Elliot Cramer wrote:

Tom Gauldin wrote:

: What I was told was that while the bite would probably not be fatal, it
: could easily cause the loss of a finger or toe due to necrosis from the
: poison, swelling and restriction of blood supply to the extremity.

That seems unlikely. I give my dogs some ampicillin and antihistamine and
they do fine


They are more fortunate than was my husband. Several years ago he was
bitten on the little toe by a very small copperhead (6-8 inches) long.
He described the pain as that of a red hot poker. He was given antivenom
and hospitalized for several days. His leg swelled up more than double
size, up to the groin, and he was out of work a week and on crutches for
a month. All the skin peeled off the leg and the itching was intense for
a long time. The surgeon told us that he would not die, but that it was
possible he might lose all or a part of his leg. Thankfully, he did not,
but he has plenty of respect for snakes now.