VENOMOUS SNAKEBITE INFORMATION AT BOTTOM OF PAGE 

June, 2020 - By Koaw

Looking for snakes is a terrific way to experience the outdoors. This type of herping done with your kids is a great bonding activity. You can teach such valuable lessons and remedy some of that irrational fear of snakes created by popular culture.

Snakes are essential predators and prey items within ecosystems. Here in North America, wild snakes would rather have nothing to do with a human; most bites occur from accidentally stepping on snakes and improper handling.

Snakes are fascinating, mostly peaceful creatures just trying to go about their lives in the world.

STEP 1 - LEARN ABOUT SNAKES

Before you even head out into the field looking for snakes, it is important to learn about the snakes in your area. Learning how to identify the dangerous and venomous snakes in your area is very important. The video discusses ways to do this. Your local government’s wildlife department should offer free resources. Herpetological societies often offer free resources on local herpetofauna. Also check out iNaturalist.org to find out what snakes have been observed in your area.

MOST IMPORTANT GUIDELINE: If you are not 100% sure what snake you are looking at then don’t touch it or get to close to it. Furthermore, only those trained in handling dangerous venomous snakes should ever attempt to handle these types of snakes.

STEP 2 - GET A SAFETY TOOL

Snake hooks and tongs are often used for handling snakes. In this video, I do not teach how to use these devices to handle snakes. Rather I’m emphasizing the need to use them to lift logs, move vegetation and explore cracks and crevices that shouldn’t be examined by hand. Venomous snakes are not the only dangerous animals that may be hiding under a logs.

A golf club or long gardening tool is often a great substitute for a snake hook for examining habitats.

STEP 3 - LOOK FOR SNAKES

There are many different types of snakes in our world. Just like with any animal, each species is filling an ecological niche and has different behaviors. If we are looking for a specific species then we should look for the habitat type that they prefer. The video will cover the general ideas to consider when searching for snakes.

 

There is actually a lot of conflicting information from various health officials on how to treat North American venomous snakebites in the field. The following advice adheres to the evidence that pressure bandage with immobilization (PBI) in the field is likely to do more harm than good. The following list is composed of the advice from the references listed at the bottom. KOAW IS NOT A MEDICAL EXPERT. THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS ARE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND MAY NOT BE THE BEST SOLUTION TO YOUR SITUATION.

Many snakebites on humans are not done by dangerous-to-human venomous snakes. I can’t stress enough the importance of learning the snakes in whatever area you are in. Snakebites from nonvenomous or not-dangerous-to-human snakes should still be cleaned thoroughly and monitored for infection as bacteria from a snake’s mouth will enter a wound.


IF BITTEN BY A VENOMOUS SNAKE

  1. Get a safe distance away from the snake to prevent another bite.
    -Yes, it is important to be able to identify the snake for antivenom purposes but not as important as avoiding another bite. A photo with a cell phone works fine as well as remembering distinct features about the snake to describe to health officials.

  2. Get help. Call 911 or your local emergency number.
    -If driving the victim to the hospital, it is still important to call ahead so the staff can prepare for the victim’s arrival. The health care facility may need to call in the antivenom from another location.

  3. The individual who was bitten should remain as inactive as possible. Keep that person calm by reminding them that the vast majority of snakebite victims do not die.
    -It is better to carry that individual to a vehicle than allow s/he to walk.

  4. Clean the wound with soap and water or a topical antiseptic like Betadine if that person is not allergic.

  5. If with pen/Sharpie, mark the location of the bite and write the time. If swelling occurs, again mark the stages of swelling with the time.

  6. If possible, splint the area around the wound to prevent movement of that area. DO NOT apply a tourniquet or a cold compress to the snakebite area.

  7. Remove any jewelry or tight fitting clothing that may restrict blood flow during swelling.

  8. Keep the area of the bite level with the heart.

  9. Monitor vital signs and the person’s complexion. You should relay this information with the dispatch/health officials as they will help you determine if that individual is going into shock and what steps you should take.

  • DO NOT attempt to suck the venom out with your mouth.

  • DO NOT slice or cut the bite area.

  • DO NOT apply a tourniquet.

  • DO NOT give stimulants to the victim.

  • DO NOT give pain medication to the victim unless a doctor says otherwise.

REFERENCES:

Virginia Herpetological Society, Venomous Snake Bite Information - https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/snakebite/vhs-snake_envenomation_update_07_21_2019.jpg

Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Rattlesnake Management - https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/ResourceStewardship/RattlesnakeManagementPrescription.pdf

Commentary: Pressure Bandaging for North American Snake Bite? No! Steven A. Seifert, Julian White, and Bart J. Currie - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3550186/