Snakebites
All snakes aren’t poisonous. And in North America except few types none other are poisonous. And the poisonous snakes in North American parts include the rattlesnake, coral snake, water moccasin and copperhead.
Slit-like eyes are the common feature in most snakes. And this is an exception for the Coral snake. Except this all the other mentioned poisonous snakes have a slit like head structure. Triangular head shape, with a depression, or pit, midway between the eyes and nostrils is the way this slit liked head can be noticed. With the help of these distinguished features in the appearance one can easily identified whether the snake is poisonous or not. There need not be much worry if the snake is identified and known that it is not poisonous. But in the case, if it is poisonous there may be some serious problem. Hence first aid steps should be followed with utmost care. Including the above mentioned characteristics there are other simple ways through which one can know whether the snake is poisonous or not. These characteristics are unique for the type of snake they are. Some snakes make rattling sound. This sound is generated by shaking the ring like structures at the tail of them. These snakes are called Rattle Snakes. And if any snake has this type of characteristic it can be notified immediately as rattling snake.
These make rattling sounds and hence the name rattling snakes. Is a snake has a white, cottony lining in their mouth it is Water moccasins. The only notable characteristic of this snake is it’s lining in the mouth as described. All along its body, a Coral snake has red white and yellow ring like drawings.
Depending upon the above mentioned characteristics and features the type of snake can be identified. All the above mentioned snakes are highly poisonous. It is always advised not to go play with a snake when you see it rushing away. This is the best possible way to avoid getting risk of a snake bite. It is a know fact that snakes do not themselves tend to bite any human. They bite only when they fear that there’s a threat for their life or when they get surprised suddenly. And in normal circumstances snakes always try to escape from human vicinity.
Things to DO when you get a snake bite:
- Do not yell out or run around. Try to stay calm and think of the immediate action plan to save yourself.
- It is of no use catching the snake.
- Do not try to stop the blood circulation to the bitten arm or leg, instead apply a loose splint. This minimizes the movement of the affected area of the body.
- When a snake bites, the swelling increases within moments. So, if you have any jewelry such as rings or bangles, remove them.
- Applying ice cubes on the body surface or the bitten area is strictly not recommended.
- Some may thing weird and cut the wound and remove venom using teeth. This is dangerous too. This leads to some other infections and causes serious problems when the venom gets swallowed.
Rush to a nearest medical care and seek for recommendations for medicine or cure. It is not advised to ignore the bite especially if there happens to be a swelling or pain at the affected area.