Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last year at the stables I thought that a horse had died of colic, but just recently found out that it was because of a snake bite. I remember what it looked like, standing with its head in a corner looking miserable, occasionally sorta squatting with its back legs as if trying to urinate, but didn't. Then it just keeled over and died. This behavior was not typical of colic so finding out that it was a snake bite explained the difference. What I would like to know was just exactly did this horse go through before it died. It was bitten high on a back leg by, I think, a Diamondback (it was in El Paso TX about three miles from the New Mexico border). I thought that a big animal like this would survive a bite like this, since others have in the past. One that did make it had run 5 miles back to the stables, which surprised me, since I thought the running would pump the venom through it's system faster than the one that got it on the back leg and then just stood around till it died. So can anyone explain just what this horse experienced as far as pain, and did the venom attack the heart and make it stop, or what?

Thanks
MissHisssss

I'm sorry to hear about your horse. My knowledge on rattlesnake distribution in the US is not very good and "diamond back" is unfortunately not an accurate discription. I presume you may live in the range of the Western Diamond back (Crotalus atrox) or the Mojave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus). Typical rattlesnake bites tend to be very painful, involve some form of swelling in the bitten limb and at times blisters, sometimes very extreme. There can also be a large fluid shift, plasma and sometimes blood move from your vessels to the surrounding area, death is normaly because of organ failure, normally the kidneys go first either due to being clogged up with small clots or due to an extreme drop in blood pressure. The exception is the Mojave were this snake affects the nervous system, symptoms can normaly be seen facialy, drooping eyelids, excessive drooling, frowning, generally the impression is of someone who is extremely intoxicated and tiered. The end affect is the venom effects the nerves of respiration, causing the breathing to become shallow and and at some stage inaffective. These are typical signs in human bites I would presume it would be the same for a horse? Maybe somebody can give you an accurate account of snakes in your area.
Regards
John
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"Its no help to hide behind the statement that snake bite accidents are a rarity and that the average Dr seldom or never will treat one. For the bitten patient, it is a matter of life or death, and the rarity of the event is of no interest to him."

I'm not too far from you, I live in Las Cruces, NM. Anyway, what rabies said is correct, Western Diamondbacks (Crotalus atrox) and mojaves (Crotalus scutulatus) are common in El Paso County. Blacktail rattlesnakes (Crotalus molossus) are also found there, which could be another suspect. There are several other rattlesnake species in our area, but they would be unlikely candidates for biting your horse. The venom of western diamondbacks is extremely tissue destructive, and your horse would probably have noticable necrosis at and around the bitesite. Mojaves cause typically cause little tissue destruction, but they have a devastating effect on the nervous system, and are very toxic. This may be the culprit, though it impossible to say for sure without having seen the horse and witnessed symptoms firsthand. Most horses seem to recover from snake bites (at least around here), however a horse that is old or ill may die due to the extra stress on the body from the venom.

Hey psilocybe.... howdy neighbor.

Thanks ya all for the explanation. Actually it was not my horse and it was very young and healthy. I'm not sure when it got bite, but I was under the impression that it was that morning and it died around four that afternoon. But don't quote me on the time it was bitten. No drooling. No drooping facial parts. Just that squatting thing. They were about to put it outta its misery when it keeled over on it's own. Sad.

MissHisssss

Actually, it was bitten two days before it died.

MissHisssss