What's a good "Snake Bite Kit" for Indiana?

[teddy12b]

I've never been bit by a snake, but I have been and will be spending more time outdoors this year than ever before. I also keep hearing about how timber rattlers and other poisonious snakes are making their way farther north into Indiana.

Even if the possibility is very small, I'd still like to get a good snake bite kit and learn how to use it. From what I've seen this: Amazon.com: Sawyer Extractor Pump Kit: Sports & Outdoors
seems to be one of the better ones.

Any suggestions?

 

[shibumiseeker]

Treating Snake Bites

Your best bet is to get to definitive care quickly, and with a very few exceptions from people having anaphylactic reactions, the only real treatment is prevention of infection, administration of antivenin, and other drugs not available OTC. The more you mess with the wound site the more you encourage the venom to circulate through the lymphatic system.

An epipen and benedryl will be far more useful.

The Wilderness Medical Society ten years ago recommended the Sawyer, but no longer.

 

[WETSU]

What Shibumiseeker linked to was basic, solid information and about all you need for Indiana.

His comments regarding an epipen and benedryl are good as well. Why not.

I tell my students the best snake bite kit is avoidance. Most people are bitten while consuming alcohol. "hey watch this!" Know where snake live, and what their patterns of behavior are at different times of year and you will be well served by your knowledge.

There are only 4 venomous snakes in Indiana. All are pit vipers, meaning they have pits on their head in addition to nostrils. They have spade shaped heads, bigger than their necks and they tend to be thick, stout snakes.

The four:

Timber Rattler
Eastern Massasagua
Copperhead
Western cottonmouth

Thats it. Be careful and dont' cut, don't suck and don't bother with the extractor. Magic beans.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

Cell phone.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Unless you are in the southern third of Indiana, and unless you plan to be backpacking way out in the boonies, your best plan is to call 911 and/or get the bitten person to a hospital asap.

There are some big snakes in Indiana, though. A friend took a pic of a really large Timber Rattlesnake sitting coiled up next to a log right on a trail in Morgan Monroe State Forest. They ended up nudging him with a stick to get him off the trail and he went on his way. I've caught rattlesnakes alive out west and I've seen dozens. Even if you are in snake country, you'd have to be really unlucky, or totally oblivious to your surroundings to get bitten.

In reality, you are much more likely to be killed or injured by tripping and falling than from a snakebite.

 

[spencer rifle]

Leather boots between ankle and mid-calf high
Cautious steps
Knowing what is and is not in your area and where it lives
Lottery ticket - Know if you get bit you've beaten some pretty big odds

 

[themadmedic]

Treating Snake Bites

Your best bet is to get to definitive care quickly, and with a very few exceptions from people having anaphylactic reactions, the only real treatment is prevention of infection, administration of antivenin, and other drugs not available OTC. The more you mess with the wound site the more you encourage the venom to circulate through the lymphatic system.

An epipen and benedryl will be far more useful.

The Wilderness Medical Society ten years ago recommended the Sawyer, but no longer.

+1

Cell phone and a strip map to closest ER...

 

[Trigger Time]

And do not elevate the bitten area. Like if your bitten on the hand, keep the hand below your heart. Same for the foot, keep it non elevated if your laying down.
Also stay calm and control your breathing to reduce your heart rate. These things will help control and slow the spread of vennom. If you have a pen or marker, circle the bite site and write the time bitten. Then do it again every 20 minutes to half hour and write the time.
And of coarse the most basic rule: always tell someone where you will be going before your trip and what time to expect you back. Stay safe. Have fun.

 

[Trigger Time]

Unless you are in the southern third of Indiana, and unless you plan to be backpacking way out in the boonies, your best plan is to call 911 and/or get the bitten person to a hospital asap.

There are some big snakes in Indiana, though. A friend took a pic of a really large Timber Rattlesnake sitting coiled up next to a log right on a trail in Morgan Monroe State Forest. They ended up nudging him with a stick to get him off the trail and he went on his way. I've caught rattlesnakes alive out west and I've seen dozens. Even if you are in snake country, you'd have to be really unlucky, or totally oblivious to your surroundings to get bitten.

In reality, you are much more likely to be killed or injured by tripping and falling than from a snakebite.

The babies are the ones that I worry about more since they usually don't deliver a dry bite like most adult snakes. But your right about the odds of a bite.
I think the cottonmouth would be the biggest threat of a bite to most people because of their location and aggressive "attack" nature if they feel threatened.

 

[bdybdall]

What Shibumiseeker linked to was basic, solid information and about all you need for Indiana.

His comments regarding an epipen and benedryl are good as well. Why not.

I tell my students the best snake bite kit is avoidance. Most people are bitten while consuming alcohol. "hey watch this!" Know where snake live, and what their patterns of behavior are at different times of year and you will be well served by your knowledge.

There are only 4 venomous snakes in Indiana. All are pit vipers, meaning they have pits on their head in addition to nostrils. They have spade shaped heads, bigger than their necks and they tend to be thick, stout snakes.

The four:

Timber Rattler
Eastern Massasagua
Copperhead
Western cottonmouth

Thats it. Be careful and dont' cut, don't suck and don't bother with the extractor. Magic beans.

The list is correct, just keep in mind that both rattlers are on the endangered species list and the cottonmouth is only found in one area in one county in SW Indiana. The statistics state that almost all poisonous snake bites in the US are to inebriated young men who decide that they are amateur herpetologists so don't be a young drunk male.

 

[.356luger]

I fail to see what the epipen would do since snakes do nit release any histamine? If im mistaken please enlighten me. I can understand if you had a reaction to the bite i could see using it however.

One other tid bid i might throw in here is to remain calm during this very stressful time and keep the blood the venom will use as a medium to spread through your body pumping slowly. Circulation at 120bpm is quite a bit different than 72bpm

 

[Trigger Time]

The list is correct, just keep in mind that both rattlers are on the endangered species list and the cottonmouth is only found in one area in one county in SW Indiana. The statistics state that almost all poisonous snake bites in the US are to inebriated young men who decide that they are amateur herpetologists so don't be a young drunk male.

Crykee...... One of the most deadliest snakes in the world. I will now attempt to stick my finger up its butt hole

 

[shibumiseeker]

I fail to see what the epipen would do since snakes do nit release any histamine? If im mistaken please enlighten me. I can understand if you had a reaction to the bite i could see using it however.

The histamine response can be triggered by any substance that the body considers an allergen. Of the very few (like 10-12) people who die from snakebite in the US in any given year, a good number of them die of anaphylactic shock.

An epipen buys you a little time for the benedryl to kick in. Mind you, *I* don't carry one, and I don't worry overmuch about snakebite because being bitten is a low probability event and because dying from it is a VERY low probability event. Far more people will die of hypothermia.

 

[LtScott14]

Best Snake Kit? Walking stick! Wear boots, tuck in your pants, and watch your step. A lot of snakes are mistaken for others, given a wide berth, and a gentle nudge they will go away on their own. Agreed about the bravado of picking them up, swinging them around, teasing, then get bit. Forget that stuff, leave them alone.
I have seen only a few woods snakes, they didn't rattle, very dark almost black. Head shape was not a viper, believe they were king snakes, or similar.
Did a one on one with cottonmouth in Arkansas few years back, and prevailed with my Kimber 45 ACP. Now that one was over 4' long, and mean. Got his just due.
I'm only a rookie in the woods(25yrs), but leave them be.

 

[themadmedic]

The histamine response can be triggered by any substance that the body considers an allergen.

The key with epi in this situation would be not to give it unless really needed...

 

[bdybdall]

I don't understand the epi bit. Sure, anaphylactic shock like a bee sting but you wouldn't have that with a snake bite. Maybe with the antivenin but that would be administered in a hospital setting under the control of a physician. All of our snakes are hemotoxic and would cause clotting deficiencies.

 

[kawasakiridrzx6r]

Where can you find the snake bite kits at.....besides the internet

 

[bdybdall]

Where can you find the snake bite kits at.....besides the internet

The really good ones are on your key ring. If you want the cut and suck kind, go to Walmart.

 

[indiucky]

Agreed about the bravado of picking them up, swinging them around, teasing, then get bit. Forget that stuff, leave them alone.

Unless your drinking Bourbon.

It is a known fact that Bourbon can make a man 10 Feet tall, Bulletproof, and sing with the voice of Angels....

Ofcourse if that doesn't work you can always pour the Bourbon on the snakebite wound....

 

[Trigger Time]

Where can you find the snake bite kits at.....besides the internet

Walmart. But if your looking to buy one you didn't read this whole thread did you? Waste of money