What to do
- 1Call 911 immediately — don't wait for symptoms; emergency rooms have antivenom.
- 2Move far away from the snake so it can't strike again.
- 3Keep the person calm and still — movement and panic speed venom through the body.
- 4Remove jewelry, watches, and tight clothing near the bite before swelling begins.
- 5Clean the bite with soap and water and cover it loosely with a clean, dry bandage.
- 6Keep the bitten limb still and at about heart level to help slow the spread; limit all movement.
- 7If swelling develops, mark its leading edge and note the time — it helps the medical team track how fast venom is spreading.
- 8Identify the snake only from a safe distance — remember its color and shape, or take a photo. Do not try to catch or kill it.
Do NOT use a tourniquet or ice, cut the bite or try to suck out venom, give caffeine or alcohol, or give pain relievers that increase bleeding risk — follow medical guidance on pain relief.
When to use it
- Hiking, climbing, and camping in snake country — rocky, brushy, or warm areas where snakes bask or hide.
- Reacting correctly when the nearest hospital is far — calm, still, elevate, and evacuate.
- Treating a bite from an unidentified snake as potentially venomous.
Common mistakes & safety
- Call 911 and evacuate to antivenom — that's the real treatment. Field first aid only buys time; nothing you do replaces the hospital.
- The old "remedies" are actively harmful. Cutting, suction, tourniquets, and ice damage tissue and don't remove venom.
- Don't try to catch or kill the snake. That's how second bites happen — a description or distant photo is all the hospital needs, and even a dead snake's head can bite by reflex.
- Keep the person calm and moving as little as possible. Exertion and a racing heart spread venom faster.
- Treat every unknown snakebite as venomous. You can't reliably tell venomous from nonvenomous by looks.
- A "dry bite" (no venom) is possible, but you can't know in the field — respond as if venom was injected and let the hospital decide.
- Prevention: watch where you put hands and feet, don't reach into rock piles or under logs, wear boots and long pants, and leave snakes alone.
Going deeper
- Guidance has changed. Older first aid said keep the bite below heart level; current guidance is to keep it at about heart level. Follow the current version, and don't rely on old handbook wording without checking.
- Antivenom is the treatment, and it works better the sooner it's given — which is why "call 911 now, evacuate fast" beats any field trick.
- Coral snake vs. pit viper. Pit-viper venom (rattlers, copperheads, cottonmouths) mostly damages tissue and blood; coral-snake venom attacks nerves, so its warning signs differ (drooping eyelids, weakness) and can be delayed — still an emergency.
Official source
Snakebites: first aid — Mayo Clinic →This is general first-aid information, not a substitute for training. A venomous snakebite is a 911 emergency — antivenom is in hospitals.