🚨 Snakebite First Aid

What to do (and what NOT to do) if you or someone is bitten

If You Suspect a Snakebite

Follow these steps immediately:

  1. Get to the hospital quickly. Call a friend or 911. Do not drive yourself.
  2. Remove constrictive clothing and jewelry from the affected area.
  3. Elevate the affected extremity. Do NOT place it below heart level.
  4. Take a picture of the snake if you can do it quickly and safely. It's helpful but not necessary. Do NOT bring the snake (dead or alive).

🚫 Do NOT Do Any of These

Tourniquets, lymphatic bandage, pressure immobilization, cut and suck, extraction device, electrical stimulation, or packing the extremity in ice.

Snakebites cause tissue injury, and improper use of ice can exacerbate that by causing thermal injury (frostbite).

📚 Helpful Articles on Snakebite Management

🧑 Human Snakebite Management

🐾 Dog & Cat Snakebite Management

🏥 Hospital Recommendations

For pet/vet bites, find below hospitals experienced in treating snakebites near you. For human bites, call the major hospitals near you.

National Snakebite Support™ (NSS) makes every effort to keep all resources up-to-date. NSS is not affiliated with any hospital or vet funding resources. Any veterinary facilities listed below are known by NSS to have previously adhered to recommended treatment guidelines, thus enabling favorable outcomes. This list was created in 2024 and may change after that time, as veterinarians transfer or sell facilities. The absence of a clinic or vet from this list does not imply their inability to provide proper care. NSS makes no guarantees about quality of care at any facility. For more information, please visit www.nationalsnakebitesupport.org