Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

This section will help you get first aid treatment protocols incase of an envenomation. This includes indigenous and exotic reptiles. Please do not use this forum for photo sharing, etc.

Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby ISZY » Sun May 06, 2012 8:24 pm

Hi guys, thought i would share my bite experience with you. Eyelash urged me to do so, so here i am sharing.

On wednesday 3 May 2012, i got bitten by my Pseudoceraste fieldi. I glanced in the cage to check where she was, before i stuck my hand in with the tweezers, her body was underneath a rock in the cage, so i assumed her head was facing the other side of the tank. I opened the sliding door and put the pinkie in the cage with my tweezers. Her face was however facing the glass. As the pinkie went past her face she struck, and it happened to be on my middle finger of my right hand.

Doing my utmost to remain calm i closed the tank and rushed to the hospital. I arranged for the hospital to be notified of my arrival incase there were any necessary arrangements to be made, i also contacted Mike Perry who met me at the ER of the hospital.

It seemed to be a mild invenomnation through the bite. Mike and i told the medical staff to treat me sympotmatically as my hand began to swell. An hour passed and a new doctor came to treat me, she contacted Johan Marais to consult him on the procedure she should follow with regards to treatment.

As it goes with Pseudocerastes they are mainly heamotoxic, however the distinctive difference between fieldi and persicus is that the fieldi has neurotoxic properties to the heamotoxic venom where as the persicus is only heamotoxic.

it was this additional property that encouraged them to put me in ICU for more hands on observation.

i was discharged thursday 4 May 2012 morning, with blurred vision and localised swelling.

i went home slept and the blurred vision disipated.

the swelling got worse, and doctor's recommendation was to put my arm in a sling to help aleviate pressure in the limb.

only symptom that has not changed is the numbness at the bite area.

i would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to Mike Perry and Johan Marais.

here is a pic of my hand on friday, not gorey or anything but thought i would post it out of interest sake.
_pseudo bite.jpg
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby Aaxel » Sun May 06, 2012 8:58 pm

Glad your recovering! Also, well done for staying calm, I would have never managed!
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby Herald_23 » Sun May 06, 2012 10:25 pm

Thank you for sharing! And to think I panicked a bit (even though I did my research on the venom) when my C. hotamboeia chewed on me
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby bitis keeper » Mon May 07, 2012 1:29 am

Ouch!!
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby froot » Mon May 07, 2012 8:39 am

Very interesting and glad you're ok.

Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby Sico » Mon May 07, 2012 11:51 am

Did they do any bloodwork, and if so, do you have the results?
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby Serpent » Mon May 07, 2012 1:00 pm

Thanks for sharing bud, most of us would like to keep this kind of news to ourselves to save our reputation which is a pity. However you were man enough to share and I am sure this information will be useful in the future should another member be bitten by Pseudoceraste fieldi.
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby ISZY » Mon May 07, 2012 6:07 pm

yes they did tests, every 4 hours in icu, to monitor the coagulation of my blood.

i will try get the results of the tests to post them.
The depth of a man's soul
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby Sico » Mon May 07, 2012 6:55 pm

Thanks, It'll be interesting to see PTT's and full blood counts as the time scale went on.
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby Treeby » Mon May 07, 2012 10:26 pm

like i told you
your lucky that snake didnt inject
tell me will you have some available this seison
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby Bob H » Tue May 08, 2012 1:20 am

Thanks for sharing and I am glad it was a "mild" envenomation.
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby Sico » Tue May 08, 2012 1:16 pm

Treeby? I'm sure the swelling didn't take place as a result of the amazing crushing power of the viper's jaws...
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby bradmiller » Wed May 09, 2012 12:21 pm

Glad you are ok - moral of the story - get longer tweezers?
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby Bushviper » Wed May 09, 2012 12:53 pm

Actually moral of the story is learn how to work with venomous snakes in the cage by isolating them and having decent handling protocols.
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Re: Pseudocerastes fieldi bite

Postby ISZY » Wed May 09, 2012 5:10 pm

yes BV you are absolutely correct. my tweezers are 55cm long, so its not the length of the tweezers that was the issue. i have setup to blame and so i have re set her tank from a sliding door set up to a roof opening setup to spot her instantly, shallow bowls are placed at her favourite hiding spots so that i can put her food into these and she can find it easily. The reason i fed her with tweezers was to prevent ingestion of substrate. Now with the bowl set up she should still be substrate ingestion free.
The depth of a man's soul
can not be measured in a matter
of meters and fathoms
but rather it is in my opinion
only quantified by his proximity
to heaven and hell.
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ISZY
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Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 7:51 pm

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