Some tips in case you get bitten

[ArachnoHorn]

You are right. You convinced me. The strength of your argument has delivered a stunning blow to my ego and my medical degree. My bad. Don't bother listening to @Arachnoclown, as well. He isn't published on an NIH website. His 30 plus years in the business is meaningless.

Sarcasm level: 1000

destructuon level: 1000

 

[jrh3]

The epitope for T venom is too small to cause granulation of mast cells or be taken up by antigen presenting cells. NiH or not, that article is wrong.

Do you have any scientific study papers to back this up?

You are right. You convinced me. The strength of your argument has delivered a stunning blow to my ego and my medical degree. My bad. Don't bother listening to @Arachnoclown, as well. He isn't published on an NIH website. His 30 plus years in the business is meaningless.

Are you a nurse? Do you have any documentation that tarantula venom shows no allergic reaction?

even redness around the puncture point would be an allergic reaction, not including the heart palpitations and muscle cramps, are these not allergic reactions? I don’t have a medical degree so I can’t say.

 

[octanejunkie]

Are you kidding me....****tail???

More like a crocktail amirite?

 

[Oursapoil]

Do you have any scientific study papers to back this up?

Are you a nurse? Do you have any documentation that tarantula venom shows no allergic reaction?

even redness around the puncture point would be an allergic reaction, not including the heart palpitations and muscle cramps, are these not allergic reactions? I don’t have a medical degree so I can’t say.

Hello friend,
Definitely not a medical degree owner here but I believe (in my experience at least) that redness around a puncture wound is usually linked to your immune system and the healing process. As a matter of fact, I do not recall ever having any kind of open wound that didn't trigger some kind of redness around it. My two cents.

 

[jrh3]

Hello friend,
Definitely not a medical degree owner here but I believe (in my experience at least) that redness around a puncture wound is usually linked to your immune system and the healing process. As a matter of fact, I do not recall ever having any kind of open wound that didn't trigger some kind of redness around it. My two cents.

Good point.

 

[m0lsx]

I was looking on google to see what I could find out about allergic reactions to tarantula bites. Lots of medical people talk about it with words like potentially & possibly. But none seem able to back up their claim that it could happen. As I could not find a single account of an allergic reaction, even from those claiming it is possible. But I did find lots of maybes, which feels reasonable.

I also the following on the Mount Sinai website. I believe they are in New York?

The venom of tarantulas found in the United States is not considered dangerous, but it may cause allergic reactions.

If you are allergic to tarantula venom, these symptoms may occur:

• Breathing difficulty
• Loss of blood flow to major organs (an extreme reaction)
• Eyelid puffiness
• Itchiness
• Low blood pressure and collapse (shock)
• Rapid heart rate
• Skin rash
• Swelling at the site of the bite
• Swelling of the lips and throat

Which all looked good until I got to the bottom of the page..

Recovery most often takes about a week. Death from a tarantula spider bite in a healthy person is rare.

So this medical information includes information we know is factually wrong. Death via a tarantula bite is not rare, it is unheard of & it mostly takes a week to recover!! Again this is factually inaccurate. So the allergy information is now in question, as they clearly know nothing about tarantula bites.

Looking around it does become clear, how little is known about tarantula bites. So the evidence seems to be allergic reactions could potentially happen, but no medical evidence for an allergic reaction currently exists.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Do you have any scientific study papers to back this up?

Are you a nurse? Do you have any documentation that tarantula venom shows no allergic reaction?

even redness around the puncture point would be an allergic reaction, not including the heart palpitations and muscle cramps, are these not allergic reactions? I don’t have a medical degree so I can’t say.

Muscle cramps, LeBron must be allergic to basketball then...

 

[jrh3]

Muscle cramps, LeBron must be allergic to basketball then...
View attachment 53425

Lol, that is from dehydration not being envenomated.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Whats up with the misleading link??? Is it just me or has it been taken down? It says its been removed when I click on it.

An error has occurred

 

[WolfSpider]

I am a doctor. Redness around a bite is called inflammation. Venom itself can case heart palpitations, extreme pain, muscle cramps, myalgias, nausea and fatigue. None of which is an allergic reaction. Think about cobra venom...it can kill you but may not produce an allergic response. Now, think about susceptible people who have bee sting allergies. The common hunny bee can send people into anaphylaxis--without epinephrine, they can suffocate or have a cardiac arrest. Yet, those who are not susceptible, bee stings are trivial.

The reason there has never been a recorded allergic reaction to tarantula venom is because it is impossible! It takes a certain sized protein or epitope to cause an allergic response.

Megalomorph venom is primitive and all proteins in the venom are too small to invoke an allergic reaction.

Now, I am done discussing this point. Those who believe something else are welcome to it. Science can't compete with ignorance, and education is not a competition.

 

[jrh3]

I am a doctor. Redness around a bite is called inflammation. Venom itself can case heart palpitations, extreme pain, muscle cramps, myalgias, nausea and fatigue. None of which is an allergic reaction. Think about cobra venom...it can kill you but may not produce an allergic response. Now, think about susceptible people who have bee sting allergies. The common hunny bee can send people into anaphylaxis--without epinephrine, they can suffocate or have a cardiac arrest. Yet, those who are not susceptible, bee stings are trivial.

The reason there has never been a recorded allergic reaction to tarantula venom is because it is impossible! It takes a certain sized protein or epitope to cause an allergic response.

Megalomorph venom is primitive and all proteins in the venom are too small to invoke an allergic reaction.

Now, I am done discussing this point. Those who believe something else are welcome to it. Science can't compete with ignorance, and education is not a competition.

Good post but still doesn’t remove the fact that the bite can last a long time with lots of side effects.

 

[ArachnoHorn]

Good post but still doesn’t remove the fact that the bite can last a long time with lots of side effects.

Nobody disagreed that the bite can last a long time with lots of side effects.

 

[shatteredpast7]

Aren't spiders (certain types) actually life threatening? Spiders and tarantulas are different. I dont really know of deadly or worrisome cases of tarantula bites. But when it comes to like the brown recluse, wandering spider, widow, etc. That's probably when you should be concerned right? Watch out for spiders, not tarantulas? Lol

 

[jrh3]

Aren't spiders (certain types) actually life threatening? Spiders and tarantulas are different. I dont really know of deadly or worrisome cases of tarantula bites. But when it comes to like the brown recluse, wandering spider, widow, etc. That's probably when you should be concerned right? Watch out for spiders, not tarantulas? Lol

Until you are bitten by a Pokie or S. Cal and have muscle cramps for a month or so, heart palpitations, nausea and other side effects.

 

[supernova1368]

I agree on the medical professionals. I come from a medical family and have religiously studied the best that I could find in my field. You'll also notice that I am very opinionated on certain specific areas concerning medicine. In my community, medical professionals are exaulted as something higher than mere mortals. I've known good and bad nurses, pharmacists, physicians, etc. Like anyone else I realize that most aren't exceptionally one way or another, but patients turn over their volition to the experts in the weakest times. Having lost 4 close family members to those who forced medical procedures on them without their consent or knowledge, they died needlessly. That's one thing that I hope to do is to speak for the dead.

That's really interesting about the fashion design. You must be artisticly gifted going into music too. I was just about to sit down and recondition a vintage 1950s American field jacket that's been restored. It's been passed down through the family , so has sentimental value. To make it more practical and fashionable, the collar was overlaid with a weather resistant leather collar. I then duck waxed the fabric and turned it into a breathable rain jacket that looks good in town. Anyhow, I digress.

I used to be into hundreds of exotics and the venomous for a time. After a while decided that there are enough interesting non venomous snakes and there wasn't enough reason to breed the others. Cobras are very intelligent in general, learn and some were unpredictable.
У меня нет подходящих фотографий, но я опубликую ниже кого-нибудь еще Rhino Viper. Разновидность леса Итури - это самые красивые, красочные змеи в мире ИМХО. Он просто не допускает ошибок. РЖУ НЕ МОГУ!
Вот пара чьих-то видео, которые не воздают им должного. У меня были почти неоновые блестящие генетические линии всех цветов радуги. Я не мог увидеть случайного появления этих существ при их подъеме. Они должны были быть результатом творчества художника с бесконечными талантами, далеко превосходящими мое воображение.
[MEDIA = youtube] rzkWgqLl7ak [/ MEDIA]



[MEDIA = youtube] 8s7HjvSnmH8 [/ MEDIA]

Они прекрасны

 

[LinInuRen]

If anyone gets any reaction to a bite that concerns them, then getting medical advice makes sense. But the problem is, NHS 111 works to a script that will almost certainly not have T bite on it, so they will not have a clue & if you do go direct to casualty, even with the scientific name of the T, there is not a lot they can do, as virtually nothing is known about T venom. Plus there is normally a wait of several hours to get treatment at casualty & I am not sure how far up, or down the casualty priority list a T bite will go.

If you are having a severe allergic reaction that is life threatening I believe you get to jump the list. If your reaction is mild swelling and pain, probably bottom of the list and a bandaid.

 

[LinInuRen]

Hi all,

I saw a thread on here about what to do if you get bitten by a tarantula, and it attracted some (what I interpreted as) satirical responses. Having some emergency medical care knowledge, I thought I'd share my two cents on what to do in case you get bitten.

1. As with any puncture wound, especially one with venom, you're gonna want to wash out the wound with water. Avoid using any chemicals to air on the side of caution, just in case they react with any component of the venom.

2. Cover the wound with a bandage to prevent bacteria from getting into the wound.

3. If your wound or the area around it starts swelling up, or you feel any signs of an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing, hives, extreme pain or itching, redness of the skin), seek professional medical help right away.

4. Take an antihistamine or ibuprofen.

5. Like others have said, if you get bitten by an old world tarantula with some really potent and possibly paralyzing venom, seek medical help right away.

As for the tarantula,

1. Make sure its fangs are okay, they aren't necessarily meant to bite into human flesh

2. Monitor it to make sure it's 100% okay, and not exhibiting any odd behavior.

3. It may be a good idea to feed it, as it could be hungry and have thought you were food.

If I got anything wrong, please feel free to correct me!

Love that you include checking on your t. Our reaction to being bit, or something on your hand may have hurt your t.

 

[Vulash]

This thread is a bit old, but I have a question. I appreciate that the OP and several follow-up responses just used "antihistamine". I often see people specifically say they take Benadryl after a bite on bite-reports. Very often.

As a disclaimer, I have no medical degree and I'm fairly new to tarantula keeping.

I have heard several top allergists recently say that Benadryl is outdated and should be thrown out. In all circumstances, they recommend a newer phase of antihistamines.

I also follow several snake-bite groups. Dr. Spencer Greene and others do not recommend Benadryl for venomous snake bites. Many veterinarians still give dogs Benadryl for snake bites, but once again I read from the above it is not effective or recommended.

So, my question is, are people taking Benadryl for tarantula bites because that has been engrained in our society as a go-to response (many still push the Benadryl for snakebites)? Or is there evidence that it is helpful for Tarantula venom? Would another antihistamine work better?

I will say upfront I don't put much stock in limited anecdotal evidence, but I'm aware that may be all we have. I'd really like to know where we are in 2022 with the state of treating a tarantula bite.

Thank you!

 

[Critter]

Hi all,

I saw a thread on here about what to do if you get bitten by a tarantula, and it attracted some (what I interpreted as) satirical responses. Having some emergency medical care knowledge, I thought I'd share my two cents on what to do in case you get bitten.

1. As with any puncture wound, especially one with venom, you're gonna want to wash out the wound with water. Avoid using any chemicals to air on the side of caution, just in case they react with any component of the venom.

2. Cover the wound with a bandage to prevent bacteria from getting into the wound.

3. If your wound or the area around it starts swelling up, or you feel any signs of an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing, hives, extreme pain or itching, redness of the skin), seek professional medical help right away.

4. Take an antihistamine or ibuprofen.

5. Like others have said, if you get bitten by an old world tarantula with some really potent and possibly paralyzing venom, seek medical help right away.

As for the tarantula,

1. Make sure its fangs are okay, they aren't necessarily meant to bite into human flesh

2. Monitor it to make sure it's 100% okay, and not exhibiting any odd behavior.

3. It may be a good idea to feed it, as it could be hungry and have thought you were food.

If I got anything wrong, please feel free to correct me!

Sounds great good advice I hav kept exotic pets for 40 years tarantulas monkeys reptiles cobras and many others never by anything venomous lucky careful I guess most painful bite was from a monkey

 

[MidnightArachnids]

A tarantula bite for a majority of people would seem non life threatening. However, would it be better to get medical attention if you have high blood pressure or other issues? Dr's can counter this if blood pressure gets too high.

Someone mentioned on here about ROBC. He actually went to the ER a few times over bites. When I got into the hobby in 2006 I learned a few things from him. He was a great guy and had alot or knowledge.

If you feel like this is going to cause a certain amount of discomfort or potentially be dangerous it's best to be safe.

I have never received a bite.. from any tarantula. But if I got hit by a OW I'm going to the ER. But that's me.

Just my 2 cents.