The post about the brown recluse bite prompted me to think about this . . . and I figured that somebody might benefit from the info. I learned about the use of a stun gun from Dr. Carlo Osborn back in the 1970's and have, in fact, used it once when my daughter was bitten by a fiddleback (and yes, it prevented the necrosis and led to accelerated healing). Here is a link to a rather lengthy history of the treatment. The following article is an adaptation of Dr. Osborn's study from the '70s.

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Mini Stun Gun Use for Venomous Bites of the BRS
Stan Abrams, M.D.

The method of application of the mini stun gun for venomous bites is of the utmost importance especially for the brown recluse spider bite. The venom of the BRS has the nasty property of deep penetration and the ability to stay in the system for years, The electrode placement is important.

One 10 to 12 inch extension lead made from a #14 to #10 braided copper wire (depending on availability), with a clip attached to each end. On one end I use a 1-3/8 inch insulated claw clip and on the other end an insulated small alligator clip. The reason for the claw clip is that it has a large flat surface area to make contact with the skin. The smaller alligator clip is used to grasp one of the poles of the mini stun gun.

The wire with the clips is attached to the mini stun gun using the small alligator clip. The claw clip is placed on the opposite side of the extremity from the bite using pressure to make good skin contact. If the bite is on the abdomen then you must put the claw clip at least 10 inches away from the bite site on the abdominal wall. The other pole from the mini stun gun is applied to the skin at the bite site as close as possible. Good contact is a must; otherwise there will be an arc and a spark burn to the skin. The mini stun gun is operated for one second and then the pole is moved to the edge of the area of redness and the mini stun gun is operated again. You will need to work around the edge of inflamed area in either a clockwise or counterclockwise manner giving 5 or 6 one-second shocks to the area in total. It is not necessary to move the claw clip. The extension wire is not needed for other venomous bites.


Alligator clip (red) shown attatched to one of mini stun gun poles.


Position extension wire (claw clip) to opposite side of wound.


Work mini stun gun around the wound as well as center.

It has been my experience that in one or two hours most of the pain has subsided. Any drainage should not last longer than 2 days and you should notice healing starting.

The biological basis for the mechanism behind the shock is:

• The current will influence the hydrogen bonds of the enzymes, destroying their secondary and tertiary structure.
• The high voltage, low amperage current applied will reduce metal ions and zinc, copper, magnesium, iron, or calcium ions, which are firmly bound to some venom enzymes and are mandatory cofactors for these enzymes.
• The electric particles interfere with the membrane as well as the positive charged polypeptides, decreasing their cytotoxic properties.
• Taken together the protective high-voltage treatment for venomous bites is at least in part due to action of the electrical current on the venom itself.

Surgery prior to this type of treatment is not the answer since the venom has not been neutralized and the wound will break down again within a few weeks or months. This is well documented.

Interesting.......I wonder how hard it is to take repeated shocks from one of those things???

I would think that after the first one you would become a little gun shy.....lol!!!

My uncle actually died from a BRS bite.......he refused treatment and his leg got gang green. He refused to let doctors them remove the leg and the infection did him in.


Tbar

And to sound just a crazy, but it works, is to use the same kind of stun gun on areas affected with tendinitis (tennis elbow). I had it so bad in my left elbow a couple years ago, It hurt to just flex my arm. Several trips to the doctors, several different medicines and no real relief.

I was in a pawnshop one day and a buddy who worked there told me he could fix my tennis elbow. After telling me what he was going to do, I was more than a little leary, but let him pull one out and with a couple of quick jolts to the affected area, I immediately felt better. A couple more treatments throughout the coming week and I've not had a problem since.

ttt

I have heard of people shocking their dogs for treatment of rattlesnake bites.

VERY interesting & I have actually spoken with a guy (YEARS AGO) that use electric shock on his dog for rattlesnake bite as well.

Thats pretty cool. Learn something everyday.

Interesting, I'm curious about this subject now.

Does it need to be a stun gun, or would a training color on high also work?

This is good stuff. Thanks for posting

I've heard about this in the past. Very interesting.

Snake Oil and Hucksterism! I am aware of NO double-blind studies that support such fanastic claims. Tread lightly around this shell game until a proper study is done.....

Please note that this claim was made back in the 70's. If it had merit, the procedure would now be standard policy in ERs everywhere.

If I remember correctly I've always heard it spun as "this is not the safest method, NOR the preferred method if anti venoms are AVAILABLE". I'd bet that if you were in the middle of nowhere with no possibility of getting to help quickly you'd be looking for something to shock yourself or your dog with, lol.

Once again

Yup.

I have a Taser. Will that work. If anybody has a spider bite I'm willing to taze you and we'll see if it works.

I have a boy on our 6 man FB team that his dad has used it numerous times over the years for strains sprains and pulls. It works I have seen it first hand.

I have used the method of just putting the prongs of a medium to low power tazer on either side of scorpion and whasp stings (which I have a pretty bad reaction to) on myself. It makes a huge difference and reduces greatly the reacion and the amount of swelling and pain that I experience! I haven't used one on a Brown Recluse bite and hope I don't have to... but if I were bit again, and knew it early, I would shock the ever living he## out of myself.

I got hit with a hotshot when we were workin cows, dont know what it would do on spider bites but it will make you #@%* yourself LOL

my dad has a tenz unit that shocks your muscles. it very effective.

If you can't get to a tazer, a moist teabag will draw poison out of a spider bite, and pouring honey directly on your dog's snake bite will help bunches.

Very good and interesting information about brown recluse bite.
Everyone who suffered anything same have benefits from this forum.
I had a lot of good knowlege informations from spider bites knowlege datebase. when i suffered brown recluse bite on my vocation in Vegas.
I vent to that part of america without any knowlege of wild life and dangers.
I spend twenty days in hospital with serious injured arm and i don't want anybody to have situation like mine...it's horrible.

These little beggers are seriously bad news for sure.
I lived an hour from Vegas for most of my life and they are everywhere out there.
I had one border collie bitten behind her foreleg and she lost most of the flesh from her shoulder down the back of her leg.
Remarkably she survived even though I have never seen a sicker creature ever, big vet bills and lots of recovery time but she did.
I was later bitten as well, however it was a little different reaction than hers.
I pulled a summer shirt on one day that had been folded in the drawer for the winter without shaking it out and felt something crawling up my neck, I flicked it off and it landed on the dresser in front of me, it was a BRS.
I felt nothing but knew that I had surely been bitten, checking myself every hour or so during the day revealed nothing, but that evening I began to develop a nickel sized off colored brownish green spot on my left bicep.
It never got any bigger, nor did it turn necrotic but for three days I was flat on my back.
I would think I was feeling good enough to go back to work, I would make it to the front gate and my knees would go weak and back I would go.
Two weeks after I was bitten I had to fly to Hawaii for work, I thought I was able by that point to make do.
The sun would come out and my temp would raise and the next thing I knew people would be looking at me strange and telling me I was going white in the face, then spots would appear in my vision and they would have to help me to the shade and pour ice water on me.
I would recover and 30 minutes to an hour later we would go through the whole deal again.
It was a full year before I could work outside without some effects.
I never put on a shirt now without shaking it out believe me.

i also used a cattle prod on a horse that had been bitten by a rattler on the nose, saw lots of those in my life on our ranches in NW Az.
I read somewhere about it and when he came in with the typical swelling and drainage frome fang marks I instantly stuck two pieces of cut garden hose up his notrils which is SOP.
I also however laid him down and worked his nose over well with a cattle prod.
I do have to say that this horse recovered faster than any I had ever seen.
Although he was almost impossible to get a halter on after that.

Why is this in the photo section?

Why do you care? Is it hurting you? That is what is wrong with our great country. Too many jackasses worried about what everyone else is doing.