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Kid gets bitten by a snake. Supermum just sucks that venom right outa his foot.

Us mums would do anything for their kids. Wouldn’t we?

We use our spit to wipe their sticky little faces. We wipe a boogery nose with the backs of your hands if required. Withhold the gags as we change a particularly bad nappy. Attend concert, after concert and footy training after footy training in the freezing-icey-cold for our budding-stars.

And even suck rattlesnake venom from their feet.

Wait. What?

Well, you would, wouldnt you?

This super mum has done just that in an amazing display of maternal instinct.

Nine months pregnant Jaclyn Caramazza from Folsom, California has saved the life of her son in a (not recommended by the experts) display of remarkable bush skills.

She was out walking with her four-year old son, Vinny last week when he accidentally stepped on something brown.

Jaclyn Caramazza, her husband and Vinny. (Facebook)

 

Something brown and pretty damn terrifying that coiled up at him.

“It wasn’t dog poop,” Vinny told KFOR.

“I know, it was a snake,” Jaclyn Caramazza said.

“I’m looking around, and took his shoes off, and lo-and-behold, there were two little puncture marks.”

The little boy had been bitten by a baby rattlesnake.

His foot was black and blue.

 

Just looking at the image of his foot you can image the horror that flooded through the body of this young mum.

Within minutes his ankle started to swell and turned black and purple as the venom spread to his entire leg.

For a news story on this amazing mum watch this video. Post continues after video.

But its what she did next that is truly remarkable.

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“Mama bear instinct in me decided to suck the venom because that’s what Bonanza does,” Jaclyn said.

For those of you younger than me who don’t remember Bonaza, it was that TV cowboy show set on a ranch with three mildly irritating and co-dependent sons and a widowed father.

"That’s what Bonanza does"

So while she worked cowboy style on her son’s foot her husband raced home and got the car and within 15 minutes they had the little boy in the nearest hospital.

The soon to be mum-of-two has since learnt that, in fact, while her instinct was correct she did the wrong thing and that sucking venom from a snake bite is an "urban myth" and actually not the correct thing to do at all.

Mrs Caramazza said she was told venom could have entered her bloodstream if she had a cut in her mouth and it could have been dangerous for her.

Vinny in hospital.

She also said what she should have done was call an ambulance.

The Sacramento Bee reports that although they got Vinny to the hospital within 15 minutes calling an ambulance would have allowed paramedics to start an IV and call ahead to the hospital so the staff would have been ready to administer the anti-venom when they arrived.

Despite their mistakes they were lucky and this story has a happy ending.

Vinny spend two days in hospital and has now been released and the Caramazzas have spread the word that emulating Bonanza – nine-months pregnant or not – isn’t the way to treat a snakebite - even if you are MamaBear!

Have you ever done anything above and beyond the call of duty for your kids?

Here’s how to treat a snakebite in Australia from Health Direct:

About 100 Australian snakes are venomous. Although only 12 are likely to inflict a wound that could kill you. These include Taipans, Brown snakes, Tiger snakes, Death Adders, Black snakes, Copperhead Snakes, Rough Scaled snakes as well as the many sea snakes.

Most snakebites happen when people try to kill or capture them. If you come across a snake, don’t panic. Back away to a safe distance and let it move away. Snakes often want to escape when disturbed.

In Australia, there are approximately one to four deaths a year from venomous snake bites.

Snake identification

Identification of venomous snakes can be made from venom present on clothing or the skin using a so called ‘venom detection’ kit. For this reason do not wash or suck the bite or discard clothing.

It’s not recommended to kill the snake for purposes of identification, because medical services do not rely on visual identification of the snake species.

Antivenom is available for all venomous Australian snakebites.

First aid for snake bites

For all snake bites, provide emergency care including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if needed. Call triple zero (000) for an ambulance. Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage and keep the person calm and as still as possible until medical help arrives.

Avoid washing the bite area because any venom left on the skin can help identify the snake.

DO NOT apply a tourniquet, cut the wound or attempt to suck the venom out.

For more info visit: Health Direct.

 

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