This is an important part of any venomous keeper’s tools. Keep a copy near your snakes and keep a copy in your car. This is a book in which you list the species you keep. Its real purpose is for emergencies. If you should get bit this will have the species you keep and (if added) a list of treatments and a/v for that snake. It should also provide a number of who to contact for more a/v should that be needed. You can’t always count on the hospital for this information. It’s best if you are prepared for the worst in this book. You want to put your medical history in there, i.e. allergies and meds you shouldn’t take, any conditions you might have (I have asthma so I list it and the meds I take for it). You also want to put contact info in there so people know who to call should they need too. Its also good to maybe put a living will in there incase you take a fatal bite. Hard to think but it’s a real possibility. The contact numbers in the document below are correct as far as I know. The Miami-Dade venom bank is an important one because it’s the main source of a/v. It wouldn't be a bad idea to contact you local zoos and hospitals to see what they have so that way you know where you can get a/v should you need more than your hospital can provide. The a/v index guide is also a very good thing to include in your protocol. This document is a list of snakes and the a/v’s that treat them. I.E. most rattlesnakes (crotalus ssp.) here in the U.S. are treated with crofab antivenom. What I did is print the who list off and then highlight the species I keep. This way it’s easier to find when flipping through the pages. There are a lot of them. Link to a/v index guide: http://www.toxinfo.org/antivenoms/synopsis.html This is a link to the WCH Clinical Toxinology Resources page. Its a very useful page and has tons of info about venomous animals (not just snakes). For my bite protocal I print out the pages on my animals and highlight the common name and latin name. This page also gives symptoms and treatements for bites and recommended a/v. http://www.toxinology.com/ This thing can be a real life saver if you are found unconscious and a snake is missing. If you have the proper list in your protocol and your cages are labeled with the species and number of animals in the cage, then tracking down the snake that bit you will be a bit easier. But it’s best to not work your hots alone. Be safe and be smart. Use the proper tools and never get complacent with your animals. You can take the animals out of the wild but you can’t take the wild out of the animals. Hopefully this helps. Thanks to Ray Hunter for providing this for people to use. Again this is just a template, feel free to customize and add other stuff you find to be helpful. Feel free to copy and customize to your own needs. Ray Hunter ---------------------------------------------------------- POST SNAKEBITE PROTOCOL DATA Table of Contents: ? Post Bite Report ? Patient Identification & Medical Information ? Sources of Antivenom ? Emergency Notifications ? Past Labs & Medical Records ? Copy of Venomous Permit ? Antivenom Package Inserts ? Living Will ? Misc. Info & Contacts POST SNAKEBITE REPORT For: NAME:__________________________ D.O.B.:________ ADDRESS:______________________________________ S.S.#:____________________ PHONE#:_____________ NEXT OF KIN:__________________________________ ADDRESS:______________________________________ PHONE:________________________________________ TREATING PHYSICIAN:________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date of Bite:____________ Time of Bite:_____________ Location of Bite:_________________________________ Type of Snake:___________________________________ Size of Snake:______________ Secured?:____________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ACTION TAKEN: Time: / Action Taken ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Medical & General Info for: ____________________ ***Privileged Information*** Full Name:______________________________ D.O.B.:_________________________________ S.S.#:___________________________________ Address:________________________________ ________________________________ Phone #:________________________________ Place Of Employment:___________________ ________________________________________ Next of Kin:______________________________ Address:______________________________ _______________________________ Phone #:_____________________________ _______________________________ ALLERGIES:____________________________ Current Meds.:__________________________ ___________________________ History of Illnesses:______________________ _______________________________________ ________________________________________ Treating Physician:_______________________ Phone #:_______________________________ Other Info:______________________________ ANTIVENOM SOURCES 1) Miami Dade Antivenom Bank: (786) 336-6600 Contact: Al Cruz Miami, FL 2) Ray Hunter, Hunter Serpentology: 772-215-7625 Contact: Ray Palm City, FL 3) Miami Serpentarium Labs: 941-639-8888 Contact: Bill Haast Punta Gorda, FL 4) Reptile World Serpentarium: 407-892-6905 Contact: George VanHorn. St. Cloud, FL 5) Antivenom Index: 405-271-5454 Oklahoma City SNAKEBITE TREATMENT EXPERTS 1) Bernard Kurecki, M.D. : 772-336-9600 off, 772-336-5094 hm Port St. Lucie, FL (RAY?S DOCTOR FOR SNAKEBITES) 2) Findley Russell, M.D. : 602-626-4047 Arizona 3) Bill Haast (Miami Serpentarium) 941-639-8888 4) Poison Control: 800-282-3171 5) Arizona Poison Control: 602-626-6016 Univ. of Arizona 6) Antivenom Index: 405-271-5454 Oklahoma City EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS NAME: RELATIONSHIP: PHONE #?s _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ OTHER ITEMS TO INCLUDE: *Antivenom Index from AZA ? Copy of most recent lab work ? Copy of Photo ID ? Antivenom Package Inserts ? Venomous Permits ? Living Will ?
Just something to add about the contacts part of the protocal. Its good to call around your area hospitals and local zoos to see if they have anti-venom and such. This will also give you a better idea of where you may be treated. Not all local hospitals are set up for bites and may have you sent somewhere else.
Thanks for this, Curtis. Making it a sticky so it doesn't get lost down with the threads. It contains a lot of important information.
Something not mentioned in this snake Bite Protocal. Under no circumstances free handle any venomous snake.
