpmed/ : Thank you for the advice. I will investigate this technique further. As for the people who have been bittin by there "pet" cobra. : I believe everyone should have the right to keep these types of animals. But I also believe it should be regulated in such a way as to weed out the : "pet" mentality. There is a pet store currently in Portland Oregon that has offered to sell and sold all species of venomous snakes to the public. : Portland is now working on passing new laws which will completley prohibit venomous reptiles because of this pet store owner and various others who did not take the time nor the effort : in learning proper handling techniques and safety. : Thanks again : Richard Ritchey

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