how to treat a spider/snake bite
Sometimes when you are camping, bushwalking or even stranded in the wild, you can run into snakes and spiders. Usually you will be fine, but you could always be that unlucky person who gets bitten by one. It is important to know that many snakes and spiders are poisonous and if you don't treat a spider or snake bite, you could possibly die. These easy step-by-step guides will teach you how to correctly treat a snake or spider bite, and you never know, it might just save your life!
Article by Alister
Article by Alister
Spider bites
Spider bites are quite common, surprisingly, but most bites don't need treatment. However, there are spiders out there that are a risk to humans, and if you are bitten by one, it is important to know how to correctly treat a bite. When you get bitten by a spider, always try and find the spider so you can identify what treatment is most suitable. Spiders can be categorized into 3 main groups: redback spiders, 'big black' spiders and all other spiders. Redback spiders are easily identifiable from their red striped abdomen. Although they aren't life threatening, redback spider bites can be severely painful. 'Big black' spiders are any large, dark spiders that could possible be a funnel-web spider. Funnel-web spiders are the most dangerous spiders in Australia, and if a spider bite has been identified as from a big black spider, it must be treated like a funnel-web spider bite until their are no signs of poisoning for 4 hours.
Redback Spider Bites:
Getting bitten by a Redback spider can be the result of moving or disturbing it's current area, for example moving outdoor furniture or lifting a bike helmet. Redback spiders tend to live in dry and dark places, and are more common in summer and spring. You might not immediately feel the spider bite you, and they only sometimes leave small fang marks. However, pain increases after a Redback spider bite within roughly an hour and could be so severely painful that it prevents sleep! Symptoms of Redback spider bites include discomfort, nausea, headache and weakness, however the effects of Redback spider bites only last under one week. If you have identified a Redback spider bite, it is highly important that no one panics, as keeping the victim still and not moving slows the poison down. It is not recommended to compress or apply pressure to the wound. To lessen the pain, ice or simple pain relievers are recommended. If the pain is still strong, antivenom should be considered. However, serious medical treatment is not needed on most cases.
Funnel-web Spider Bites:
Funnel-web spider bites are rare, and serious poisoning by a funnel-web is very rare. Each year only 5-10 cases require antivenom! However, funnel-web spiders are the most dangerous spiders in Australia, and their bite can be fatal. So if you identify any big black spiders that have bitten you or someone else, you must treat it like a funnel-web spider bite; better safe than sorry! Unlike Redback spiders, the male funnel-web is more poisonous than the female. If you are bitten by a funnel-web, you will experience pain immediately. Regularly they will leave bite marks and cause bleeding. Other symptoms include numbness, swelling, nausea, headache, muscles spasms, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing and an increase in heartbeat and blood pressure. If you or someone else is bitten by a funnel-web, apply a pressure immobilisation bandage to the wound and contact ambulance (000) immediately, or other emergency services. Antivenom should be given to the victim as soon as possible, even if there are no signs of severe poisoning or if the spider is an unidentified 'big black' spider.
Getting bitten by a Redback spider can be the result of moving or disturbing it's current area, for example moving outdoor furniture or lifting a bike helmet. Redback spiders tend to live in dry and dark places, and are more common in summer and spring. You might not immediately feel the spider bite you, and they only sometimes leave small fang marks. However, pain increases after a Redback spider bite within roughly an hour and could be so severely painful that it prevents sleep! Symptoms of Redback spider bites include discomfort, nausea, headache and weakness, however the effects of Redback spider bites only last under one week. If you have identified a Redback spider bite, it is highly important that no one panics, as keeping the victim still and not moving slows the poison down. It is not recommended to compress or apply pressure to the wound. To lessen the pain, ice or simple pain relievers are recommended. If the pain is still strong, antivenom should be considered. However, serious medical treatment is not needed on most cases.
Funnel-web Spider Bites:
Funnel-web spider bites are rare, and serious poisoning by a funnel-web is very rare. Each year only 5-10 cases require antivenom! However, funnel-web spiders are the most dangerous spiders in Australia, and their bite can be fatal. So if you identify any big black spiders that have bitten you or someone else, you must treat it like a funnel-web spider bite; better safe than sorry! Unlike Redback spiders, the male funnel-web is more poisonous than the female. If you are bitten by a funnel-web, you will experience pain immediately. Regularly they will leave bite marks and cause bleeding. Other symptoms include numbness, swelling, nausea, headache, muscles spasms, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing and an increase in heartbeat and blood pressure. If you or someone else is bitten by a funnel-web, apply a pressure immobilisation bandage to the wound and contact ambulance (000) immediately, or other emergency services. Antivenom should be given to the victim as soon as possible, even if there are no signs of severe poisoning or if the spider is an unidentified 'big black' spider.
Snake bites
Different snake bites can cause different side effects to different areas of the body, but every snake bite must be treated as potentially lethal. When you or another person is bitten by a snake, usually there won't be any pain at first. Symptoms of snake bites include (in chronological order) headache, nausea, diarrhea, drowsiness, difficulty breathing, chest pain, respiratory failure and eventually death. Some snake bites are more toxic than others, like the dangerous Brown snake, and a serious bite could kill you in under an hour! Therefore it is vital that if someone starts to feel any of the symptoms mentioned above, you call ambulance (000) immediately, or other emergency services. If a victim is bitten by a snake, ensure that the victim is calm and not moving. Use a pressure immobilisation bandage on the wound if possible and under any circumstances, DO NOT wash the venom off the bitten area. If there is enough, apply more pressure immobilisation bandages further up the limb towards central parts of the body to slow the venom spreading.