Snake bite question

[Strummer]

After reading a bout the guy who got bit by a rattle snake made me wonder what to do if my girl or wife was bit . We have a very active 4 year old girl that loves to be outside . We also have a lot of copperheads and a few cotton mouths . We have taught her to pay attention to her surrounding at all times . What is the proper way to handle a bite if it happens ? I know the er is where we would go but until we get medical attention what is the right thing to do ? A tourniquet? No tourniquet ?

[okrattler]

Don't tie anything around it. Just keep it elevated and get to the hospital. Don't cut it or any other old method of snake bite treatment either. Sucking the venom out doesn't work at all whatsoever. Done tried it....I got a mouth full of blood but that was it.

[HuntWestTX]

No tourniquet, it could make the problem worse.
Best thing to do limit movement of the bitten area and seek medical attention ASAP

[HuntWestTX]

.

[Strummer]

Ice ? Maybe Tylenol ?

[Mac]

Draw a circle around any red area with a sharpie every 5-10 min. Write the time next to each circle. This will give the docs an idea how fast the venom is spreading and how potent the bite was. It's also important to identify the type of snake.

[TxAg]

Ice ? Maybe Tylenol ?

I think conventional wisdom is no ice for snakes...ice for spider bites. Benadryl maybe but I doubt Tylenol is good

[IowaHunter]

Don't tie anything around it. Just keep it elevated and get to the hospital. Don't cut it or any other old method of snake bite treatment either. Sucking the venom out doesn't work at all whatsoever. Done tried it....I got a mouth full of blood but that was it.

This was the recommendation by a snake expert on Doug Pike's radio show in Houston this morning.

[J-DAWG]

Ibuprofen is best. Unless there is a risk of compartment syndrome, ie: finger, toe or hand, personally I would refuse to take the antivenom because I've seen several pts have either a reaction to the meds or it didn't work at all. This is just my opinion and what I would do if were me.
Now my kids on the other hand, I would speak to the ER doctor and go from there. I do know that they usually do not give antivenom for lower extremity bites just those above the waist line. Also the rule of thumb is only give antivenom if the swelling is past 2 joints like finger plus wrist etc. BTW the antivenom is like 3-4k a bottle and there has to be 3 doses.

[DDH]

Great Question,
Learn something new everyday

[HogHunter34]

My brother is a hospital pharmacist & mentioned the anti-Venom medication is expensive. Had a guy come into their hospital for copperhead bite. They injected about $6K worth. Hopefully insurance offered good coverage on that. Just a heads up on potential costs

[gatorgar]

Make sure you have about 25-36k to spend on med bills.
Most important thing is to stay calm and keep your heart rate down. If possible, bite above heart and get to ER.

Zapata county, head to Laredo or San Antonio, Starr County has some antivemon as does Brookes in McAllen.
In other words, learn which hospitals can help you around where you usually hunt.

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[eradicator]

Ibuprofen is best. Unless there is a risk of compartment syndrome, ie: finger, toe or hand, personally I would refuse to take the antivenom because I've seen several pts have either a reaction to the meds or it didn't work at all. This is just my opinion and what I would do if were me.
Now my kids on the other hand, I would speak to the ER doctor and go from there. I do know that they usually do not give antivenom for lower extremity bites just those above the waist line. Also the rule of thumb is only give antivenom if the swelling is past 2 joints like finger plus wrist etc. BTW the antivenom is like 3-4k a bottle and there has to be 3 doses.

So u just die?

[Jspradley]

Teach them to respect, not fear, snakes and you have eliminated 99% of the risk. If someone does get bitten the best thing you can do is get them to the ER asap. Don't do anything other than keep them as calm as possible and get them to the ER. North American snake bites are rarely fatal outside of unusual complications.

[Thumper]

Don't tie anything around it. Just keep it elevated and get to the hospital. Don't cut it or any other old method of snake bite treatment either. Sucking the venom out doesn't work at all whatsoever. Done tried it....I got a mouth full of blood but that was it.

This ^^^^. Keep elevated level, to center of the body.

Ice ? Maybe Tylenol ?

No, they say it actually makes the bite worse, ????. Doctors can't judge the severity of the bite, they treat swelling and pain.



But when I snake hunt I carry a snake bite kit and rubber bands. If bit I've still got to walk out. I will apply the suction cups and keep them on until the doctor takes them off, use the rubber bands below and above the bit for restriction only to keep the venom from spreading.