Clinical picture of a snake bite in sheep. A cow was bitten by a snake: what to do? Symptoms of poisonous snake bites

The viper is a poisonous snake that lives in a wide variety of climatic conditions. There are more than 200 species of these reptiles, found all over the world except Australia and Antarctica. Contrary to popular belief, these creatures are peaceful and attack humans in exceptional cases.

Distinctive features of vipers and properties of snake venom

Most common in Russia common viper. It belongs to the order of squamates, the family of vipers (vipers). Vipers have a short and thick body, ranging from 30 to 80 cm in length. Moreover, females are always larger than males. The snake's head has a characteristic triangle shape that distinguishes it from other types of reptiles. Weight reaches 50-180 g, and life expectancy is 15-30 years.

Vipers have excellent day and night vision and feed on small rodents, frogs, insects, and birds. The colors of reptiles are varied - in gray-blue, dark brown tones or black. Most often, males are lighter than females. Typical of both sexes is a dark stripe running along the reptile's spine.

This species of snake tends to lead a sedentary lifestyle, occasionally migrating to winter habitats. Vipers are cold-blooded, therefore thermophilic, they love to spend time basking in the sun. In autumn and spring, they can often be found in forest clearings and edges, at the edge of swamps and ponds, in garden plots and in places of land management work.

It is important to know some behavioral features of these reptiles:

• Vipers are not the first to show aggression towards people and always try to hide from them.
• Hissing is a warning sign indicating the presence of a snake, not a desire to bite.
• The cause of a viper attack is most often careless and unintentional human actions..

Viper venom is not only a dangerous substance, but also a medicinal raw material used in the manufacture of medicines and cosmetics. It has a complex composition, including proteins, lipids, peptides, amino acids, salts of inorganic origin, and sugar. It also contains a large number of necrotizing enzymes that cause negative processes in blood cells and tissues.

The greatest danger from reptile venom is for people who have serious diseases of the cardiovascular system and have not received timely medical care.

Symptoms of a viper bite.

Every year in the Russian Federation, several thousand cases of encounters between a person and a viper, ending in a bite, are registered. The latter, as a rule, is not fatal, but is painful and causes serious conditions requiring emergency medical attention.

According to statistics, death occurs only in 1% of cases. This is due to a small amount of poison injected at the time of the bite.

Most often, the lower or upper limbs become the target of the reptile. The bite is considered more dangerous the closer it is to the head.

Once in the body, the poison is instantly absorbed into the blood. As a result, the following symptoms appear within 20 minutes or less:

• burning pain, redness and swelling around the wound;
• dizziness;
• nausea;
• chills;
• rapid heartbeat.

At the site of the bite, 2 small dots remain - traces of snake teeth.

After some time, the affected area swells and the skin acquires a bluish tint. When a limb is bitten, there is numbness in the fingers.

Reptile venom has a strong hemolytic effect, leading to accelerated blood clotting. As a result, the wounds heal quite quickly.

With an increased concentration of toxic substances after a bite from a common viper, a person may experience fainting, convulsions, internal hemorrhage, develop kidney failure and coma.

First aid

Due to the immediate spread of viper venom in the victim’s body, first aid should be provided as soon as possible (within half an hour). In its absence, there is a high probability of severe consequences and death.

You will need to do the following:

• Immobilize the victim by placing his legs above the level of his head (this is necessary to reduce the effect of the poison on the brain).
• By pressing on the wound, remove the poison from it by suction (in this case, it must be spat out, and there should be no ulcers or open wounds in the mouth).
• Disinfect the bite site with an alcohol-containing solution or hydrogen peroxide (do not burn it thermally!), and apply a loose bandage to it.
• Provide the bite victim with plenty of fluids (still water, weak tea).
• If possible, cool the affected area of ​​the body..

The process of suctioning out snake venom is subject to much controversy regarding its safety and effectiveness. This type of assistance remains the most accessible in field conditions and is relevant during 3-5 minutes after bite. Ingestion of a small amount of poison is not dangerous, since it is completely digested by gastric juice. After providing assistance, it is recommended to rinse your mouth with a solution of potassium permanganate.

If your health worsens, intravenous administration of antihistamines is recommended ( Suprastin, Prednisolone Diphenhydramine), taking antipyretics ( Aspirin). If you faint, you will need to perform artificial respiration and cardiac massage. It is strictly forbidden to give alcohol to the victim, as it can greatly enhance the toxic effect of snake venom. Also, you should not cut the bite site, so as not to complicate the condition of the bitten person by developing an infection.

Due to the increased risk of being bitten by snakes while in nature, it is necessary to carry a first aid kit with essential medical supplies and have basic medical care skills. First of all, this rule applies to tourists, hunters, mushroom pickers and fishermen.

Treatment after a bite

In a medical institution, a patient who has become a victim of a snake attack is prescribed therapy with anticoagulants (blood thinners), the administration of painkillers, drugs to maintain cardiac activity, and saline to more quickly remove the poison from the body. A course of broad-spectrum antibiotics will be required.

Additionally, blood and urine tests and tetanus prevention are required. Elderly people and those with heart problems are recommended to undergo an ECG. In case of a sharp drop in blood pressure, the patient is prescribed Dopamine, Norexadrin, Heptamil. Surgical treatment methods may be used.

Most often, complex drug treatment is not required after a viper bite. If the victim feels normal, he can be sent home within 12 hours after assistance and observation. In more severe cases, the patient may be kept in the hospital for 2-3 days to monitor his condition.

If pain at the site of the bite increases, fever, nosebleeds, discolored urine, difficulty breathing, or increased sweating, the patient will need to return to the hospital.

Is there an antidote?

The domestic antidote for the bite of this species of reptile is known as “Serums against the venom of the common viper”. It is produced using horse serum.

The drug is used intramuscularly and has the appearance of a clear liquid. Contains antibodies that neutralize viper venom. The drug is not the only one of its kind; there are several of its foreign analogues.

The serum should be used only for its intended purpose, as it is not effective against other types of snakes. The administration of the drug is not well tolerated by everyone and can cause anaphylactic shock, so it should only be done under the supervision of a physician.

The dose is divided into several doses. For the first time, 0.1 ml is injected under the skin of the bitten person. If there is no negative reaction within 15 minutes, the next injection (0.25 ml) is given. After the same period of time, the last injection is performed.

The drug should be stored at temperatures up to +8 degrees in the refrigerator. If this condition is not met, a cloudy sediment appears in the ampoule, which makes the serum unsuitable for use.

How to avoid being bitten when encountering a reptile

While in the lap of nature, you must follow simple safety rules. First of all, it is important to prevent an unwanted encounter with a reptile. Simple ways are to move noisily, choose well-trodden paths. Snakes do not have hearing, but they can sense approaching steps well. In this case, the viper will try to hide in a secluded place as soon as possible.

When you are in the area where snakes live, the correct equipment is also important (thick socks, fairly loose trousers, high shoes with thick soles).

When picking mushrooms or berries, you should use gloves and a long stick, and do not push the grass with unprotected hands. Under no circumstances should you go into the forest or to a pond barefoot.

You should be extremely careful and look at your feet more often. If you notice a snake, you should not approach or chase it. Any obsessive behavior on the part of people can lead to a dangerous attack. You should be especially careful during the period when the female gives birth to her cubs (August-September), when reptiles are especially sensitive to outside presence.

In winter, the likelihood of a collision with reptiles is minimal, since during this period they hibernate. Vipers are active from March to October. At this time of year, lovers of being in nature need to remember that this type of snake does not pursue the goal of attacking humans. Producing the amount of venom required for a bite is a huge burden on the body, so aggression is an extreme measure of self-defense.

Common viper - proper handling of the reptile. The educational video below will help you learn a lot of interesting things about these beautiful but deadly creatures.

Thousands of people and animals suffer from snake bites every year. Many people mistakenly believe that if a cow is bitten by a snake, then her life is not in danger. This is not entirely true. It all depends on what kind of snake inflicted the bite, and how much time has passed since the attack on the animal.

Before sending a cow to pasture, it is worth asking about its inhabitants. If old-timers tell you that snake invasions have been observed in these places more than once, it is better to leave such a place, since sooner or later not only the animal, but also the person himself will suffer from the bite of the reptiles. You should also find out exactly what kind of snakes are found in these areas so that, if possible, you can purchase the appropriate serum. This is, of course, a scarce product, but if you want it, it is possible, if not necessary.

If trouble does happen, you must constantly milk the remaining milk for at least a week. The milk itself most often disappears, and some semblance of colostrum appears, but in no case should it be left in the animal’s body.

If a cow is bitten by a viper, then, as a rule, her life is not in particular danger, but her state of health will change for the worse very significantly. And it’s good if the beloved owner was nearby at that moment and will help without delay, but if time is lost, what to do then? Most often, such animals simply fall over on their side and are no longer able to stand up. Of course, milk also disappears. The cow begins to breathe heavily and rapidly, the condition worsens every hour, the appetite disappears completely. Some veterinarians argue that in particularly dangerous cases, the clock is ticking. If help is not provided after two hours, the cow may die. When bitten by less dangerous varieties of snakes, the cow will exhibit lethargy and a complete lack of appetite. It is clear that there is no question of any milk. Even when it gradually begins to recover, it will have to be mercilessly poured out, since the poison that was absorbed by the animal during the snake bite also penetrates into the milk. It is not uncommon for cases when, after a snake bite and a cow’s health has deteriorated, a nasty and narrow-minded owner sends the unfortunate animal for meat. But a loving and caring owner will definitely take on the treatment of his pet patiently and systematically. Of course, some expenses will be required, but if the animal is expensive and has become, to some extent, not just a breadwinner, but also a member of the family, dooming it to death, thinking that in this case there is no way to help, is at least stupid and vile.

If a snake bites an animal in the leg, that’s half the trouble. The most dangerous thing is if the bite occurs in the udder area. It is precisely such attacks that cows endure the worst, and milk loses not only its structural qualities for a long time, but also disappears completely. In this case, you should use Mastisan and the method of constant milking.

If serum is not at hand, then a simpler antihistamine that is accessible to everyone can come to the rescue. Some people successfully use a drug such as Suprastin, which is used when allergic reactions occur. But it is still better to have Prednisolone in your home medicine cabinet, but it must be administered intramuscularly, so it is very desirable that animal breeders have the necessary skills in providing medical care. But it should be remembered that the dosage of any serum must be strictly individual, that is, in this case it is very undesirable to do without the help of a veterinarian.

No matter what trouble happens to the animal, the owner must always be on alert, especially to expect such a problem as a snake bite at any moment. In any pasture there can be a danger of this kind. But if you stock up on basic aid supplies, then in less than a week the cured animal will again go out onto the green meadow to provide its owners with high-quality and healthy milk.

- Hello. Help with advice. Nothing has happened to us yet, but we would like to be prepared for unpleasant situations. We have a cow. This year they gave her to the common herd to graze. There are a lot of snakes in the pasture where our cows graze. There have already been cases in the herd when cows were bitten on the udder (God has had mercy on us so far). Tell me what to do if a snake bites a cow?

Oleg Kolomiytsev, Volgograd region, Kumylzhensky district

Veterinarian Daria Rudenko answers

If you are bitten by a snake, the first thing you should do is take an antihistamine. A drug such as Suprastin, which is used when allergic reactions occur, is very successful. But it’s still better to have Prednisolone in your home medicine cabinet, but it must be administered intramuscularly. These drugs need to be injected immediately, because if five to ten days pass after the bite, there will be no effect.

In addition to antihistamines, local treatment will be required. Since snakes choose areas without hair and with delicate skin to bite, the udder of cows most often suffers. At the site of the bite, swelling quickly develops, which turns into mastitis. Therefore, you can use ointment with Prednisolone to relieve swelling. And immediately start using antibiotics to prevent the development of inflammation. For example, Penbex has proven itself very well, and intracisternal prednisolone-containing drugs (Mastitis forte).

There are traditional methods for removing swelling from the udder. You need to take a handful of ordinary clay and pour in a small amount of 6% vinegar, mix and let it simmer (you will see a violent reaction). After the reaction has passed, apply the resulting porridge after milking the affected portion of the udder twice a day. Usually after the first use the swelling decreases.

If the animal is not eating well and the temperature rises, the drugs Ainil and Ketovet help a lot. Subscribe to our video channel on youtube

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Neighbours! We have another problem. Today, in the pasture, my husband saw a viper for the first time in all these years of living here. We didn't notice them before. And it looks like she bit a month-old goat. I can’t find the place of the bite yet, but his face has started to swell. He cries, lies down, does not get up. What to do in such cases???

13.05.2012.
When my husband told me about the snake, to say that I was terribly scared would be an understatement. I was simply thrown into a state of shock by this message. Firstly, we have lived here for 25 years and have never heard of snakes in our area. And it turns out that poisonous snakes have settled three hundred meters from our house. Where we constantly graze goats (we used to have cows grazing there), walk with our grandchildren, and pick berries. And what should we do now?!

Secondly, I have never encountered not only snake bites, but also snakes themselves. For me, snakes have always been some kind of exotic. And, of course, at the first moment I was confused.
But I remembered that there is the Internet, pulled myself together and entered a search: an antidote for a viper bite. I went to this forum and found out the following:

"The Anti-Viper serum has recently begun to be produced again in Stavropol, you can buy it. But you should not rely on it as a panacea. It, of course, has its beneficial effect, but it is still one of many necessary measures ( and far from being the most important).Subcutaneous provocation in this case is mandatory (!!!), if the spot is large, do not inject it under any circumstances (anaphylactic shock may develop).

Using "Antigyurza" when bitten by a viper (any of those that we have) is not the correct therapy. Although these snakes are related, they are far from the same thing. It is easier for the body to fight one type of protein than two different ones. “Antigyurza” is against the viper, and this snake is found in the Russian Federation only in one single place, a very small outbreak in Dagestan.

If you are nevertheless bitten by a beautiful viper, then the most important thing is not to panic! Most likely, this is not a full-fledged bite, but a light blow with the teeth with minimal input of saliva into the body (or without it at all, the so-called “dry” bite). Or if a snake bit, it injected no more than 20% of the poison it had, this is an “average” bite. A full bite is the fixation of teeth in the body for 1.5 - 2 seconds or more. A person (dog and any other animal), even a weak and elderly one, will reflexively shake off the snake instantly. If, nevertheless, the bite was prolonged (in time), with an interception (not two marks from the teeth, but four, six, etc.), then the situation is quite serious, but not critical. The first thing that can and should be done is to try to suck out the poison (the procedure is practically safe for the “suction person”).

In such cases, it’s also not a bad idea to have in your travel first aid kit:
- antipyretic (at least trivial aspirin);
- any of the cardiovascular drugs;
- prednisolone (or diphenhydramine, tavegil, suprastin, etc.);
- broad-spectrum antibiotic;
- any of the antiprotease drugs - contrical, gordox, etc.;
- painkiller (preferably non-narcotic);
- you can take heptamyl, dopamine, norexadrine or something similar with you. This will be needed if there is a sharp drop in blood pressure;"

The first thing I realized was that I needed to suck out the poison. But the place where I was bitten

I didn’t see it right away. And the little goat’s face has already begun to swell.

It was only upon further careful examination that I discovered two dots near the left nostril. These were the marks from the teeth of the viper.

The swelling was getting worse. This tumor appeared on my chin.


The little goat did not get up on his own; it was felt that he was weak. And the second thing I realized is that we need to give him some cardiovascular medications. Only validol was found in the house. I crushed a quarter of the tablet, diluted it with water and, using a small syringe (without a needle), poured it into his mouth.

Third, you need antihistamines. The husband, just at this time, went to the city to pick up his grandson from school. On the way I stopped at a pharmacy. There, the only antihistamine in the ampoules was suprastin. Took him. There was no trace of serum. But at the pharmacy they gave him a bunch of phone numbers of other pharmacies, the pharmacy on duty, and hospitals. He called everyone, as a result, it turned out that in the whole city the serum was available only in one of the city clinical hospitals in the intensive care unit. Yes, and who would accept us there with the little goat...

My husband brought suprastin. Five ampoules of one cube, 1 ml of 20 mg of the active substance chloropyromine hydrochloride. According to the instructions for children from 1 year to 6 years, the dose is 0.5 ml. She equated the goat to a one-year-old child and, at her own peril and risk, injected him with half a cube intramuscularly.

At this time, the husband called the city veterinary station. A doctor I know works there. She said that they didn’t have the serum and told us to call our village veterinarian - she should have the serum. She advised me to put in Suprastin, half a cube (which I already did). Repeat the injection after two hours, under no circumstances allow the kid to sleep, disturb him, force him to move and give him a massage to improve blood circulation. Yes, and also, drink it with milk.

We have our own veterinary site. But you will never find a doctor on the spot; you can contact her via your city home phone. They called her, she was at home. But she also doesn’t have serum and never has. She also told me to put suprastin on. And so it turns out, as Natasha (Busta) said: “But as practice shows, in 90% of medical institutions it does not exist at all, but it should be.”

I also called my neighbor across the river. They also keep goats and graze in the same place as us. I warned her about snakes and said that a snake had bitten our kid. The neighbor, in turn, called her doctor friends. She was advised to use immunofan, but it is not sold in pharmacies, but in pet stores. And, also, they ordered to feed the kid with yogurt or whey.
And we didn’t let the kid sleep for half a day, we constantly rubbed him, drove him around the flock back and forth, forced him to move. He, of course, was tired, and suprastin, the injection of which I repeated, also has a hypnotic effect. But we didn’t let him sleep.
They gave milk and whey (whey). With a large ten-cc syringe they poured either milk or whey into his mouth every half hour. This is done simply: tilt the head back, insert the syringe (without a needle) into the corner of the mouth and slowly pump in the liquid. It hurt him, his muzzle was completely swollen, every touch to her was painful for him. He himself also could not suck his mother; his mouth would not open. Well, both we and he had to be patient.

Even with a snake bite, problems with urination may occur. No urine comes out. But we didn’t have any problems with this. The body was washed well.

In the evening I went to graze the goats. She took the little goat with her and did not leave her at home. He, of course, could not graze, but he walked with everyone, and when he got tired, he lay down.

Before going to bed, the same procedures are repeated: suprastin, milk, whey.


In the morning our little goat looked like this - so plump, but he already felt much more cheerful. He himself began to suck the udder, and chewing gum appeared. In the morning I was already eating grass in the pasture. By evening the swelling had completely gone down. But while I continue to use Suprastin, I will pierce the packaging.
Tomorrow they should bring us immunofan, I’ll supply more of it. And, I think, inject an antibiotic.

That's how this story ended, for now. For myself, I made the following conclusions:
1. Don't panic in any case.

2. Since we have such a situation with snakes and we cannot change it, it means that we must be prepared, do not take children with us, exercise maximum caution, dress appropriately, move calmly, checking the path in front of us with a stick. As I read, snakes themselves do not attack, they defend themselves in this way.

“When does a viper bite people? Usually it defends itself from an inattentive or careless person who has pressed it with a hand or foot. But there are times when a snake attacks people or animals that have not touched it. The fact is that vipers have rather poor eyesight; are not afraid of moving objects, if these objects do not make sudden movements. A person picking berries or a grazing domestic animal moves slowly, the snake is not frightened of them and does not crawl away from its perch. The zigzag pattern on the back of a viper is very similar to the broken shadow of fern leaves or small bushes. This coloring allows the snake to merge with the pattern of sun glare and shadows. Neither man nor animal notices the viper lying motionless, and approaches it at a very close distance, and the frightened snake resorts to self-defense - it bites the intruder.
In mushroom or berry areas where there are a lot of vipers, you need to take a stick with you and be careful: move the stick more often, feeling the grass around the berries or mushrooms. A common viper lurking nearby will crawl away or reveal itself by hissing. If you suddenly notice a crawling snake, freeze and give it the opportunity to leave.
If the snake assumes a threatening pose, back away slowly. Avoid sudden movements that frighten the snake! When defending yourself, you cannot put your hands forward or turn your back to the snake. If you have a stick, hold it in front of you towards the snake. Don't run away from a snake you meet - you might step on another one you didn't notice. Stay calm in your decisions, actions, gestures!"

3. Be sure to keep at home the medications recommended by your DP neighbors. But I had a question, why none of the numerous doctors at all levels who consulted us recommended either corticosteroids or antibiotics? No one even mentioned them. But I’ll stock up on them anyway.

5. And, once again, I was convinced of the advantage of suckling kids. Such kids probably have a high level of immunity, transmitted to them directly from their mother. This kid and his sister recently turned one month old and we were about to separate them from their mother (as we usually do). And now, I think, let them stay with their mother for a while longer.

Toxicology

Lecture No. 14

14. Topic: POISONING CAUSED BY ANIMAL POISONS

More often than other animals, poisonous ones are bitten by spiders, karakuta, scorpions and hymenoptera insects.

6.1. Animal bites from poisonous snakes

About 400 species of venomous snakes live on Earth. There are 58 species of snakes in the CIS countries, and only 10 of them are poisonous and dangerous. However, they also cause considerable damage to livestock.

In the forest zone there is the common viper (Vipera berus), in the steppe and forest-steppe zones - the steppe viper (Y. ursini), in the Caucasus - the Caucasian viper (V. kaznakowi), the horned or sand viper (V. ammodytes) and the Radde viper (V. raddei), in the Transcaucasus and in the south of Central Asia - the viper (V. lebetina), in the Far East the eastern copperhead (Ancistrodon biomhoffi), in the Central Asian republics the Palassa copperhead, or common (A. halys), sand epha (Echis cariinatus), gray cobra (Naja oxiana).

The color of poisonous snakes is varied - gray, gray-yellow, red-brown and black; body length from 35 to 120-250 cm.

Poisonous snakes live in patches, living mainly in bushes, grass under stones, burrows and trees. They feed on frogs, rodents, lizards, birds and insects.

Copper vipers go into hibernation with the first snow - in October, cobras - in September. Snakes overwinter in rodent burrows. They live 10 or more years. According to the method of reproduction, they distinguish between oviparous snakes (cobra, viper) and viviparous snakes (sand snakes, copperheads, steppe vipers, etc.).

Based on the shape and location of their teeth, snakes are conventionally divided into three groups:

1) smooth-toothed snakes - snakes and snakes. Many of them are non-venomous, their teeth are uniformly smooth, without canals. However, among them there are species whose saliva contains toxic substances (colored snake - Coluber ravergieri, tiger snake - Rhabdophis tigrina and common copperhead - Coronella austriaca), and false snakes, or suspiciously poisonous ones, have a poisonous gland, the ducts of which open at the base of the poisonous teeth . But since the teeth are located deep in the mouth on the posterior edge of the maxillary bone, the snake bites only when the victim is in the mouth;

2) postosulcata snakes - cat and lizard snakes, arrow-snake, etc. Their venom-bearing teeth with a groove on the front surface are located at the rear end of the upper jaw, so they are of little danger to animals and humans. Since the teeth of these snakes are located far in the oral cavity, they are sometimes called suspiciously poisonous;

3) anterior sulcal snakes - vipers, vipers, copperheads, cobras, etc. Their venom-bearing teeth are located in the anterior part of the upper jaw. With the mouth closed, the teeth of the snake lie longitudinally under the tongue, and with the mouth open, they are located perpendicular to the upper jaw. When biting an animal or person, the teeth easily penetrate the skin and muscle tissue. At this time, the snake tries to leave the victim and rushes forward, and a space is formed between the tooth and the tissue where the poison flows.

Venom-secreting glands are located on both sides of the head, behind the eyes and wrapped around the temporal muscles. The ducts open at the base of the poisonous tooth. When a tooth penetrates the tissue, poison is injected into the wound as a result of a reflex contraction of the temporal muscles surrounding the poisonous gland.

Bites of animals by common, Caucasian, horned or sand vipers, as well as copperhead vipers, more often occur in the spring when grazing in swamps, forest clearings and other places; The steppe viper bites in spring and autumn. Snakes usually bite in the area of ​​the muzzle, limbs and udder.

Depending on the depth of the bite, the poison enters under the skin, intramuscularly and, in exceptional cases, into a blood vessel.

The poison is a viscous, colorless, yellowish or greenish liquid, odorless and tasteless. It quickly decomposes in organic substances (chloroform, ethyl alcohol, ether), in solutions of potassium permanganate, ammonia, many paints (brilliant green, methylene blue, etc.) and with prolonged exposure to high temperatures.

With one bite the following is released:

vipers have 5-10 mg of poison,

in copperheads - 20-70 mg,

in cobra - 50-220 mg.

With electrical stimulation, snakes can get several times more raw venom. The most sensitive to snake venom are horses, cattle, and sheep; poisoning of pigs is rare, since adipose tissue prevents the absorption of the poison.