Snakes

[jay]

Was wanting to get some input on a decent snake bite kit or first aid supplies relating to snakebite.  I think that snakes and information relating to them are overlooked on a lot of boards; it seems that most conversations relating to potentially dangerous wildlife centers on bears.

What are your thoughts on snakes on the trails?  Anyone see them on a regular occasion?

[toejam]

I see rattlesnakes often. Information on snakebites is overlooked because it's extremely rare for people to get bit by snakes. I haven't heard of an effective snakebite kit. Messing with the wound (cutting an 'x', pouring on gun powder, etc) has been shown to make things worse. You need to get the victim to a hospital for antivenin asap, so a satellite communication device would work best.

I know of two cases where people were playing with snakes and got bit. I've heard of snakes striking at people or their hiking sticks, but I don't know of hikers getting bit by snakes.

[jay]

thanks, you pretty much confirm my thoughts on this.. I think most snake incidents happen because people don't see them.    Just checking to see if anyone knows of a kit that might so well for snake bite.  I have seen several out there but not really sure of how effective they might be.

[lonerock]

I agree with toejam. Don't worry about snake bite kits since the current practice is to avoid cutting at the site or using other older methods. The best thing is to get to a doctor as soon as possible. Some have recommnded that if you're more than one hour from help then it's better to stay put and keep the person quiet to slow the circulation down and send someone for help. If you have an antiseptic then put it on the snake bite to help avoid infection since that is often more dangerous than the bite itself. Remember that in many cases the bite by a snake is a defensive action and not a lot of venom is injected. A doctor I knew who worked in an emergency room said most bites he encountered were from people trying yo handle the snake. It's also good to keep in mind that a rattlesnake can only strike a distance equal to about half its body length. I see one or two rattlesnakes on my rural property every year. We usually just avoid each other and things are fine excecpt when one of my dogs got bit. We give our dogs vaccine shots every year which slow down the effect of the toxin and allowed us to get the dog to a vet for anti toxin shot.

[jay]

Fair enough.  I have seen several models of kits advertised that employ a vacuum system, supposedly to draw venom out of the bite itself.  Looks like the general perception so far is that they aren't worth the money.

[lonerock]

Correct. I used to carry a vacuum device until I  found out they were proven to be ineffective. One statistic i read said an average of 8,000 people are bit by rattlesnakes every year in this country but only 10 deaths are reported. I've heard that most deaths occur with people who have existing medical problems. Small children are also at risk. Carry a good first aid kit. If you do a lot of solo hikes then you might consider a PLB (personal locator beacon) or similar device. Don't rely on a cell phone for emergencies.

[jay]

Thanks, that was the confirmation I was looking for about he vacuum device.  I do a lot of hiking with my daughter, and we would both probably survive most bites, although I am sure I would still wish I were dead for a while

I grew up in East Texas, we had a lot of Cottonmouth, Copperhead and a few rattlesnakes.  About the only way I ever heard of people being bitten was usually blundering up on one and stepping on it, or making it feel cornered.  However, if one of these kits would have been beneficial to have in my kit (for others as well as us) I would have bought one.

Thanks for the input on this.

[Korey]

I was actually just looking up information on this for an article I'm writing, so good timing. What has been said already is pretty much spot on. Bite kits and advice like cutting and any method of trying to suck the venom out does nothing. Once the venom hits the blood stream, it's already gone from the bite site. The good news is that nearly 25% of pit viper (i.e. rattlesnake) bites are "dry bites" meaning no venom was injected in the first place. Venom is very resource intensive for a snake to create so they don't want to waste it if they don't have to. And with modern antivenin fatalities are less than half a percent. As stated, fatalities occur most often when there is an underlying condition that is exacerbated by the snake bite. The best treatment is to have the bitten person sit down, and keep calm and try to be as inactive as possible to keep their heart rate down. An elevated heart rate will cary the venom through the blood stream all that much faster and make things worse. Also as stated, most bites occur when people try to handle snakes, or approach one without realizing it. If you leave them alone and give them their space they will likely be no problem. There are some varieties of venomous snakes in Africa and Australia that are extremely aggressive, but usually that aggression is a response to people invading their space.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Korey