SurvivalMedicineBlog

Snake bite: what to do before help arrives

Not medical advice. This is an archive article for general information when professional care is hard to reach. It is not a diagnosis, treatment, or cure. Read the disclaimer. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.

If a snake bites someone and you do not know it was harmless, treat it as an emergency. Venomous species and response times vary by region. Paramedics and hospitals, not a blog, decide whether antivenom is needed.

Do this

• Move away from the snake. Do not catch it or kill it
• Call your local emergency number, or go to the nearest emergency department
• Keep the person as still as you can. Remove rings, watches, and tight clothing near the bite before swelling starts
• Note the time of the bite
• If you can, keep the bitten limb still. Do not delay the trip to care to arrange the limb perfectly

Do not do this

• Do not cut the bite or try to suck venom out
• Do not apply ice, a tourniquet, or electric shock
• Do not give alcohol, aspirin, or any remedy you have read about online
• Do not use homeopathic pellets or herb drops as a backup plan

A bite can look minor at first and still be serious. Pain, swelling, nausea, a strange taste, drooping eyelids, or trouble breathing are reasons you are already in the right place if you are on the way to a hospital. If breathing fails, emergency dispatch can talk you through what to do.

Earlier text on this page recommended homeopathic medicines on a schedule until help arrived. That section has been removed. It is not first aid.

See Read this First and the emergency list on the home page.