Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking for first aid suggestions for treating venonous snake bites when professional medical care is 1-5 hours away.

My family and I live in west Texas, among diamondback, mojave, blacktail and rock rattlesnakes and an hour from the nearest hospital.

I don't keep any hot herps, but often escort them off the roads. My main concern is that one of my young boys will get bitten while playing around our house or out hiking. We all hike quite a bit and often spot rattlers in the field. Often, we are 1-2 hours hike from the truck, another 1-2 hours to the nearest paved road, then another hour to the hospital.

yep. It;s called " cell phone ". If i can get service and or signal strength now in and around Terlingua, Study Butte and Terlingua Ranch area..........will be on a extended stay there mid-Oct, through the last of Nov. and these cell phones will be my life line.
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

That's a great first step. We're actually planning to get a satelite phone. Cell phone coverage is spotty or absent in most of south Brewster county (were we live). Especially away from the few towns and roads (i.e. the places we like to hike). We currently own scattered parcels all over Terlingua Ranch and some of them are literally a two hour drive (depending on road conditions) from the nearest paved road.

ULTIMATE BACK COUNTRY EMERGENCY MEDICAL PLAN:
Satelite phone, GPS, Life Flight Helicopter stocked with CroFab. However, wait time could still be considerable. I'm not sure how long it would take a helicopter to load up and fly from Odessa to the edge of the Solitario (NW of Terlingua).

If my two year old is hit in the thigh by a Mojave, I'd like to do something more productive than holding his hand while we wait for a helicopter. I just know that many traditional first aid treatments can be counterproductive.

of Terlingua after the yolk in the road on 170 west of Study Butte is where I would ask of life flight helicopter time. I know that several years ago life flight was called for a snake bite victim down there but also of a few traffic and flood victims and they landed way off where the victims were. If I got this right, the Alpine hospital ran short of serum a few years ago because of several bites on several herpers and non-herpers. As you Eby, I have been out on some " moon scape " terlingua ranch property very far off of the beaten trial and the thought of getting nabbed by a hot hit me and what I would do. Also you are correct that cell phone signal is indeed spotty. I could be wrong but I don't think that Med Vac or life line flight can give serum but i have heard of anti-histamine and stabilizing a snake bite victim being done. It is scary if a child gets hit and especially by a mojave or such down there.
Off topic.........how long have you lived there ? I would like to meet up with you and family while down as i will probably get very bored. I am also wanting to see what movement is still going on reptile wise. If ya want to check me out, I am a regular poster on the other forum of the gray banded. I am suppose to hire a property / land surveyor for that friend that has property in Terlingua ranch. Of course only if HE pays for it. LOL !
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

I'd be delighted to meet you. I'm a frequent visitor on the Grey Band forum and always enjoy your posts. I no longer keep herps but still love to catch and release.

We've lived here about three years and I was here part time for about a year before that. We own scattered properties and are always looking for more. We sell some and build (then sell) on others. Of course we try to keep as much as our budget allows. We also plan to start building small rental cabins.

I have a good contact for unofficial but accurate surveys for about $200-300. A real survey down here runs around $250 per corner.

Email me at mountain.man@hughes.net

Try looking at Chris Harper's site www.venomousreptiles.org or contacting him through the site for advice. Also check with your Poison Control Center and you can look at Sean Bush's envenomation protocals.