Snake Bite First Aid (Texas Snakes):

IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING APPLY: (a) You did not see the snake that bit you but the bite wound consists of two obvious bilateral bite (fang) marks; (b) Your immune system is compromised or you are presently under treatment for a serious medical condition; (c) You are experiencing unusual medical symptoms of any kind; (d) You know without further research that you were bitten by a pit viper (rattlesnake, copperhead, or cottonmouth) or a coral snake; SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT AT ONCE.

But do it right! There is a right and a wrong way to seek medical attention immediately after a venomous snake bite occurs. here are a few essential elements of the right way:

          (1). Before doing anything else, stop long enough to remove any constricting hardware from your body; rings, bracelets, etc, should be removed before any swelling occurs, or you will encounter serious difficulties from such constrictions once swelling commences; and remember that a bite anywhere on the body can cause systemic swelling anywhere else on the body, so remove all rings and bracelets, etc., immediately after a snake bite regardless of the location of the bite: 

          (2). Calm down. Snake bites rarely result in death or permanent injury, but anxiety and excitement, induced by fear, increase the risk of complications and worsen the damage caused by the venom, while a calm demeanor aids recovery;

          (3). Do not run. If you are out in the wilderness, alone--walk, don't run, to the nearest form of transportation. If you are in the company of others, let them carry you out. Physical exertion helps spread the venom through the blood and the lymphatic system;

          (4). Immobilize the portion of the body where the bite occurred; exertion of that portion of the body helps spread the venom beyond the bite; be creative--MacGyver-style---in this; for example, convert two walking sticks into a set of crutches so that a bitten leg or foot will not have to be employed to transport you out of the wilderness.

But what if you are bitten by a non-venomous snake? Such bites can be quite bloody and painful, especially if the snake is an old specimen with relatively large teeth and an attitude. Furthermore, certain Texas snakes commonly thought of as "non-venomous" are technically venomous to some degree, as they have slightly toxic saliva that can get into a bite wound and produce tenderness and swelling, and even more serious complications in susceptible individuals. Others, like the eastern hog-nosed snake, have rear-facing fangs deep in their throats that cannot injure an adult unless a finger or other body part is pushed deeply into the the snake's throat (possible, but not likely). A child, of course, might get a hand down an eastern hog-nosed snake's throat, past its rear-facing fangs; if that happens, it will probably end badly for the snake, and could end badly for the child, as well. 

Obviously, there are no hard-and-fast rules on these kinds of bites, but here are some suggestions for you to, shall we say, "chew" on:

          (1) Don't allow a child to handle a "non-venomous" snake; bad things can happen, to the child and to the snake;

          (2) Never encourage or allow a snake to bite you or another person, even if the snake is one of the "harmless" species--I posit this rather commonsense bit of trivia for those who may think getting bitten by a non-venomous snake would be cool--you know who you are--and to possibly dissuade others from indulging in such foolishness; but, if a snake bite occurs,

          (3) Remove the snake from the bite wound as soon as the bite occurs to lessen the risk of secondary infection or complications from interactions with the snake's saliva;

          (4) Let the bite wound bleed for a time sufficient to cleanse the wound of the snake's saliva and any contaminants the snake's teeth may have introduced into the wound; generally the wound will stop bleeding once the contaminants have been cleared;

          (5) Wash the wound thoroughly, after the wound stops bleeding, using antiseptic soap and clean water;

          (6) Monitor the wound for signs of swelling or unusual tenderness;

          (7) Seek medical attention at once if swelling or unusual tenderness develops, or if you begin to experience any other unusual medical signs or symptoms such as diminished mental capacity, high or low blood pressure, discoloration or bruising at the wound site; you may be experiencing a reaction to the snake's saliva.

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