Rattlesnakes
Excerpts from article, "For Goodness Snakes! Treating and Preventing Venomous Bites" By John Henkel. US Food and Administration, November 1995.

Avoiding Snake Bites

1. Leave snakes alone. Many people are bitten because they try to kill a  snake or get a closer look at it.
2. Stay out of tall grass unless you wear thick leather boots, and remain on hiking pats as much as possible.
3. Keep hands and feet out of areas you can't see. Don't pick up rocks or firewood unless you are out of a snake's striking distance (a snake can strike half its length)
4. Be cautious and alert when climbing rocks

**What do you do if you encounter a snake? "Just walk around the snake, giving it a little berth-- six feet is plenty. But leave it alone and don't try to catch it"


What to do if you're bit..

1. Wash bite with soap and water
2. Immobilize the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart
3. Get medical help as quickly as possible, do not delay.

If a victim is unable to reach medical care within 30 minutes, a bandage, wrapped two to four inches above the bite, may help slow venom. The bandage should not cut off blood flow from a vein or artery. A good rule of thumb is to make the band loose enough that a finger can slip under it.

A suction devise may be placed over the bite to help draw venom out of the wound without making cuts. Suction instruments often are included in commercial kits.

How NOT to treat a snake bite...
1. No ice or any other type of cooling on the bite. Research has shown this to be potentially harmful.
2. No tourniquets. This cuts blood flow completely and may result in loss of affected limb.
3. No electric shock. This method is under study and has yet to be proven effective.
4. No incisions in the wound. Such measures have not been proven useful and may cause further injury.

To read the entire article, Click Here...