Little Girl Recovers In Hospital After Being Bitten By Rattlesnake

LOMA LINDA (CBSLA) -- It was a big scare for a little girl -- and her family -- after she was bitten by a rattlesnake in the high desert

The 2-year-old girl was rushed to a waiting helicopter Thursday with her worried mother by her side.

The girl's father spoke to CBS2/KCAL reporter Nicole Comstock. He said his daughter was doing okay -- and that she is happy and smiling.

He said Madeline was bitten in her arm by a baby snake while she was playing outside with her twin brother outside their Hesperia home.

Madeline is in stable condition after being treated with an anti-venom twice.

The snake slithered inside the family's garage where the girl's mother killed it and then called 911.

Dad was seven hours away when she was bitten and he was, understandably, frantic.

"She's a trouper," says Sergio Silva, "She's happy. She's eating well and everything."

The little girl kept trying to tell her mother something was wrong, "but my wife couldn't figure out what it was," Sergio says.

A helicopter landed at nearby Oak Hills High School to transport her to the hospital.

"The child's body is smaller, and so they may have a greater risk of developing significant toxicity we actually give them the same dose of anti-venom that we would give an adult, because the venom dose is going to be the same," says ER physician Brian Wolk.

The doctor says a snake bite like Madeline's cannot go untreated for too long.

The intense localized swelling could lead to a disability. Luckily, she got to the hospital quickly.

He said a patient her age is usually treated for 2-3 days before they can go home.

The hospital said they've seen a spike in rattlesnake bites and caution if you are close enough to take a picture of the snake with your phone, you are probably too close.