snakes venom

[chewy fyu]

hi all was just wondering i plan on keeping dwa in future when ive got the right amount of experience and personally believe im capable of keeping them safely and knowing there is a low risk of me or others near getting hurt from my inproper handling techniques etc but i was wondering for the british herpotologist just how easy is it to equire anti-venom and is there anywhere or anyone you can go to learn how to administer it safely and is there anywhere you can get tort or experiance in handling these deadly but amazing beutifull snakes

[Ssthisto]

In order to learn how to administer antivenom correctly, you would need to be a doctor or paramedic. It is not something that venomous keepers have at home (in general - it can be quite expensive and has a fairly short shelf life) and people can die from allergic reactions to the antivenom, too.

Not sure if there's anyone up your way that does venomous handling courses; I know that Shropshire Exotics has run them in the past, although we don't know if or when they plan to run another one.

[pythondave82]

Chewy fuyu, just an inch or two below your titled thread, you will find a somewhat large and detailed 9 page thread - created by a young reptile enthusiast who over the period of a week has asked a variety of questions, similarly related to yours.

Ssthisto, even paramedics would not administer a/v – the whole a/v and snake bite treatment subject is far too lengthy to even discuss on a forum – again refer to the previous thread where various experienced members have made comment.

Cheers,

Dave

[Ssthisto]

Thanks for the further info, Pythondave - I'd thought I'd read somewhere about paramedics being able to give antivenom, but it could have been *American* paramedics or I might have misunderstood what I was reading.

As far as it goes, you need medical training and quite a lot of it (and appropriate equipment) to administer antivenom and it's not something a reptile hobbyist should be considering doing.

[stuartdouglas]

Antivenin = hospital + doctors + advice from Dr Harris (LSTM)
Contrary to popular film culture it's not a "one jab cures all" quick fix and the risks in administering it are quite high

[pythondave82]

Originally Posted by stuartdouglas

Antivenin = hospital + doctors + advice from Dr Harris (LSTM)
Contrary to popular film culture it's not a "one jab cures all" quick fix and the risks in administering it are quite high

Hi Stu, dont mean to sound pedantic - would be Proff lalloo or Warrell (if you were lucky)

Proff David Lalloo is now in the fron seat, Proff Warrell is still around though.

Cheers,

Dave

[stuartdouglas]

Originally Posted by pythondave82

Hi Stu, dont mean to sound pedantic - would be Proff lalloo or Warrell (if you were lucky)

Proff David Lalloo is now in the fron seat, Proff Warrell is still around though.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks Dave, I did think it was Prof. Warrell, but then someone told me he'd retired.

[PDR]

As others have said, administering antivenom is far too dangerous a thing to try on yourself or someone else. It should never be attempted by any unqualified person. Ideally it should only ever be given in Hospital where they have the equipment, drugs and skill to control the various complications that can arise from using AV.
My respected friends & colleagues here at LSTM and Oxford may be known to several people on this forum, but in most cases they are the unsung heroes that Private keepers will never get to meet.... These men would prefer that Private Keepers go straight to hospital if they are bitten and then allow the hospital staff to follow a set protocol of making contact with them as needed.