ORANGE COUNTY NEWS (Orange, Texas) 05 April 06 Warming trends heat up chances of snakes biting people and pets (Matt Williams)
Spring has sprung. But colorful wildflowers, dogwood blooms and baby bug aren't the only signs of the times cropping up across the Texas landscape.
The warming weather trends that drive the spring green-up also coax snakes of all kinds from their winter dens. Though most will live out the next eight months in complete solitude, a few of the slithery critters will invariably wind up in the paths of humans, dogs and other domestic animals.
It is those crack encounters you and Fido need to be worried about. Particularly when it involves a snake with a head shaped like a piece of pie.
A snake with a V-shaped head could be a pit viper.And the business end of one of those bad boys isn't something to be messed with. Get too close - knowingly or not - and you could wind up paying a visit to the local ER.
The pit viper is named as such because it has facial pits between the eye and nostril on each side of its head. The heat sensitive pits are used to detect prey.
Several species of pit vipers exist in Texas: rattlesnakes, copperheads and water moccasins (also called cottonmouths.)
The snakes have long, sharp fangs at the front of the upper jaw. The fangs are retractable; they stay folded against the roof of the mouth until the snake opens its mouth to strike.
The pit viper doesn't really bite. It stabs, then injects its toxic venom through its fangs.
Poisonous snakes in the U.S. bite thousands of people each year. While most fully recover from the bites, others aren't so lucky.
Some snakebite victims lose full or partial use of the limb where the bite occurred. Death occurs in only a small percentage of the people who are bitten by snakes, according to reports from the Texas Health Department.
Several factors dictate the height of the price tag to be paid as the result of being bitten by a venomous snake.
The amount of time that lapses between the time of the bite and when medical treatment is administered is critical. Other things to take into consideration are the health and the age victim, as well as the person's physical size.
"Young children are especially susceptible to problems, mainly because of their size," said Dr.Fred Rainwater. "Elderly people or those in poor health also are at increased risk of problems."
Rainwater isn't a physician. But he knows a lot about snakes.
Rainwater is a retired herpetologist who taught the science at Stephen F. Austin State for 30 years. Not surprisingly, he has had his share of encounters with snakes.
Rainwater's first advice to someone who encounters a snake of any kind is good advice. Find an alternate route.
"Just about all snakes will leave you alone if you leave them alone," he said.
According to Rainwater, most snakebites involving humans occur for one of two reasons. A person either gets too close to a snake they know is there, or they startle one by unknowingly invading its territory.
"A lot of snake bites occur purely out of reaction," Rainwater said. "If someone picks up a rock or piece of wood a snake is laying under, the snake could strike out of defense."
Such was the case several years ago when Rainwater was guiding a group of herpetology students on a field trip in Jasper County. One of the students was peeling bark off a log looking for salamanders. He didn't notice there was a snake nearby and was bitten on the forearm.
The student was able to identify the snake as a copperhead, one of the four venomous species of snakes found in Texas.
Rather than seeking medical attention immediately, the student made the mistake of cutting himself with a knife to try and extract the venom himself. Then he went to his teacher.
"He showed me the bite and it was already swollen pretty bad," Rainwater recalled. "We left out for the hospital immediately."
Emergency room personnel administered the proper antivenin to counteract the poison. Luckily, the student eventually made a full recovery. Physicians discourage using home remedies on snakebites, or slicing the bite to suck the venom out. Cutting the bite could cause the venom to spread quicker.
The copperhead represents only a small fraction of the snakebites that occur in Texas each year. Rattlesnakes deliver the most bites of any of the state's pit vipers.
Like the copperhead, the venom of a rattler is hemotoxic. The poison attacks and destroys red blood cells as blood vessel walls, which can lead to deterioration of muscle tissue.
Common symptoms suffered by individuals bitten by pit vipers include immense pain, swelling, chills, nausea and skin discoloration.
The venom of the cottonmouth (also called the water moccasin) can be equally destructive, if not more.
"The water moccasin can throw you for a loop," Rainwater said.
The cottonmouth also can be pretty aggressive at times. Rainwater said most snakes will usually make an attempt leave when threatened. But the water moccasin is bad about holding its ground. Once alarmed, the water moccasin will often open its mouth to reveal the stark white lining inside (thus the cottonmouth name).
The fourth venomous snake native to Texas isn't a pit viper. But the coral snake is certainly among the most dangerous.
A coral snake has fixed fangs and doesn't strike. It must actually bite down on a victim to dispense a nasty venom that attacks the nervous system.
Although most victims report very little pain associated with coral snake bites, the consequences can be serious. The neurotoxins in the coral snake venom can cause nausea, headache, euphoria, difficulty breathing and possible paralysis.
Rainwater said coral snake bites are pretty rare, but they do happen on occasion. Many bites occur in small children drawn close to the snake by its bright colors, or by those who attempt to catch them.
Rings of black, yellow and red form the coral snake's coloration pattern. Other nonvenomous snakes are similarly colored. But the coral snake is easily identifiable, because it is the only one with red and yellow rings touching.
Here is an easy-to-remember rhyme for identifying coral snakes: "Red on yellow, kill a fellow; red on black, venom lack." Rainwater cited
A couple of myths about coral snakes worth remembering.
A lot of people believe a coral snake has to chew to bite, or that the thin skin between the fingers is the only place one can bite you," he said. "Neither is true. I've seen a coral snake bite down on a hoe handle." Who is at risk?
Naturally, rural residents or those who spend lots of time outdoors are more likely to encounter snakes than a person who stays indoors most of the time, or one who lives in the city. But no location is 100 percent snakeproof. Snakes - venomous and nonvenomous - are apt to show up just about anywhere.
Spring turkey hunters, timber loggers and hikers definitely fit the high-risk bill. Snakes also show up around gardens, lawns, flower beds, barns, brushpiles, rock piles or any other place that might provide good shelter near a potential hunting ground.
It is always a good idea to take some precautions when visiting areas where chance encounters with snakes exist.
1.) Wear high top leather boots and long pants.
2.) Stay alert and watch your step.
3.) Never reach into places where you cannot see.
4.) Avoid walking outdoors at night.
While people are always at risk of encountering snakes, the likelihood of domestic animals running into snakes is even higher. Snakes probably bite dogs more than any other.
The reason? Dogs are instinctively bad about putting their noses where they don't belong.
"The smaller terrier breeds - rat terriers and Jack Russells - are especially bad about getting snake bit," said Dr. Jason Richards, a Nacogdoches-based veterinarian. "That's what we see the most of. They seem to be the ones that always find the snakes."
Richards said most snake bites involving dogs are easily treated. Often times, an over-the-counter antihistymine such as Benadryl will do the trick.
"It tends to vary from dog to dog," Richards said. "Some dogs do just fine with overthe counter treatment. Others don't respond to it very well.You need to watch the animal very closely. If there is swelling and it doesn't begin subside within a couple of hours, or if gets worse, you need to get the dog to a vet."
Richards said the location of the bite and the size of the dog also can have a bearing on how quickly the individual recovers.
He said snake bites that occur around the head are more easily overcome than bites that occur around the feet or legs.
Although Richards has never lost a dog to a snake bite, he has seen instances when it took three to four days for the animal to bounce back. Most involved small dogs (under 20 pounds) that were bitten on the foot.
"Those dogs ran a very high fever," he said. "
There is a chance a dog could die or lose a limb in a case like that. Usually, it is best bring the dog in for treatment, just to be on the safe side." If you may have been bitten by a venomous snake, here are some tips from the Texas Health Department:
- Keep calm. Take deep breaths to relax yourself. Frantic activity will cause the venom to spread faster. Reduce movement of a bitten limb.
- Do not try to capture or kill the snake; it will probably just bite you again.
- If possible, keep the area of the bite lower than your heart.
- Remove jewelry, such as rings and watches, and tightfitting clothes before the onset of swelling.
- Do not try to remove the venom yourself.
- Do not apply heat or cold to the bitten area.
- Do not apply home remedies to the bite.
- Do not use a tourniquet or constricting band around the bite.
- Do not use aspirin or related medications because they increase bleeding.
- Do not eat or drink, especially alcoholic beverages.
- Get medical attention as soon as possible. Call 911, your local emergency number or the Texas Poison Center Network at 1-800-POISON-1 (1-800-764-7661). Someone can tell you which medical centers carry the appropriate antivenin. If possible, provide emergency personnel with a description of the snake. If no emergency care is available, get to the nearest medical treatment facility.Keep calm, and walk rather than drive.
Warming trends heat up chances of snakes biting people and pets

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