MOUNTAIN NEWS (Lake Arrowhead, California) 12 June 08 Child Bitten By Rattler (Mary-Justine Lanyon)
Last Monday when 3-year-old Natalie Arenas-Flores asked her mother if she could go outside to play with her big sister Alyssa Cuvas-Flores and her friends, Arlene Arenas-Flores told her to stay inside with her and the baby. The family lives on Sequoia Drive in Lake Arrowhead.
Little did Arlene know a juvenile Southern Pacific rattlesnake had crawled through the gap under their door and onto the carpet in the living room.
When 16-year-old Alyssa heard Natalie scream, she ran inside. Luck was on the side of the family as Alyssa has a passion for snakes and is an amateur snake handler.
The snake had bitten Natalie on the top of her left foot; after biting her, it went behind the door.
As the girls’ grandmother Minerva Flores tells the story, Alyssa grabbed her snake-handling stick, dazed the snake with it, picked it up with the stick and placed the snake in a plastic bag.
Meanwhile, Arlene was on the phone with 9-1-1. Alyssa, who had recently taken a CPR class, kept Natalie calm while they waited for the paramedics to arrive.
Natalie was taken to Mountains Community Hospital and then airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she was given anti-venom.
Again luck stepped in for the family as Dr. Sean Bush, host of the television show Venom ER and an envenomation specialist, is on staff as an emergency physician.
Dr. Bush told a Los Angeles television station that when he first saw Natalie, “She was still having progressive envenomation symptoms,” so he gave her more anti-venom.
On Wednesday Minerva told The Mountain News Natalie was still in the hospital but is doing much better. She couldn’t say enough about her older granddaughter. “We are so proud of Alyssa,” she said. “She wants to be a venom specialist and always watches the programs with Dr. Bush.”
In their press release, the sheriff’s department reminded residents that “the warmer weather conditions and recent fires have caused an increase in local sightings and contacts with wildlife. Caution should be used when engaged in outdoor activities and extra diligence in monitoring children and pets is advised.”
Dr. Bush said he advised parents to walk the perimeter of their yards before letting children play outside. “I suggest they do the same in the garage. And, in this case, in the house.”
Snake Characteristics
Newborn Southern Pacific rattlesnakes are about 10 inches long; adults can grow up to 54 inches. This venomous pit viper has a thin neck with a large triangular head.
The snake is brown with dark brown blotches outlined in light pigment on its back. These blotches turn to bars toward the tail, which is surrounded with dark rings. The last ring is more than twice the width of the other rings. Young have a bright yellow tail. The underside is pale, sometimes weakly mottled.
A rattle, consisting of loose interlocking segments, usually occurs at the end of the tail. A new rattle segment is added each time the skin is shed.
Southern Pacific rattlesnakes are primarily nocturnal but can be active during daylight when the temperature is more moderate.
When alarmed, a rattlesnake shakes its tail back and forth. The movement rubs the rattle segments together producing a buzzing sound which serves as a warning. Juveniles are born with only a silent button at the end of the tail. (Source: www.californiaherps.com)
Dr. Bush said it was highly unusual for a snakebite to take place inside a house. He cautioned against the old wife’s tale of cutting and sucking the blood out of a snakebite. “The only treatment is anti-venom,” he said. “There’s plenty available. Get to a hospital as soon as possible.”
Eve Lacy from Wildhaven Ranch echoed what Bush said. “Keep the person calm. Don’t put ice on the bite. Keep the person’s head above his or her heart. Call 9-1-1 and get the person in the car and meet the paramedics halfway. Seconds count. Should you be bitten while out hiking, walk slowly back to your car. Do not run.”
Lacy said if anyone finds a snake in their yard, they should call her to come and remove it. “We certainly don’t want residents trying to handle them,” she said, “and we don’t want the snakes killed.”
Child Bitten By Rattler