Synonyms

No known synonym

Name of the disease in English

Snakebite

The disease in brief

Snake venom contains a variety of toxins: Necrotizing, anticoagulant, neurotoxic, cardiotoxic, myolytic, hemolytic toxins.

Clinic & diagnosis

The diagnosis is based partly on the circumstances of appearance: A sudden appearance, in summer-autumn, in the pasture; clinically, we first identify the signs of a bite or its immediate consequences; the farmer calls for a swollen area, a bovine that is drooling or has difficulty breathing; it is the addition of circumstances and variable signs that lead to suspicion:

–A drooling bovine, with swelling in the trough or elsewhere on the head

–Or respiratory signs : A more or less high-pitched laryngeal rattle or stridor or a pharyngeal snoring, associated with a swollen or painful throat, or a bovine that has difficulty swallowing.

-Or a swollen area which shows the marks of the snake's fangs, or which is situated on the head or the lower half of the thorax or neck, or a lump on the flanks, or near the breast, or on a limb, or a limb swollen from top to bottom,

Typical sign of the disease

No description

Pictures

See below

Diagnostic formulas

No description

Differential diagnosis

-Acute pharyngitis (post-traumatic or other) RS19.1

-Laryngeal trauma N146

-Hot abscess under the skin CH1.3

-Hematoma under the skin CH3

-Phlegmon (under the skin) CH2

Confirm a suspicion?

If necessary, a blood test on a dry tube can be used to carry out an Elisa test showing the specific antibodies to snake venoms, in a specialized laboratory.

Prognosis and treatment

A specific treatment

Symptomatic treatment

Prevention

Avoid areas frequented by snakes in summer and autumn.

References

-Veterinary Medicine-Pocket companion -9th Edition BLOOD DC-page 608