Accidents happen, what do you do when you’re caught up in a snake attack on you or someone around you? Read below on what to do on a venom bite.
1) Carefully walk backwards and find a safe space to sit down nearby before the venom drops your blood pressure and you pass out and hit your head.
2) Remove any rings, watches, bracelets, and anything else that could become a tourniquet if your limb swells up like a balloon.
3) Circle the site of the bite with sharpie and write the time next to it. Mark the edge of the swelling, make a list of your symptoms, and repeat every 30 minutes or so.
Circle the site of the bite and mark the time that it occurred…
Then mark the leading edge of the swelling and repeat the process as the swelling advances up the limb. It is particularly important to record the time that swelling reaches and/or passes the various joints on the affected limb.
4a) If you are positive that you have been bitten by a neurotoxic snake, apply a pressure immobilization bandage as shown in the diagram below, but DO NOT USE THIS FOR VIPER BITES! Once it is on you can’t take it off and it will slow your ability to walk out so choose wisely. For a viper bite, this may result in much more extensive tissue damage to the limb and should not be used.
4b) If you begin to experience signs of anaphylaxis (swelling of face, mouth, or throat; hives; difficulty breathing, etc) use an epi-pen if you have one and then take Benadryl and Zantac. If you don’t carry these things in the backcountry you should do yourself a favor and get them because you can’t macgyver an epi-pen out of nothing. A lot of things can cause anaphylaxis and epi-pens can also be used as a last-ditch intervention for severe asthma attacks.
5) If you have cell phone reception call someone who could reach you fast with help, tell them where you are, when you were bitten, and the list of current symptoms you just wrote down.
6) If you don’t have reception, plot the safest and most expedient path to find it or reach a vehicle (whatever is safer/faster) and then start hiking out.
Time is tissue and it may be better to walk yourself out in an hour than to sit on your butt for 5 hours help can show up. I think the idea that one should do everything possible to avoid speeding up circulation of venom is bad advice. You are already terrified from being bitten by a snake so your heart rate and blood pressure are already sky high. Figure out the fastest, safest route to find help and then make it happen.
Finally be vigilant and careful to avoid stepping into unwelcome danger.
Watch where you go in the dark and always dress with protective boots and trousers.