I'm Laura, and I'm a pre-vet student at Skidmore College planning on majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in art history. Veterinary medicine has intrigued me since I was little but it wasn't until my Biology class in college where I saw myself pursuing medicine as a career. While I've thought about working in human medicine, I am an avid animal lover and enjoy the mystery and journey that veterinary medicine takes you through when you work on a patient who cannot talk or explain their symptoms to you. I am working as a vet tech this summer at three different hospitals and am hoping to shadow other veterinarians who have pursued other paths within veterinary medicine.

This blog incorporates the cases and patients I have seen this summer and what I have learned through the doctors and vet techs I've gotten the privilege to work with. My goal in this blog is to create discussion among people interested and curious about some of the normal, the interesting, and the peculiar aspects of veterinary medicine. So, let's get started

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Antivenim for Rattle Snake Bites

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A dog came in after being bitten by a rattle snake right on the lip.  He had severe swelling around the face, especially near the puncture.  Immediately, the dog was put on bollus fluids to keep him hydrated and the anti-venum was given. The snake bite was scrubbed with chlorhexidine scrub to ensure that the area was clean.

In general most snake bites occur on the neck and on the head.  Snakes will bite when they feel in danger, and a dog nose or head in your face can be a threatening occurrence for a snake. 

The anti-venum used to clear out the toxins released by rattle snake bites in called Antivenim.  Antivenim is most effective when given within four hours of the bite.   It is a substance containing a variety of antibodies to help the body fight off the neurotoxin.  This is given to the patient intravenously (IV).

Surprisingly enough, Antivenim is actually equine serum!  It is produced by injecting horses with several different kinds of snake venum.  Eventually, these horses will build up a resistance by producing specific antibodies for each snake toxin.  When their blood is spun in a centrifuge and the serum is extracted, it can be used as a remedy for rattle snake toxicitiy.  Because the serum has been immunized with different kinds of snakes, including Eastern Diamondback, Western Diamondback, and Central and South American Rattle Snake, the Antivenim can protect from all of these snake toxins.

When the Antivenim was given to this dog, he had to be watched extremely carefully.  Certain dogs can get a hypersensitivity reaction to the equine serum and if not supervised extremely carefully, they could die.  Hypersensitivity reactions become more common after one dose of the Antivenim has been given. 

Even after the Antivenim has done its job, there is still a little bit of swelling around the area.  Swelling tends to persist for a week after the bite but it should eventually calm down.  After two vials of the Antivenim, the dog was sent home to rest. 
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