I was talking snake bites with the dogs' vet today, and she mentioned that some people use a hot shot on the bite. Apparently the electricity flowing between the two prongs somehow aligns the protiens in the snake's venom, causing it to be less damaging to the dog's tissue.
Has anybody ever heard of this? She said it was published in some dog magazines a few years ago, but that she had never tried it.
I have responded to questions about snake bite treatment using D.C. electric current for several years on different forums. Usually someone steps in and talks about all the negatives. I probably treated around thirty to forty dogs for snakebite using a stungun. I m so convinced it helped that my stungun goes with me when I hunt and certainly when my dog goes with me. I can promise you if I were to get tagged by a snake, I will treat myself before I go to the emergency hospital, and have told my friends and my wife, both how to do it, and please, TO do it to me!
You can google search the subject and read all you want about it. Search for "Electric shock for snakebite treatment" or similar wording. The Doctor that began to report on the use of electric shock practices in Brazil. Brazil is home to some of the most dangerous snakes in the world. Get tagged by some of them and they will amputate with an axe on the spot! He started using electricity and reported good results. I would urge you to search these reports and sources for information. When I started using the stungun for therapy I had only access to the "Outdoor Life" article. It was very informative and inspired me to try it. I was greatly convinced that it helped my patients, and by the way , I first used it on myself! Trust me it is not a toy and should ONLY be used as described in the article!
I encourage you to READ all the information negative and positive! (no PUN intended)! I only ask that you read it with an open mind!
NOW, I will give you my opinion of why it is not accepted medical practice:
The medical profession is slow to accept ANY new therapy and it must proove itself, or be proved, as a therapy. Testing for anything is expensive! Treating for snakebite with a stungun is quick, easy, and cheap! One of my most difficult questions when using it was what do I charge? I had a friend who was bitten by a copperhead and treated with antivenom in a hospital. The bill was $54,000.00!!! I think put that in one hand and a stungun with three
half- second bursts of electricity in the other and you can see why it will not be researched! It is not profitable, so It gets poo pooed as an idea and largely squelched. I saw some remarkable things when I used it, such as relief of pain instantly and swelling within a few hours! I would like to see the Veterinary profession use this more and provide the research necessary as well as anecdotal evidence as to how and why it works successfully! I would be happy to talk with anyone interested and tell them my experiences. I type too slowly to fully respond here! PM me and we'll talk via phone. I am purposely leaving out much , because I feel it is imperative for one to drink deeply of the available knowledge on the subject. We in this country want the government to "Take are of all our needs!" and protect us from everything. In other parts of the world that do not have our FDA, many treatments are considered useful and very beneficial, that are not allowed here in the USA.
As an example of the arguments against using it, I offer this gem:
"Using electro shock treatment on a snake bit person might cause them to have a heart attack!" I believe some people have a heart attack at the mention or sight of a snake! I think the odds go up when actually bitten and there is pain too. The doctor could easily demo on himself what he is about to do. I routinely did this and spent a Looooooonnnnnggggg time explaining the theory and what to expect and what I would do in the treatment. The client had to agree to it or I did not do it!
I also used it on what I thought was a brown recluse bite. One on myself and one on a dog. The dog had been treated by me for a "hot spot" with steroids and antibiotics. A WEEK later the client called me and said he had quit eating and was no better. I advised her I thought at that point it might be a spider bite, explained the trearapy to her and she agreed to try it. I did and sent her home with the dog and asked her to report to me if he wasn't better by the next day. She called on her way home to report that she could tell he was better already! That was only 10 minutes off my table. She called when she got home and said he went straight to his food and ate. By the next week his lesion was gone! MIne did about the same thing but I never had any pain with the bite. It just wasn't healing. I shocked it and a few days later it was gone!
Your mileage may vary but I am convinced! Educate yourself then advise your vet to research it! I cannot believe the reluctance of people to even read about it. I believe if you do it right it will impress you and like anything else , do it wrong and you will be disappointed! I am retired now after forty years of practice. I wish I had thought to keep readily retreivable records of cases and pictures of results. I really thought because of how well it worked that everyone would be doing it! I was fooled. What is the saying? "Follow the money!" Hope I haven't bored you!
