Early Start to 2025 Rattlesnake Season

A man in Arizona nearly lost his left hand after he was bitten by a rattlesnake while checking the water valve his yard last month. It is the first reported case of rattlesnake bite so far this year in the Phoenix area.  The victim, Tom, is a resident of The Grand Canyon State and is used to checking his yard for black widow spiders and rattlesnakes, but he didn’t see anything that day and never heard a rattle. “As he bit me, I could feel it going into my arm. It just ran up into my bloodstream and started to climb up through my flesh,” he said. “I could just feel the poison starting to turn into like an ache. If you bumped it or touched it or tried to move it, it was like the worst burning you ever felt.”

Tom drove himself to the nearest emergency room where he received his first dose of anti-venom and learned that his condition was critical— because he had done something he wasn’t supposed to do. “I got the wise idea to put a tourniquet on it so I could drive and try to keep the poison out of my arm,” he said. “When I got to the hospital, they took the tourniquet off and said that I shouldn’t have done that. That’s not what you do because I super concentrated all that venom just in this part of my hand and arm.”  Although applying the tourniquet put him at risk of losing his left hand, the doctors were able to save his hand after multiple rounds of anti-venom and intensive care.

When treating venomous snake bites, both in people and pets, the list of what NOT to do is longer than the list of what to do. Experts agree you should NOT apply suction, heat, pressure or tourniquets, and you definitely should not administer Benadryl, aspirin, steroids, or antibiotics. Do not elevate the bite either.

What SHOULD YOU DO if a rattlesnake bites you? As difficult as it might be, try to relax while someone gets in touch with emergency services. Relaxing will slow your heart rate so that not as much venom is pumped throughout your body. Also avoid hiking or other physical activities. Because swelling may occur, remove rings and other constricting items. In most cases, some sort of anti-venom treatment will be needed. You might even need to be airlifted for help. Not all hospitals will have anti-venom on hand, so do call for emergency help immediately so anti-venom can be located as soon as possible. Your recovery will largely depend on how quickly you get treatment, the amount of venom, where the bite occurred, and your overall state of health and strength of immunity.

Treat all snake bites as medical emergencies. Call 911! Even though a percentage of rattlesnake bites are “dry bites,” meaning they don’t contain any venom, you won’t know if your bite is lethal or not. Don’t guess— seek immediate medical attention. Dry bites can occur when an adult rattlesnake is startled and bites out of instinct rather than hunger or as a defense against a threat. However, know that baby rattlesnakes can be more dangerous as they don’t have as much control over their venom.

To avoid encountering a rattlesnake:

• Stay on the trail when hiking. Rattlesnakes not only will be more visible on a wide trail, they will be less likely to be hanging out in trafficked areas.
• Don’t listen to music while hiking. If a rattlesnake rattles, you need to be able to hear it.
• Hike with others. Should the worst happen, one person can get help while the other stays immobile.
• Do not approach, provoke or attempt to catch rattlesnakes.
• Do check your campsite, as rattlesnakes will often seek heat during the night.
• Keep dogs on a leash. Symptoms of dogs or cats being bitten by a rattlesnake are swelling, whining, rubbing their face on the ground, or seizures. If you suspect a rattlesnake has bitten your pet, the most critical thing is to remain calm. It is rare for animals to die from being bitten, but the sooner you can get your pet to a veterinary clinic or animal hospital, the better.
• Wear snake gaiters to help protect lower legs.