From:
sukie crandall
Date: 2004-08-16 17:26:42 UTC
Subject: Re: anitvenin
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-id: <70667E67-EFA9-11D8-A184-000A95CD182C@optonline.net>
Interesting question, Pam.
Did she tell you the symptoms? If I recall right when we were trying
to get some anitvenin to carry in Suriname, there is a decent bit of
variation in snake venoms so the symptoms may have indicated a type of
bite which needs an antivenin that members of carnivora can't use.
It could be that the veterinary poisoning experts of the ASPCA might
know the answer; that will cost to ask but the cost appears to be by
case and it seems like that includes follow-ups. Their search engine
stinks, BTW. I coulod not find any snake bite stuff (but did find some
interesting downloads on other material at
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=apcc_toxpublications and
elsewhere on that site).
Another route may be to ask the antivenin manufacturers. I've found
that with the right question it can be possible to get through to
researchers.
I suspect that body size and rapid metabolism alone may make ferrets
poor candidates for treatment, but that is a guess.
In
http://www.animalforum.com/dsnakebite.htm
(which does not mention ferrets) I found soem pieces of info whcih may
be useful:
>The poisonous snakes of the United States belong >to three groups: pit
vipers, elapids and colubrids. >The pit vipers -- rattlesnakes,
copperheads and >cottonmouths -- cause more than 99 percent of
>venomous bites in the United States...
and
>Numerous factors affect the severity of the snake >bite. One of these
factors is the amount of venom >injected by the snake into the victim.
In a typical >feeding strike, 15-20 percent of the venom is >released;
50 percent is released in a defensive
>strike; and up to 75 percent or more in multiple >strikes. Not all
snake bites result in death or >severe medical problems due to the fact
that 20 >percent of the bites are dry bites where no venom >is
released, 30-35 percent are mild >envenomations, and 45-50 percent are
>envenomations severe enough to be a medical >emergency.
In NLS Practise Tips (a very nice site)
http://www.nlsanimalhealth.com/practips.htm
I found
>COLLOIDS AND THEIR USE FOR PIT VIPER >ENVENOMATIONS
>
>PETERSON, MICHAEL E., DVM, MS
>Generally colloids are not used to treat pit viper >envenomations.
Antivenin is the only definitive >treatment for pit viper
envenomation...
with a short and precise description of how to treat snake bite.
Again, though, it's not ferret-specific.
Another place which might have an idea woudl be the veterinary clinic
of a moajor zoo.
The only vet book here in which I could fidn any mention of snakes and
ferrets is Lewington's but e mentions them at the start of a section as
a hazard, but then I did not find any content on treatment within the
section.