BajaNomad

Antivenin

Tacayo - 11-8-2022 at 11:40 AM

Just wondering if any Nomads have ever taken antivenin to Baja. Last year I never saw a rattler for the month I was camping in southern Baja. Now with a profusion of new plant growth as a result of the storms that passed through I'm assuming there will be more rodents and the rattlers that eat them. I have refrigeration but don't know if antivenin is very practical. Any thoughts?

4x4abc - 11-8-2022 at 12:19 PM

I see a rattler about every 10 years in Baja
and I am in the bushes about 10 times a year

antivenom is not suitable for self administration
better done in a hospital environment
if you are on wheels you are always within some hours to a hospital

mtgoat666 - 11-8-2022 at 02:17 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Tacayo  
Just wondering if any Nomads have ever taken antivenin to Baja. Last year I never saw a rattler for the month I was camping in southern Baja. Now with a profusion of new plant growth as a result of the storms that passed through I'm assuming there will be more rodents and the rattlers that eat them. I have refrigeration but don't know if antivenin is very practical. Any thoughts?


You can’t afford to buy and store the traditional antivenom…

I know some people in remote locations that keep an antivenom that does not require refrigeration, I forget the name. The drug they told me about is available in Mexico, but not USA. This particular antivenom was developed in Central America, and appears to work on rattle snakes in SoCal and baja.

talk to a physician that specializes in snake bites. They can point you to some products out there, if you are worried…

Pretty easy to avoid snakes, follow the common sense advice…
Most snake bites occur after someone says “hold my beer…”



[Edited on 11-8-2022 by mtgoat666]

Maderita - 11-8-2022 at 02:34 PM

It is not practical to maintain a personal supply of rattlesnake antivenin. The cost in the USA is several thousand dollars per vial, with numerous vials required for a snakebite. Purchasing in Mexico is significantly less expensive. The antivenin has an expiration, perhaps 3 years.
The chances of being bitten are extremely unlikely. Death to an adult is rare. Unlike the movies, where death is certain and immediate, the victim almost always has hours to get to a hospital for treatment. My advice is: Do not go hiking in Hollywood - the snakes there must be exceptionally poisonous!
Your efforts are better spent by maintaining situational awareness, watching carefully and never stepping or reaching where you cannot see, and sticking to cleared roads or paths.

John Harper - 11-8-2022 at 02:53 PM

Buy yourself a good pair of snake gaiters if you're that worried.

John

bajatrailrider - 11-8-2022 at 05:19 PM

My amigo got snakebite Erindia very small clinic there. They had antivenin was not big deal.

pacificobob - 11-8-2022 at 05:20 PM

As a kid we killed several every day in the hot months. Ground squirrels were in huge numbers and therefore snakes. The best council is wear real shoes or boots and watch where you put your feet. Btw throughout my childhood nobody ever got bitten.... Except for a dog. I've seen exactly 2 rattlesnakes in baja in the last 20 years.... But i avoid walking through brushy areas where i can't see where my foot is going.

RFClark - 11-8-2022 at 06:36 PM

This is probably a more useful thing to carry.

https://www.amazon.com/snake-venom-extractor-kit/s?k=snake+v...