If You're Bitten By A Poisonous Snake, Follow These Tips

Editor’s note: the following information was obtained from the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page

Do we have rattlesnakes in Cherokee County? Yes we do.

The most common poisonous snake in Cherokee County is the copperhead, but as you can see we also have some Timber Rattlesnakes.

These photos were recently taken by a sergeant with the sheriff’s office on Salacoa Road in northern Cherokee County.

If bitten by a poisonous snake, seek medical attention. The Mayo Clinic also recommends you take these steps while waiting for medical help:

• Remain calm and move beyond the snake’s striking distance.
• Remove jewelry and tight clothing before you start to swell.
• Position yourself, if possible, so that the bite is at or below the level of your heart.
• Clean the wound, but don’t flush it with water. Cover it with a clean, dry dressing.

The Mayo Clinic warns against using a tourniquet or applying ice; cutting the wound or trying to remove the venom; drinking caffeine or alcohol, which could speed the rate at which your body absorbs venom; and trying to capture the snake. Instead, try to remember snake’s color and shape so that you can describe it, which will help in your treatment.

According to the Mayo Clinic, of the poisonous snakes found in North America, all but the coral snake have slit-like eyes and are known as pit vipers. Their heads are triangular, with a depression (pit) midway between the eye and nostril on either side of the head.

Other characteristics are unique to certain poisonous snakes:

• Rattlesnakes rattle by shaking the rings at the end of their tails.
• Water moccasins’ mouths have a white, cottony lining.
• Coral snakes have red, yellow and black rings along the length of their bodies.

For more information about poisonous snakes in Georgia, check out the Georgia Department of Natural Resource’s brochure on the topic.

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Photo credits: Cherokee Sheriff’s Office