It appears that Roxy died.
"Steve Grenard, moderator of the Venom Forum at Staten Island University Hospital, said he found it hard to believe that Roxy would have held onto life for about nine days before succumbing to the toxic coral snake venom – particularly since she had gotten the antidote."
I'm not an expert on Coral snakes but I can't really believe they gum you to death??? Small fangs yes, sharp gums no.
"Actually, “bite” is something of a misnomer. Because coral snakes have no teeth, they have to latch on to a dog, human or other prey and, in effect, “gum” the skin until it breaks and they can deliver the venom."
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Coral snake bites kill two dogs in South Florida
Published April 6th, 2008
By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR
Most Floridians don’t give a lot of thought to coral snakes.
The red-and-yellow striped, fangless creatures can deliver a potentially lethal dose of venom. But according to Dr. Kirt Rusenko, marine conservationist at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, coral snakes are shy, and tend to slither away when a larger creature comes near.
South Florida residents have suddenly become aware of coral snakes since two dogs died after being bitten by the snakes, which are indigenous to South Florida in general – and Palm Beach County in particular.
Roxy, an 11-month old Dachshund belonging to Jeremy and Althea Brooks of Delray Beach, was bitten by a coral snake that had gotten into the family home.
Near death, Roxy was brought to an emergency clinic in Boynton Beach, and was shuttled back and forth between that facility and her own veterinarian. More than a week later, when it appeared she had recovered, Roxy died.
Just a few days ago, a 3-year-old Jack Russell terrier died after tangling with a coral snake.
Both pets were given antivenin, yet did not recover.
Actually, “bite” is something of a misnomer. Because coral snakes have no teeth, they have to latch on to a dog, human or other prey and, in effect, “gum” the skin until it breaks and they can deliver the venom.
Causes Paralysis
Coral snake venom paralyzes the victim, in essence, halting the ability to breathe.
Steve Grenard, moderator of the Venom Forum at Staten Island University Hospital, said he found it hard to believe that Roxy would have held onto life for about nine days before succumbing to the toxic coral snake venom – particularly since she had gotten the antidote.
Grenard questioned whether the anti-toxin was still potent. He said coral snake antivenin must be kept refrigerated, and can expire.
This has implications for humans as well. Chief Al Cruz of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Bureau – the only department in the country that has such a unit – said if a human is bitten by a coral snake, it may take 12 hours for symptoms to show. If a victim doesn’t get to the hospital within that time, it may be too late once the toxin kicks in.
Cruz said his group normally counts 75 to 80 coral snake bites in South Florida each year. Three times more bites occur in Palm Beach County than in Broward or Miami-Dade because the sandy soil attracts them.
Grenard, whose mission is to locate coral snake bite deaths in Florida, said only one occurred in Boca Raton, about 20 years ago. He said a man on Glades Road tried to stuff a coral snake into a coffee can. He was bitten and taken to Boca Raton Community Hospital, Grenard said, where he later died.
Reports that a person in Delray Beach was bitten by a coral snake within the past year or two, and survived, could not be confirmed. A spokeswoman for Delray Medical Center said records for the last two years showed no one had been treated for a coral snake bite.
Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at
dking@bocanews.com.
http://www.bocaratonnews.com/news/lo...th-florida.php