Texas Toddler Survives Bite From a Western Cottonmouth in His Own Backyard

Texas Toddler Survives Bite From a Western Cottonmouth in His Own Backyard

A Texas toddler is recovering from a nasty encounter with a poisonous snake last Friday.

Khou.com is reporting how Sarah Nichols’s two-year old son Eoin was bitten by a brown western cottonmouth snake when he overturned a flower pot the snake had been nestling under, catching the reptile by surprise.

“And then it was just like lightning,” Nichols told the news source.” “I saw the snake lunge and bite his finger and it all just compounded after that.”

The toddler received four rounds of anti-venom to fight off the affects of the poisonous bite at a Dallas children’s hospital, and started improving after several hours of hopeful waiting.

According to a Texas government website, while just 7 percent of all snakebites in the state involve these critters, western cottonmouths can be deadly and will cause severe bleeding when they strike, and so immediate medical attention is a must.

Cottonmouths are found between southern Illinois and Alabama, and from Central Texas, west to Oklahoma. Most encounters with the snakes happen like Eoin’s did, around the home.

In order to keep safe, it’s advised that people living in cottonmouth country keep wood and brush piles, trash dumps and livestock pens as far as possible from their residence.

And as tpwd.texas.gov helpfully states, “Never put an arm or leg into something if you cannot see the bottom.”

It’s advised to use a flashlight at night even in your own front or back yard, as cottonwoods are nocturnal and most active once the sun goes down.

How is little Eoin doing? After several days of monitored rest, he is now recovering at his grandparents home which is closer to the hospital he attended, should he need a return visit.

He still has swelling and pain, but is said to be getting steadily better. Scary stuff.

Click here to read his mother’s account on Facebook of what happened and follow this advice from Texas Parks and Wildlife if someone has been bitten.

Photo credit: Rusty Dodson/Shutterstock

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