rug could buy time between rattlesnake bite, anti

http://www.azfamily.com/story/36997624/u...venom-treatment

That's pretty remarkable! An extra hour could mean the difference between a speedy recovery and a ghastly convalescence.

The message title was a little confusing--I couldn't figure out what a "rug" had to do with anything. (Should have been "drug")

Since the proposed solution is to create blood clots, I do wonder if that doesn't risk giving the victim a stroke or heart attack in addition to the snake bite.

I think I will avoid Arizona.

Oh,no!! As a former AArizonan, and still somewhat of a booster, don't decline to visit AZ because of the snakebite hazard (the Cali vipers are just as bad, or worse). I did SAR around Tucson for more than twenty five years and we never had to treat a snake bite victim, although we had plenty of fall and flood victims.

You have a much greater probability of drowning in AZ than becoming a snakebite victim. I once attended a lecture by a Tucson physician who had treated something like 50 victims - half were young kids playing in their yards. The others were 15-24 year old males who were deliberately handling the reptiles.

I have encountered snakes from time to time while out in the wilds, all over the western US. one can easily take elementary precautions which will minimize the risk. Generally Mr. Snake goes in one direction, and I go in the other.

If you want to avoid rattlers, visit Channel Islands National Park. There are no poisonous snakes on any of the park islands (There is a rattler on Santa Catalina, I believe.

I winter in a remote part of Arizona (Why, AZ. Google Earth it) on the edge of some very sparely populated land. We see rattlers and scorpions on occasion but they are not a "problem".

Being from Maine (no poisonous snakes there) it was all new to me. We keep the area clear of hiding places and are cautious about sticking our fingers in places before we look. We are careful when hiking and pay attention to our surroundings.

Actually we find that Maine black flies and mosquitoes influence out activities more than the snakes and scorpions do.

Every area has its risks. I have been traveling for over 20 years and find this rural Sonoran desert to be one of the most interesting and pleasant places that we have found. Summer on the Maine coast and winter in southern Arizona with a few trips around the planet in between. Hard to beat that.

Nomad.

Hikermor,

That was just tongue in cheek about avoiding Arizona. I've been there a number of times including hiking down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Great trip!

Nomad, I've also been to Maine many times. My mother was born there. Yep, summer in Maine is awesome. Right about now, I would trade winter in Maine for fires in California! Now where did I put that N95 mask?

I used to be a biologist so l am not afraid of snakes. I do, however, have a healthy respect for them. I once had to catch and tag a 4ft rattler for a class in college. Well, it didn't have to be 4ft, but it was the only one I could find.

From 'Epidemiology of snakebites' on Wikipedia:

'The national average incidence of venomous snake bites in the United States is roughly 4 bites per 100,000 persons,[37] and about 5 deaths per year total (1 death per 65 million people).'

And that includes lunatics like the snake handlers. Even 'mad' Steve Irwin ("there's a nest of cobramambarattlers here that could kill a herd of elephants - I'll just thrash my arm about under this rock to see if I can find them")

described one as; "Frankly I'm amazed he survived that long, he was just asking for trouble".

qjs