Additionally, while working through the brush (trying to find someplace
where the fence was down) my horse was bitten on the back of his heel
(back leg) by a rattlesnake. Which I didn't even notice until we got back
to the barn. Knowing that tetnus from the deep puncture wound was the
biggest threat, I cleaned the wound well, soaked in iodine, and treated
with topical antibiotics. Also, it is absolutely essential to keep the
circulation going as the other big threat is gangrene. Cold treatment
(which compromises circulation even further) is TOTALLY contraindicated in
the treatment of rattlesnake wounds...this is true both for people and
horses. In order to keep his circulation going to his feet, I worked his
butt off for the next 1-2 weeks.
About six weeks after the incident, a hunk of his frog which had died,
fell off. That was the total effect of a rattlesnake bite to the leg on
my horse. I personally, don't carry a tube with me when I am out on the
trail as my horse doesn't ride with his nose on the ground where it can
get bit. Generally speaking, it is curious horses out to pasture that
get bit on the nose.
kat
Orange County, Calif.
p.s. Rattlesnake bites is people are generally speaking quite harmless as
well. Many rattlesnake bites have no venom in them (for anybody who is
interested in a biology/zoology lesson I can explain why), and even those
that do. For most healthy adults, a rattlesnake bite that goes completely
untreated with hurt like hell and make you pretty sick for a couple of
days (and it will swell up like a balloon). As in horses, anything that
compromises the circulation is TOTALLY contraindicated, so whatever you
do...DON'T put a turniquet on (despite what you may have seen in the
movies). However, with people, exercise is also contraindicated as it is
better to keep the poison localized to the area of the bite and let it be
disipated through the tissue rather than being carried back to the heart.
If you get bit by a rattlesnake, quietly transport yourself to the nearest
emergency room where you will probably be treated with an anti-venin. If
you are bleeding profusely (which rarely ever happens) hold a pressure
bandage on it.