Info can save your life

[snake-5]

Hi,

Wish I could trade you for some South African Polyvalent but we are not allowed to sell anti-venom to the public we can only use for envenomations in a hospital. But find out what your local zoos have on stock if they have any North American Pit Vipers on display they should have anti-venom. CroFab, Wyeth and Antivipym will cover those snakes. Be aware you will need at least 20 to 30 vials of CroFab for a moderate Western bite. Have a plan including numbers incase you get a bite we are available 24 hrs a day for the Doctors treating you. Make sure you have Medical Documents/Case studies/Protocols to show the treating Doctor, because if they are like US Doctors here they won’t listen to a venomous snake keeper. Hope this helps.



I’ll be glad to answer any other questions.



Lieutenant Charles R. Seifert

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue

Venom Response Team

(786) 331-4444 Office

(786) 229-0430 Cell

(305) 222-2125 Fax

(305) 366-3087 Pager

E-mail: seifert@miamidade.gov

Web site: www.venomone.com

[Bushviper]

I have heard the CroFab costs a good few hundred dollars an ampoule. If you multiply even just $500 with 20 vials then you end up paying $6000 which means R36000 excluding 14% vat and 15% import duties after paying freight and handling charges which is probably another R5000.

Rather expensive for a mistake. I would love to get their "expired" antivenom because as you all know the expiry date is just a legal hinderance and is no indication of its efficiency.

[BWSmith]

Last info I saw was US $900 for CroFab. Hopefully Bioclon will become more available in the US as it seems to be more effective against the more neurotoxic crotalids.

[Bushviper]

Damn now that is a lot of money. I would not have budgeted for enough antivenom and probably lost and arm or a leg.

Oh I see now why if something is too expensive they say it costs "an arm and a leg".

BW please tel us more about Bioclon.

[BWSmith]

Bioclon is the manufacturer of Antivipym. I just always refer to it as Bioclon since Antivipym goes against my brain's natural spelling funtions It is a Mexican crotalidae polyvalent so it is designed for more neurotoxic species such as durissus. My understanding is that it is more effective against these types of crotalids.