Guest Post by Daddy

The image is of a Copperhead snake.

Copperheads are quite easy to identify from the hourglass shaped dark bands on a lighter brown/tan body.

Copperheads are one of three venomous snakes native to this area, the others  being the cottonmouth and the Eastern Diamonback.  Copperheads have the strongest venom by volume, but it's the rattlers that tend to deliver more toxin due to their size.

Copperheads, more than other venemous snakes, will often deliver a "dry" bite - a bite in which they don't deliver venom. They can also control the dose they give, and often give smaller doses.  The exception to that is juveniles, which have not yet developed the dry bite or low-dose bite skills. Copperhead bites are, nonetheless, is are almost never fatal unless they get a child or a vulnerable adult - only 2 verified cases in 20 years.

Ask Vake what the rule is about snakes and he has no hesitation "Stay Away!"

Daddy, apparently, is not as good at heeding the rules (which may not come as a surprise to Left Bank Granny).

Saturday, while working at a charity pig roast, daddy was alerted to a small snake near the beer.  I went over to shoo it away and, ignoring the easily identifiable hourglass bands, decided it was probably a juvenile black snake.  I decided to grab it directly behind the head and toss it over the wall. 

Unfortunately, I grabbed it a bit too far behind the head & it quickly turned and sank its fans into my finger.  I threw it away (fortunately not in the direction of anyone else).

The wound hurt, but didn't seem to be a problem.  I iced it down while watching the sunset and then leaned up after the party. 

I kept it in ice on the drive home, by the time we arrived the swelling had noticibly increased & the pain was quickly becoming unbearable.  So, off to the ER, where the experienced snake bit doctor dosed me up with lots of pain killers and steroids to reduce the swelling.  The swelling and discoloration increased and looked pretty nasty, but after a while the swelling and discoloration subsided. The pain did not, but fortunately the doctor had no problem managing it "aggressively" so I was feeling mostly okay.  Momma was cross with daddy for being so reckless. Daddy was mostly chagrined (although I note it will be a good office story come Monday)

After the mandatory 6 hours of observation (which took 8 hours), I was sent home with lots of pain killers and a week-long series of tapering steroids.

And while there was never any great risk from the bite - i will attest that there is nothing as painful.

Moral of the story is, as Vake knows, "Don't Touch!"