One of the dangers of hiking, hunting, fishing, camping or any other outdoor sport is that of possibly coming in contact with a snake. Most people have a fear of snakes and any time that you spend outdoors there will be that possibility of coming in contact with one and then the danger also of being bitten by one. Would you know what to look for and what to do in case of a snakebite? We will try in this little article to give you some pointers in case of an emergency like this.

The first thing to do when bitten by a snake is to determine if in fact the snake is poisonous. If it is not poisonous, there is really nothing that needs to be done at the time, but if it is poisonous, then there are certain precautions and procedures to be done till you can get the individual to the proper medical authorities.

            If you cannot find the snake or did not see it, to determine its species, look at the bite. Usually a poisonous snake will have two fang marks at the very top and then there will be little marks made by the other teeth in somewhat a V shape.  The bite of a nonpoisonous snake leaves only two rows of teeth marks, but not fang marks. So the fang marks are the tell-tell characteristic as to tell whether a snake is poisonous. If there is any doubt at all continue with the precautions that we will further give.   

            Once you have determined that it is a poisonous snake that is involved here, there are certain things that need to be done quickly.

1. STAY QUIET, DO NOT MOVE THE BITTEN PART -- The more that the bitten part is moved, the faster the poison will spread to other parts of the body. For instance if the  snake bite is on the foot, which is a common place for snake bite while you are hunting or fishing,  the person should not walk at all.

2. WRAP THE BITTEN AREA-- You need to wrap the bitten area with a wide elastic bandage or clear cloth to slow the spread of poison. Keeping the arm or leg very still, wrap it tightly, but not so tight that it stops the pulse at the wrist or on top of the foot. If you cannot feel the pulse, loosen the bandage a little.

3. WIND THE BANDAGE—over the hand or foot and up the whole arm or leg. Make sure you can still feel the pulse.

4. PUT A SPLINT ON – Once the whole arm or leg is wrapped tightly, then put a splint on that part of the body to prevent the limb from moving.

5. CARRY THE PERSON ON A STRETCHER-- If possible carry the person on a stretcher to the nearest health center. The object here is to keep the person as still as possible to keep the poison from spreading. If possible take the dead snake with you, because many different snakes take different kinds of anti-venoms. If anti-venom is needed leave the bandage on until the injection is ready, and take all precautions for allergic shock. I knew of a friend who when given the anti-venom became more seriously ill then what the snake bite had done.

            Being bitten by a poisonous snake is dangerous business. Send for medical help immediately, but always do the things explained above.  Most folk remedies for snakebite do little if any good. Some treatments can in fact cause infection or make the effects of the venom worse.

* Cut the skin or the flesh around the bite

* Tie anything tight around the bite, or the person’s body

* Put ice on or around the bite.

* Shock the person with electricity.

* Try to suck the blood or the venom out of the bite.

* Drink alcohol after a snakebite. It makes things worse!

Raymond Stiner