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First Aid

                    Animal Bites                   

• Rabies - a serious and often fatal viral infection of the central nervous system. The virus is transmitted to humans through the saliva of the infected animal. (Only warm-blooded animalscan carry rabies.)
• Poison - from these snakes: rattlesnake, copperhead, coral, and water moccasin; from spiders - the worst ones being black widows, tarantulas and the brown recluse.
• Bleeding
• Infection
• Lyme Disease - a bacterial infection spread by deer tick bites
• Lockjaw - painful, persistent stiffness of the jaw due to a toxin which can be prevented with up- to-date tetanus immunizations

In the United States, particularly in the northeastern states, skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes are the main carriers of rabies.

Most house pets, though, are vaccinated for rabies and are unlikely to carry the virus. Rabid animals can show these signs:

• strange behavior such as activity by day for animals that are normally active by night
• agitation, lack of fear of humans
• foaming at the mouth

Anti-venom treatment is available for poisonous snake bites at emergency medical facilities. It needs to be given within four hours after the bite.

Prevention

Here are some ways to prevent animal bites:

• Never leave a small child alone with a dog or cat, even if it's a puppy or kitten. Teething as well as excited pets have been known to bite.
• Teach children not to tease an animal. Tell them not to wave sticks, throw stones or pull a tail.
• Do not move suddenly or scream around an animal. Don't rush up to a dog until you know for sure that it is friendly. Sudden movements and loud noises can scare animals and cause them to attack.
• Leave pet dogs and cats alone while they are eating or sleeping.
• Do not feed wild animals with your hands.
• Do not pick up a sick or injured animal.
• Do not run from a strange dog.
• Do not keep wild animals as pets.
• Wear heavy boots when walking in areas snakes live.

To prevent Lyme Disease:

• Wear long pants tucked into socks and long-sleeve shirts when walking through fields and forests, when camping, hiking and the like. (Light colored, tightly woven clothing is best.)
• Inspect for ticks after these activities.

What Sould You Do?

For Dog and Cat Bites:

• Wash the bite area immediately with soap and warm water for 5 minutes to remove any saliva and other debris. If the bite is deep, flush the wound with water for ten minutes to protect against infection. Dry the wound with a clean towel.
• If the wound is swollen, apply ice wrapped in a towel for ten minutes.
• Check your records or call your doctor or health department to see the date of the last tetanus shot. Have the victim get a tetanus shot if not up-to-date.
• If the bite hurts, take acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium to relieve the pain.

  [Note: Do not give aspirin or any medication with salicylates to anyone 19 years of age or younger unless a doctor tells you to.]

• Observe the wound for a few days, checking it for infection.
• Report the incident to the animal control department.
• If you know the pet's owner, find out the date of the pet's last rabies vaccination. It should be given yearly. If its immunizations are not current, arrange with the animal control department for the pet to be observed for the next 10 days to be sure it does not develop rabies.

For Non-Poisonous Snake Bites:

• Gently wash the site with soap and water.
• Treat the bite as a minor wound. 
• Consult a health care provider if you notice signs of infection.

For Deer Tick Bites:

• Remove any ticks found on the skin. Use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Pull gently and carefully in a steady upward motion at the point where the tick's mouthpart enters the skin. Try not to crush the tick because the secretions released may spread disease.
• Wash the wound area and your hands with soap and water after removing ticks.
• Save the tick in a closed jar of alcohol. It could help in diagnosing Lyme Disease.

Bee Sting

• Remove the stinger by scraping with your fingernail or the blade of a knife

• Wash with soap and cold water over and around the sting to relieve pain and slow the absorption of the poison.

• Apply ice pack, calamine lotion, or baking soda-and-water mixture to relieve the swelling and pain.

• Application of juice of crushed onion also provides relief.

• Seek medical help if an allergic reaction develops such as difficulty breathing, coughing, headache, unconsciousness etc.

Snake Bites

• Check the snakebite for puncture wounds. 

• The type of snake must be identified to help the doctor to recognise the poison gone in and if the snake is killed, it must be taken to the hospital with the patient. 

• Clean the wound. Be sure to wipe away from the bite.

• Tie a piece of cloth or thread (just tight enough to cut off blood flow through the veins keeping the venom from reaching the heart) 2-3 inches above the injury. You can use a tie as a tourniquet and it should be applied with in 30 minutes of the bite to be affective.  

• Squeeze the incised area to extrude poison from the wound by mechanical suction or even a breast pump. 

• Keep the wound at or below the heart level.

• Keep the victim calm and lying down. The more the victim moves, the faster the venom spreads through the body.

• Keep the part cool as warmth hastens the absorption of venom. 

• Watch for general symptoms i.e. sharp pain, bruising, swelling around the bite, weakness, shortness of breath, blurred vision, drowsiness, or vomiting.

• Get the victim to the hospital as soon as possible.