Where to get Antivenom

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Saudi Arabia is one of the leading producer of many anti venoms. I have been told that you can buy direct from them or at least you could once, now... You also know that there is a shortage world wide currently? (read Saudi...) That will drive the price up quite a lot, I was told that it was many thousands a dose but I have no proof of that just a conversation.

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You need permits to import antivenin. Many of the foreign producers aren't FDA approved, and may not be legal.

This is one of those topics that you need to properly and thoroughly research on your own. There is probably a good reason why The venomous keepers you talked to aren't giving you any leads.

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This is one of those topics that you need to properly and thoroughly research on your own. There is probably a good reason why The venomous keepers you talked to aren't giving you any leads.

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I've tried to find info on this subject and I haven't had any luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Saudi Arabia is one of the leading producer of many anti venoms. I have been told that you can buy direct from them or at least you could once, now... You also know that there is a shortage world wide currently? (read Saudi...) That will drive the price up quite a lot, I was told that it was many thousands a dose but I have no proof of that just a conversation.

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Hmmm..A couple thousand dollars..Or your life...

Hard choice right there. :P

Unless you have the money, Stocking up on anti venom is hard to do with its cost.

Also some anti venom you could be highly allergic to it and be counter productive. Not sure if your able to know which ones your allergic to.

If not mistaken most Anti venom shelf life is what a year max. Im sure there is leeway on that

Most hospitals readily have antivenon for native snakes and your local zoo has antivenon for exotics that they display. Maybe this will help you.:cool:

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Originally Posted by JeffD

Most hospitals readily have antivenon for native snakes and your local zoo has antivenon for exotics that they display. Maybe this will help you.:cool:

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Maybe it won't.

The OP needs to identify which antivenin he needs. The fact that he cannot do that is why he cannot find what he needs.

Once he does that, he should be able to find sources to buy from - with or without a permit.

He also needs to understand that a $99.00 vial of anti-venin isn't going to cut it. You need to know how many you will need for an average bite from the species you are keeping.

You also need to understand that you can easily get yourself into six figure trouble with a run of the mill snakebite just from hospital costs alone. Good luck getting your HMO to pick up the tab.

Some of the freeze dried antivenins have 5 year shelf lives.

Best advice anyone can offer is simply this..

Don't get bitten!

I know there was recently a story on a woman who got bitten by a common rattlesnake in her garden.

She needed 6 vials of anti-venin at a cost of roughly $1,000 a vial. This was besides the IV fluids, painkillers, and I don't know what else to keep her alive. The total hospital bill was in the neighborhood of $25,000.

To me, that says unless you are rich, don't keep hots!

Gale

I'm pretty sure it is legal for private ownership of antivenom, but it doesn't make much sense unless you're planning on getting bit soon - as mentioned it has a finite shelf life. The private owners keeping it are either really wealthy or getting it illegally.

There also isn't a lot out there for purchase and a lot of it is still being created/tested since there aren't antivenoms for all species. Not to mention it can have a very negative effect - as mentioned, it can cause an allergic reaction worse than the venom itself. If self administered for a dry bit (or even a wet one) you could kill yourself with it.

Also, as mentioned, it is very costly - I believe around $1,000 a vial when administered at a hospital and you can expect to need 15+ vials for many bites. Idk about you, but owning a hot and getting a bite isn't worth $15k - that doesn't mean don't get any, just do your research and be properly prepared.

Definitely check for the nearest hospitals that carry the necessary antivenom - the last thing you want to be doing when you get bit is calling around or looking in the yellow pages :P

I don' t kmow why I even bother. There are so many self proclaimed know it alls on here!!!

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