Snake Bite Home Cures

From the Book: The Agricultural Journal of the Cape of Good Hope, Volume 37, p. 626,1910 by Cape of Good Hope (Colony). Department of Agriculture · 1910

Springbokfontein, Namaqualand, 9th November, 1910.

To the Editor, AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL.

SIR, With great interest have I read in the "Agricultural Journal " of October last the useful article on "Alleged cures for Snake bite, " by the Director of the Port Elizabeth Museum, Mr. F. W. Fitz-Simons. I have often heard and read about the successful use of Permanganate of Potash for snake bite, and would be very much pleased if Mr. Fitz-Simons would oblige the public by giving his opinion on this

subject, viz., whether Permanganate of Potash is a cure for snake bite and how it must be applied. Yours faithfully, etc.

L. HORNEMANN.

Yes, permanganate of potash is an antidote to snake bite, if applied instantly. It has the power of destroying the venom in the wound. When bitten, instantly scarify the flesh over the site of the bite. Make three or four cuts. Rub the wounds full of crystals of permanganate, or else spit in the palm of the hand and mix some crystals with the saliva and rub in the mass. It must be understood that permanganate is only a chemical antidote, and if not applied within about five minutes of the infliction of the bite, it will not be of any use. It simply kills any venom it comes in contact with in the wound. If the fangs of a snake should penetrate a vein, and the venom should be discharged thereir, then it would be instantly carried into the circulation, and any application of permanganate would be useless. The only real antidote is an Anti-venine serum which is now prepared. It is injected with a serum syringe, and can be applied an hour or two, or longer, after the bite. If the patient is not too far gone before its injection, he will recover rapidly, for the serum kills the venom in the blood. If your correspondent will write me I will give him particulars about it and how to obtain it, and the right calibre lancet, as well as the permanganate apparatus. For the permanganate treatment a penknife and little permanganate is all that is needed. A small pocket apparatus with lancet and permanganate can now be had . Full information about Snakes, their venom and the treatment of snake bite can be had in the volume I have recently written. Yours, etc.,

F. W. FITZ – SIMONS,

Director, Port Elizabeth Museum

From the Book - Dr. Chase's New Receipt Book and Medical Advisor or Information for Everybody page 236, by A.W. Chase M.D. 1920.

ALLEGED CURE OF A SNAKE-BITE.

The British Medical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 395 (Jul. 25,1868), p. 87 (1 page) https://www.jstor.org/stable/25214862

THE REV. FATHER RAPHAEI, parish priest at Bettiah, Chumparun, relates, in a letter dated May 28th, the means which he employed to save the life of a girl, io years old, that had been bitten by a venomous snake. "In the space of about ten minutes, " he says, "she lost the power of speech, her eyes became bloodslhot, and she was in a state of fearful and continued convulsions. Perceiving the dangerous state in which she was, I immediately took a small 1 ump of alum, about the size of a pigeon's egg, dissolved the whole in a large glass of water, and at once made her drink it off. In a few minutes she. began to be very sick, throwing up much matter from her stomach, when I again made her drink alum-water. This went on for about an hour and a half, during which time she must have consumed alum of about the size of a hen's egg, dissolved in two large bottles of water, the draughts being administered at short intervals after each vomiting. At the end of the time mentioned, the girl began to recover; and, within two hours' time, was able to stand up by herself, and again gained the use of her voice. After this I made her walk about a great deal, and now she is almost entirely cured."

Note: One very interesting thing I learned that several hunters with dogs agreed with was the use of Pickling Alum for snake bitten dogs. These gentlemen swear by mixing water with 2-3 Tablespoons of the Pickling Alum and making the dogs drink/eat it and how quick it neutralizes the venom and how it will reduce or prevent swelling depending on how quickly you get it in the dogs system. Several talked about keeping a bottle in their hunting coat/vest/shirt pocket when running in warm weather because of the rattlesnakes, copperheads and water moccasins in our area.

Dosage for Human or Animal: Mix 2-3 tablespoon of alum powder with 6 oz of milk. poor down dog 3 times a day until swelling is all gone. the bite will drain also, idk why or how but have seen this work for copperhead bite

Book - Dr. Chase's New Receipt Book and Medical Advisor or Information for Everbody by A.W. Chase M.D., 1920.

Cattle or horses are usually bitten in the feet. When this is the case all that is necessary to do is to drive them into a mud hole and keep them there for a few hours ; if upon the nose, bind the mud upon the

place in such a manner as not to interfere with their breathing. And I am perfectly satisfied that soft clay mud would be an excellent application to snake bites on persons, for I know it to draw out the poisoning from ivy, and have been assured that it has done the same for snake bites of persons as well as for cattle. Mud draws out rattlesnake poison.

Book - Dr. Chase's New Receipt Book and Medical Advisor or Information for Everbody by A.W. Chase M.D. page 135, 1920.

The National Intelligencer a year or two since published a recipe for the cure of the rattlesnake bite, which it claimed was infallible, it having been tried in a number of cases and always with success. It was nothing more nor less than the use of whisky, as above recommended, and it is but justice to say that a daughter of William Reed, of the town of Pittsfield, in this county, who was bitten on the arm some three years ago, was cured by drinking whisky until drunkenness and stupor were produced, and she has never felt any inconvenience from the bite since, which goes to show that the bite of the Devil's tea is worse than the bite of a rattlesnake

I don't know if you'll see this comment, as old as this thread is, but one of your links is no longer active. Do you have another link you could provide for a prod that would be good for this purpose?

Note: Onions applied topically for snakebites is taught by the US Special Forces Training members.

Pour pine resin turpentine or kerosene over a SNAKE BITE to draw out the poison. A lot of hunters in Eastern Kentucky have reported their hunting dogs bitten by rattlesnakes or copperheads to the head and survived by the use of turpentine or kerosene use to clean the wound and draw out the venom applied every hour.

Turpentine is also used for quick and effective relief from painful wasp and bee stings. Country folklore.

Here are the two that I've found.... REALLY difficult to find due to the FDA, but here are working links. I've ordered both units and am keeping one at the barn and one at the house. Get one of them and use that, just not sure about the Amazon one.

https://www.e-stingrelief.com/model-33-outdoorsman.html

This one is from Italy, cheaper:

http://www.tecnimed.it/en/shop/uncategorized/ecosave/

I agree with your last two items but not with cutting the skin.

Cutting the bite site is totally not needed with either the vitamin C or the DC Electric Shock treatment. You are just increasing your damage to the site, pain to the patient, delaying recovery time and creating a permenant tatoo just to show where that nasty bite was. Taking charcoal is not a bad idea, it can help to remove toxins from the bloodstream, but much of the venom is not traveling in the blood stream but in the Lymph system and a bit of charcoal in the incision will not be helpful in absorbing the massive level of toxins in the tissue.

The Electric shock is sufficient in my experience and the experiences of many friends and people I have talked to about this method. So long as you shock the area 6 to 8 one second duration shocks and then repeat if pain or swelling returns, you are good and recovery is quick. Cutting, sucking and packing with charcoal is really a bad idea. If all you have is charcoal then stick your limb in a bucket of crushed charcoal and water and leave it there for half a day or so, that will help to remove the toxins. A whole body charcoal bath is even better if you have the charcoal.

Some people I knew did that many years ago and it worked well. But as I said, the Electric shock is best, quickest and if you don't have that then by all means use the Vitamin C, under the skin or into the muscle near the bite site. Both work well but the HV DC electric shock works better in my opinion.

https://vitaminb12direct.com/product/injection-vitamin-c-500mg-50-amps/

Here's a great bit of advice from Pat Coleby I came across regarding Vit-C on venom:

After studying the literature, I (Pat Coleby – is a farmer who writes
books on animal care and lectures widely on the subject as well as being a
consultant.) decided that I really had nothing to lose trying Vitamin C on my
own farm animals. The first one was a pony, almost moribund, whose blood was
later diagnosed as having the largest amount of Tiger Snake venom the Vet
had ever seen in an animal. Within 24 hours of being unable to move, and
also having considerable difficulty in breathing due to pneumonia, the pony
was grazing happily in its owners garden, apparently quite healthy. I only
had one 30ml bottle of Vitamin C, half of what I would have liked, so I put
half of the bottle into each side of the neck by intramuscular injection.

After that we treated sundry dogs, two cats and several goats including a
stud buck. All recovered. A very valuable Alpaca which was being watched by
its owner from her kitchen window went down to the dam to examine
something. The owner, horrified, watched a large snake rise up and strike it on
the nose – the worst place – and thanked her lucky stars the Vitamin C was in
the fridge – not still on the shopping list. Rushing out with only 15 mls in
the syringe – she injected the Alpaca before any symptoms arose. The snake
had looked like a brown or a tiger, the result – happy ending.

The great advantage of Vitamin C is that anaphylaxis does not occur and
the variety of snake does not matter. Vitamin C is cheap, easy to store and
taking it on a hunting trip is no problem. All you need is a 20 ml syringe,
some largish needles – say No 18 – and the bottle of Vitamin C. It can all
be carried in a small wallet on ones belt. In between times it should be
kept in the fridge. Although the stuff can be carried in Summer without
deteriorating, I suggest to hunters that they get a fresh supply each Spring
just to be on the safe side.

Thank you for your very informative article on treating snake bites. How and where do I buy of pure Vitamin C ampules? Is there a certain brand?

I bought items for a KIT which was kept on my vineyard/ranch at the shop and the house for rattlesnake bite, after catching four in one month on the property. Neutralizing venom is easy, and I utilize a four stage counter attack below. Most of the items I gathered from Amazon. The ampules of injectable Vitamin C are a bit harder, as the FDA has recognized the power of intravenous/injectable vitamin C and tried to stamp it out. I got mine from British Columbia in Canada after simply doing a Google search on it. The cattle prod was bought at QC Supply.

Any one of these methods would handle the venom, but personally I would use all three to be absolutely sure. That's just me. The vitamin C treatment is consistently used on animals to counter venomous bites. Charcoal has been used to great success again and again. The cattle prod delivers just enough current to slap the venom around, beat it up, and neutralize it and has been used with much success. You don't need a doctor filling your body with ugly ANTI-venom and charging you $40K for the pleasure.

TAKE THESE STEPS AS INSTANTLY AS YOU CAN AFTER BEING BITTEN.

Almost all snake bites go into the muscle, NOT the veins. From there, the venom is absorbed NOT by the blood but by the lymphatic system and spread through the body.

We can solve any venom issue with a four stage COUNTER ATTACK on the venom. FYI, 99% of poisonous snakes in the USA are Pit Vipers (triangle head containing venom glands). The rattlesnake is a Pit Viper.

1. Clean the area FIRST with the alcohol pad, and thoroughly wash your hands. Use a disposable scalpel to cut a small “X” on the fang marks to open them up a bit more IF the wound is not big enough. Opening the wound a bit more just allows the charcoal binder to enter more easily. Activated Charcoal is a binder that latches on to toxins and renders them INEFFECTIVE. Take large amounts of the charcoal paste included in the Kit and spread it IN the wound and ALL AROUND the wound 4-6 inches all over, minimum. Wrap the area with the included rubber tape, creating a poultice around the area. The charcoal will suck the venom to itself and bind to it through the skin. An hour later, wipe this off and apply a new dressing with NEW charcoal.

2. Swallow 4 charcoal tabs included in the kit. We want the charcoal moving through the whole body as fast as possible to bind anything it comes across. This is perfectly safe. Take 2 more every half hour for a few hours.

3. Start using the “cattle prod” electric treatment included in the Kit (blue device). This sounds scary but isn't. It's a fairly light electric shock and this has been used VERY successfully to “shock demolish” venom (black widow, brown recluse, scorpion, snake). It's amazing how FAST you will feel better using this. Several treatments. “Prod” yourself or have someone else do it, and when the body naturally pulls away, that's considered a treatment. Zap the area in different sections, wherever the venom has travelled.

4. Vitamin C is incredible in HIGH DOSES to destroy venom. In fact, intravenous Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has been used to cure many forms of cancer. So venom is nothing for this powerful antioxidant. NOTE: if you are taking the charcoal tabs, no need to swallow any of the oral Vitamin C, just use ampule of pure Vitamin C and the syringe to inject it directly into the muscle around the bite. Here's how. Clean the area with an alcohol wipe. Take one of the disposable syringes and open it. Open a vial of Vitamin C. Press the plunger down inside the device and then stick the needle into the vitamin C ampule at the top. Suck a full load of that good liquid into the needle. Hold the needle upright and ‘flick' the plastic part to make sure there's NO AIR in the needle. Push the plunger a little until you get a drop or two of liquid coming out, confirming that there is NO AIR. Not one bubble…this is very important. Stick the needle into the muscle “near to” or “around” the bite, less than a quarter inch into the skin, up to a quarter inch. Press the plunger firmly and steadily, and deliver the liquid into the muscle surrounding the bite.

Good work. Let the vitamin do “its thing”.

Note: about 25% of venomous snake bites are “dry” – no venom. Let's hope yours is.

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If you think that anti-venom given at the hospital is a silver bullet, please educate yourself. Treatment with Anti-venom is massively expensive, often very damaging to the body and some people can have permanent damage to their bodies or come close to death. It is important to know the facts so you can make the best decision for you in an emergency.

A popular ‘generic' anti-venom is called CRO-FAB. This drug is $3800 per vial and you can easily need 10-15 vials, depending on your size. There's NO guarantee with CroFab either. There are MUCH better, cheaper and natural ways to stop Venom in its tracks.

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There are several devices which are sold specifically for use with snake and spider bite. These are essentially low powered stun guns. Some people carry a TENS unit for the same purpose. Also one company in the US makes a painless device which people take into the wilds called the V-zap. If you want to locate sources of devices, I would suggest googling "first aid venom electric shock" and that should lead you to a list of devices and where they can be obtained from. I have tried several different ones myself with success, including the TENS unit for around 30 minutes on the continuous high setting and people I know have used them for snake bite and Brown Recluse bite with success.. I hope that helps.

I pray that none of you ever have to deal with this, but if you do, Golden Paste works wonders! God bless!

I went home to check on her at lunch time and was thrilled to see her relaxing outside the front door! I mixed up another dose of the turmeric, OCO, honey, pepper and colloidal silver in the ground turkey and gave it to her again. As I did not have time to sit with her to do the castor oil pack, I just put a couple drops on the puncture wounds and went back to work. When I arrived home in the evening she was again outside and got up to greet me when I drove in. The swelling in her leg had gone down some more and it now looked about 2 times its normal size and she did not appear to be in as much pain. She still could not walk so I helped her inside and again mixed up another dose of the same ingredients in the raw turkey and again applied a castor oil pack to the site. She rested comfortably throughout the evening and slept good all night. This morning the swelling in her leg has gone down so that the leg looks almost normal and she can bend it, but the foot is still pretty swollen. It looks like a ball at the end of a stick, but she is starting to put a little weight on it. I will continue to give her the same mix morning and evening until all the symptoms have subsided. I did not expect her recovery to be so rapid, so I am thrilled to share my experience. Thank you again, Earth Clinic, and all those involved in maintaining this wonderful resource! It has been lifesaving for me and my family!

The method used to apply the shock is best described as being given with a spark wire and a ground wire (or the metal chassis of the mower etc). The two contacts are placed across the bite site or inflamed area and the starter cord is pulled or voltage applied. The body will naturally pull away from the shock and this is considered one dose. Six to eight doses are usually required before the swelling ceases to progress and the pain eases. Shocks are usually administered in an X pattern across the bite site and then through the limb so maximum penetration is achieved. It is important to proceed to a hospital for monitoring as soon as possible after the shock has been administered, if you are able.

The method of monitoring at the Hospital Vozandes program in Quito Equador, was to shock as soon as possible, draw blood and watch for clotting (haemotoxic venom prevents blood clotting). If the blood didn't clot, further shocks were administered and more blood drawn. This was repeated until the blood clotted meaning that the venom in the blood stream had been fully deactivated.

This treatment method has been documented to work against haemotoxic snake venom, but also has worked against neurotoxic venom with success.

This method of treatment has been used extensively at the hospital Vozandes in Quito, Equador with resounding success for decades. It has been used by Dr Stan Abrams (published in JAMA) with great success on snake bite and spider bite. That is to name a few.

An Italian research team have proved the action of this treatment by showing that the proteins in the venom are broken apart and rendered permanently inactive by the action of the low current DC shock. This has been shown in vivo and in vitro tests. See "Inactivation of Crotalus atrox Venom Hemorrhagic Activity by Direct Current Exposure Using Hens' Egg Assay" and "Inactivation of Phospholipase A2 and Metalloproteinase from Crotalus atrox Venom by Direct Current".

There have been US based studies which have appeared to show this method ineffective, however these studies when read in fine detail and with knowledge of the process, are shown to have been conducted in an improper way which yielded misleading results for the researchers. The Italian studies have now shown what the several doctors which use this technique have claimed all along, it does work. If done correctly it is also safe, in other words, don't hold the shock source on for an extended period of time or do something stupid like hard wiring yourself to the very high powered ignition system of your car..... like one guy did.

This treatment method seems to work for both haemotoxic and neurotoxic snake venoms according to case studies. Most venoms contain very similar types of proteins and it is these proteins which the pulsed DC electric shock attacks, breaking a zinc ionic bond in the protein chain. As a result it has been shown to be effective against many types of bites and stings.

Another fellow breeder here. Sorry to hear about your boxer getting a snake bite :(

It sounds like your vet hit all the right beats re: western treatment. Given the time that has already passed, I would consider a homeopathic approach.

Consider these remedies [not my words, here is the source: http://www.holisticvetclinic.net/pages/rattlesnake_bite_kit ] :

Homeopathics

Hypericum 30C & Ledum 30C - these two homeopathics are the first homeopathic remedies I recommend after any kind of puncture wound, including snake bites. Start with one and alternate every 10 minutes.

Cedron 6X - For rattlesnake bites-can be in alternation with the Hypericum and Ledum. For severe rattlesnake bites, I would give Cedron in between the Hypericum & Ledum.

Herbs

Echinacea - this is the herb you might take to boost your immune system when you feel a cold coming on. Apparently, there is a substance in this herb that denatures the rattlesnake venom. I recommend taking Echinacea every 20-30 minutes until you see the swelling and inflammation subsiding.

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In addition I would google "homeopathy snake bite remedy" and then read up on all the hits - you will find some remedies commonly repeated, ie those named above, however you will also gain additional ideas for natural treatment by reading as many stories as possible. Part of a successful treatment is YOU: you need to sense and feel if you are on the right track, so follow your gut instincts as you treat. If you just feel one remedy is more appropriate for your particular dog in this particular situation, go with your gut. Using homeopathy **done right** is time consuming, requiring frequent treatments and alternating remedies. Ideally you do NOT touch the pills with your bare hands, rather you tip them into an envelope and crush them and then tip the powder into your dog's mouth.

I am not trained in homeopathy however I have used the 'cook book' approach by looking up illnesses and remedies in the Materia Medica and despite my huge lack of knowledge in this area I have been successful in treating acute conditions with the like cures like approach.

Good luck with your boxer and please report back!

Not to deter you from using turmeric, which I think is an amazing herb, but to add this just for others who may not have turmeric on hand...

Activated charcoal has been used to treat poisonous snake bites.

http://www.charcoalremedies.com/snake_bites

Charcoal can also be given internally to support removing poisons, whatever external treatment is chosen. It is tasteless and usually easy to get animals to take when mixed in whatever they normally eat.

I keep a quart jar of water with 4 Tablespoons of Charcoal in it in my cabinet for emergencies like this. (If someone got bitten by a poisonous snake, I would have them begin drinking charcoal water and immediately apply a charcoal poultice. We live a long way from a hospital and the sooner treatment begins, the better. If an emergency room visit is needed, at least the initiation of treatment has not had to wait for an hour or more.)

~Mama to Many~

Most rescue people were saying that with conventional methods by vets, eventually there would be sepsis and death.

I have some knowledge of Eastern Medicine and poured Turmeric powder from the kitchen cupboard into both deep wounds.

Next morning she came out from under the bed in a good mood and everything went well. The wounds suppurated quickly and she was without pain. The meds the vet had given to me, were returned.

The turmeric root can also be used and it can be refrigerated for a few months. But when you extract the juice, your juicer will turn orange permanently.

Wounds can also be cleaned with fresh urine which is common practice in India. I am not familiar with poison bites but an Ayurvedic vet online could advise you for future references.

Namaste, Om

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