Poisonous Snake Bite

outdoors Joe · 08-12-2010, 12:04 AM

Hopefully, this will never happen to any of us. What could you do if you were in a remote place and got bit by a poisonous snake?

wildmonger · 08-13-2010, 11:27 AM

First of all, it probably won't be as bad as you imagine. The snakes in the U.S. are not nearly as bad as other places, say, India, S. America, Australia, etc. The more remote the bite, the better. It's worse close to the eyes.
The poison causes havoc with local tissues, but needs to get into the bloodstream to do any real damage. And of course, we know the coral snake can be deadly.
If you get bit by a twelve foot diamondback in the head in a remote spot, quickly consider all the wrong, bad things you've done in your life to deserve a quick death.
Otherwise, slowly walk to the nearest ER, and don't carve on yourself. That doesn't work very well.
Tourniquets? Well, um . . .maybe.

SmackontheWeb · 08-13-2010, 11:39 AM

Part of the first-aid kit that is a permanent part of my pack is a snakebite kit. It's one of those egg-looking kits with suction cups, blade & antiseptics. Armed thusly in the event of a snakebite:

Stay Calm!
Clean bite area
Stay Calm!
Use blade to open wound if necessary
Stay Calm!
Use suction cups to draw out venom
Stay Calm!
Clean bite area
Stay Calm!
Cover bite area
Stay Calm!
Get emergency aid as soon as possible

SallyA · 08-15-2010, 07:34 PM

I like the way "Stay Calm" is emphasized! Personally, I don't know if I'd be able to do that, but you definitely would want to keep your heart rate as low as possible. Are bites from the poisonous snakes in America deadly? It seems to me that copperhead snake bites can be.

Michael · 08-16-2010, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SallyA

Are bites from the poisonous snakes in America deadly?

There are some dangerous species of venomous snakes in the States, some of which can kill you. A lot of them seem to live in the deserts or swamps of the southern half of the US, although there are of course exceptions.

Search for information on your area and see if there are any dangerous species that live there. In general, though, it's a good idea to leave large snakes alone. Even the non-venomous ones can sometimes injure you with a bite.

limaker · 08-16-2010, 12:30 PM

Kits like that are great but I can not think of many people that I know who actually carry them. I think it seems like something simple to do in order to prevent anything extremely bad from getting worse before you could seek proper treatment. I mean really, why take the chance?

Newanderthal · 08-16-2010, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SallyA

It seems to me that copperhead snake bites can be.

Copperheads are not deadly. There's only been ONE recorded death from copperheads and it involved over a dozen copperheads and more then 20 bites on the same individual (he crawled under a rock where a bunch were hibernating). They cause tissue damage and fever. That's about it. It's like a super wasp sting.

Water Moccasins are worse, and rattlesnakes are worse than that. Most deaths from snake bites are caused by rattlesnakes, but even those are rare.

Venomous snakes kill about a half dozen people a year in the US.

Also, the snakebite kits mentioned above are designed for snakes that use a neurotoxin, like the coral snake, which bites about 3 people per decade. It will do little good (possibly more harm) against the necrotic venom of American pit vipers (moccasins, copperheads, rattlesnakes).

Stay calm.
loosen any tight clothing around the bite (in case swelling occurs)
clean the area with alcohol to prevent infection
wrap the area with a bandage
seek medical help

The best method is to learn about the venomous snakes in your area and learn to identify them based on their markings and coloration. Then keep an eye out for snakes while you're enjoying the outdoors.

And if you get bit and you see two fang holes in your skin but you don't instantly feel a burning sensation (like a wasp sting), then it's a dry bite in which no venom was injected. Clean the wound and leave the snake alone.

northernbushape · 08-18-2010, 06:37 PM

Great information. Snake bites is an area I have little knowledge of. We have rattlers in the interior of BC and I have seen many, but bites are very rare here too. Interesting factoid about the snake bite kits not being effective against necrotic venom. I will have to do some more research as I am often in the interior and had assumed one of these low-cost kits would be helpful.

outdoors Joe · 08-19-2010, 04:37 AM

Quote:

And if you get bit and you see two fang holes in your skin but you don't instantly feel a burning sensation (like a wasp sting), then it's a dry bite in which no venom was injected. Clean the wound and leave the snake alone.

That is something that I have never heard before. I always assumed that if a poisonous snake bit you, it injected venom. It's very good to know that getting bit doesn't necessarily mean that poison was injected.

Newanderthal · 08-19-2010, 09:41 AM

my godchild got bit by a copperhead about 6 years ago. He had the two fang holes in his leg, but said there was no pain. We watched the bite closely for redness and swelling, but there was none, even after an hour. Nothing happened.

Dry bites are actually a common occurrence. Quite often people get dry bites but since it just feels like a regular bite, they assume the snake was non venomous.

For more info, check out the forums on kingsnake.com. There's a whole section for venomous questions.