Allergies To Crotalid Musk ?

Has anyone heard of allergies to crotalid musk
from hooking and tailing Rattlesnakes while working with your animals?

Can you guve indications of signs! if their are really any!

I am sure that it can be possible. Whether the musk is inhaled or comes into contact with the skin can pose a risk. In the musk is proteins which the body is exposed to over time. You can also develop an allergy over time.

I work in a laboratory setting and have become allergic to mice dander and latex from handling lab mice and wearing protective gloves for so many years. My wife is slightly allergic to horse hair after being an equine major and working with horses for so many years.

Hope that helps.

Travis Cossette
Gainesville, FL

It seems that i have some sort of reaction mainly when handeling/ bagging or cleaning croats and the cages.

wonder if their is some precautions i can take to keep from having this problem progress?

Would hate to have to give up keeping some of my favorite Hot's
do to this

any sugestions?

Thanks
Peace Out!

Randy:

The biggest thing you need to be concerned about right now is anaphylaxis. If you are having a reaction just to the musk or feces in the air, just think of how badly you will react if you were ever to become bitten. A good friend of mine is allergic to snake venom and I would bet that you are as well. He (my friend) only has about 2 minutes before he has passed out, airways become obstructed and he will die. His remedy -- an epi-pen and shot of liquid benadryl immediately following a bite.

Please, please, please go to your doctor and talk to him/her about your hobby, set up a good bite protocol, visit your local emergency room, talk with as many EMT’s as you can. Get to know people in the medical field. It will save your life.

For more information regarding anaphylaxis and keeping hots, visit:

http://www.venomousreptiles.org/articles/97

Randy, Could it be your allergic not to the bottom end but to the Venom?

Hypersinsitive to the remain venom in the cage or on the animal in the form, of dry venom dust.

Tanith probably can get more in to detail on that than I can.

I would suggest wearring a mask of some sort at very minimum. and plastic surgeons gloves.

Allergy to snake proteins is a potentially life threatening situation for a venomous snake keeper, as Travis pointed out.

You could try at this point to minimize your exposure, which is my strategy since I have never shown an allergic reaction to snake proteins. You could go the other route and start self-injecting minute quantities of venom diluted in sterile saline, under a doctor's supervision. Essentially you will be taking allergy shots, just as a patient would take for a known bee/wasp allergy, to minimize their risks in case of a sting.

Note that the minute quantities used in an allergy shot do not confer significant antibodies to the venom - this is not self immunizing I am describing here. These are allergy shots. Ask your doctor about this practice, and maybe ask to get an allergy test at the doc's office to snake proteins. You will have to supply the snake proteins yourself.

Travis..Scott...Tanif

I have noticed over the last 2-3 years that when i have to tail and hook a croat i would have a hive like bumps pop up on my fingers that seem to become more frequient depending on actualy having to tuch the animal so i started to wear laytex gloves figured that solved that problem.

Then began the breathing problems constriction of air way caughing not in the exact order but some of what i was expericing when i cleaned cages mainly and was miled sympt. but i did notice as time went by it became more of a problem i kind of thought of it as i just smoke way to many packs cig's.

Had an situation with what i assosiated with what happens to me when i get stung by a bee... slow but oncoming....anaphylaxis reaction i am allergic to insect stings i have an epi kit and keep benadryl on hand usualy in my pocket when i am working with my snakes or working in the field any way i took 100mg of benadryl did not use the epi pen and the sympt. went away in about 1-2 hours. "and with not getting in to all the after affects." that are associated with a reaction just to keep it short.

Now i did talk with my doctor about the problems i had to endure
with my last bite a little over a year ago not to much help it was just sugested i just get rid of all my snakes because he felt it was in my best interist and the complacations i ran in to with the last bite were more than serious in his opinion of what was to come if i were to get bit again.

Tanif...Travis...Scott your input is helpfull and appreaciated!
i may be Old school LOL! but still willing to learn what i do not know about and i think that is the beauty of our hobby for us all to live and learn and educate others along with each other.

And just for people who read this who are not experinced with Venomous snakes! Benadryl is not a cure for a venomous snake bite! venomous snakes bites are serious and do require Prompt Emergancy medical attention!

Thanks Again

Randall,

Alarm bells ringing here. You fit the absolutely classic profile of a keeper at extremely high risk of potentially fatal anaphylaxis on your next bite, even if your next bite is something like a copperhead.

I am not your doctor and I cannot give you medical advice. However I will state that if I were you, I would be taking allergy shots under medical supervision. I would also be making damn sure my doctor knew how to deal with anaphylaxis in an envenomation, and I'd keep an up to date epipen handy at all times, one epipen in each room that snakes were being kept or handled.

The other thing you can do is stop keeping venomous snakes. For me that wouldn't be an option even if I knew for a fact that my next bite would be fatal. But you're the only one who can make those decisions for yourself and your loved ones. I don't have any kids or close family to consider, so for me it's just me. I'm allowed to risk my butt if I wanna. Your situation may be different; I don't know. It's something you should certainly be thinking about.

Tanith.........I am sorry i spelled your name wrong i just relized it
and Thanks! indeed i do have many thing to consider....family....
and it is nice you express you concerns

I have cut back the amount of hot's i keep and you are right it could be even a copper that could be faital althoe it may sound like i say it lightly not intended or ment lightly i do not want to give up my hot's just yet i do love keeping hot's it is my passion and always has been but if it comes to it and my families concerns that i should no longer keep hot's i will respect their wishes because i do love them more so. but thus so far i still have their support and i guess that is because it has been a family thing being in to the herps althoe their choice in herps are much different than mine my wifes are lizards/geckos....sons are spiders and scorpions and daugthers are a lil bit of everything not hot's though. and we have a mutual agreement all of our herps are kept in a seperate and safe building from our home safe for people and safe from people.

Tanith....Thank you once again! your advice is allways welcome
and taken to heart.