[vetvetdoug]

Thirty years ago we kept antivenin for Copperheads and Cottonmouths on hand. At that time it was $40 dose/cost and was administered IV with the caution to observe for anaphylactic shock. We used it with regularity. Today, the cost per dose is over $500 with specific instructions for use with the chance of lawsuit at every move. Owners of dogs bitten by these snakes are counseled as to the cost at the referral center that administers the antivenin and given the choice to either go there for standard treatment or go conservative. The conservative route is to use benadryl at a high dose for 24 hours and observe for any signs of hemolysis and run kidney functions and CBC after 12 hours post bite. If the dog's kidneys are not affected then antibiotics and benadryl are the treatment. If kidney function is affected we diurese aggressively. If the venom is injected directly into a vein or artery, the dogs don't make it to the clinic alive. Rattlesnakes are lethal whether they are pigmy, Cane Break, or Eastern Diamondback. I feel for the veterinarians that have to deal with the Mojave Rattler’s bite. The cost for treating a dog with antivenin at Mississippi State or the referral center is $3-5K and have seen a bill as high as $10K.

[ponygirl]

I know someone who was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake in California. He had to hike all the way back down to get help. That antivenin ran $5k per dose. I think his total bill came out to $40k. It was a good thing that a) this happened prior to Obama; b) he had health insurance; and c) he was a stockbroker and just sold a bunch of stock to pay his bills.

I know the president of a pharmaceutical company who was telling me these antivenins have skyrocketed in price over the last ten years because they have to import them.