dwa bitten

[ViperLover]

Originally Posted by Azemiops

James,

Bare in mind local hospitals DO NOT stock anti-venom. The UK stock for 'public use' with the NHS is held at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, or Guys Hospital in London.

Do local Zoos have to stock it for private use? For example...My local Zoo, as to my knowledge doesn't keep Venomous (On display, but hey...Nobody knows what's in the Herp room unless you work there, or know somebody that does) I would've thought Marwell Zoological Park (My local Zoo) would stock Antivenom if there was local private venomous keepers. This is just an example, Please don't take it the wrong way that I am being cocksure again by wanting to keep venomous, I am just using an example for a question

[Genseric]

I would count on a Sea King trip to London or Liverpool, rather than your local hospital stocking anything... I certainly remember that is what happened to the eijit that got nailed here a few years ago.

[Azemiops]

The fast majority, if not all, zoos and other professional organisations that house venomous snakes will have supplies of anti-venom for the species of snake that they are keeping. However, it is frowned upon and very unpractical for private venomous snake keepers to keep stocks of anti-venom.

[Genseric]

The cost alone, added to the shelf life, make it really unfeasable to many.. which is why detailed plans should be made incase the worse happens.

In FL the local hospital had the stuff needed if got was stupid, and got nailed... over here? Well I would be making sure that everyone relevant knows what I have and making sure that they are the ones on the contacts list.

A promise I always made myself was that if I was ever bitten, even dry, I would never have another hot.

[Saedcantas]

I don't believe any zoological collection keeps their own antivenin on site as it can only be administered and stored in a specific fashion.
Whether the hospitals local to UK institutions hold small stocks for specific species is something I'd wonder about.
Here in Jersey our local Hospital holds our stock of antivenin which we are required to supply, I'm not sure at all if similar arrangements can occur in the UK or if there is genuinely none held outside of Guy's and LSTM?

[Azemiops]

Originally Posted by Saedcantas

I don't believe any zoological collection keeps their own antivenin on site as it can only be administered and stored in a specific fashion.
Whether the hospitals local to UK institutions hold small stocks for specific species is something I'd wonder about.
Here in Jersey our local Hospital holds our stock of antivenin which we are required to supply, I'm not sure at all if similar arrangements can occur in the UK or if there is genuinely none held outside of Guy's and LSTM?

Hi Saedcantas,

I know of several proffesional (including Zoological) collections in the UK that stock their own supply of anti-venom for the species they are housing. It is a stipulation within these collections that anti-venom must be held for any venomous snake species that is being held of the premises. I also know of one private DWA keeper in the UK that keeps a small stock of antivenom for at least one species of snake he is keeping.

Cheers, Tom

[ViperLover]

Originally Posted by Azemiops

I also know of one private DWA keeper in the UK that keeps a small stock of antivenom for at least one species of snake he is keeping.

Possibly because He/She is keeping a very rare animal, and serum may be in short supply? Or hard to milk etc?...