A cobra is much more poisonous than a rattlesnake. If a rattlesnake bites you, you have a pretty good chance of living through it without any medical attention, although it is advisable to get medical attention.
If you are bitten by a cobra, medical attention and antivenom are necessary immediately.
A bit of advice. First aid used to recommend the application of a tournquet between the bitten extremety and the heart plus making an X incision 1/4 inch long and deep on the fang punctures. This is not a good idea as the incisions can cause more damage than the snake bite. The suction cups in a snakebite kit are good for sucking out the poison. If you try sucking it out by mouth, if you have a sore or some wound in the mouth, you can get poisoned, too.
Application of an elastic bandage over the bite helps to prevent the poison from spreading through the body. Keeping calm is also a good idea as if the bitten person gets excited, the pulse rate goes up spreading the poison at a much more rapid pace.
About 20 or so years ago, it was thought that electric shock, such as from a taser, would destroy the toxicity of the poison. I haven't heard anything about that for many years, so I don't think it worked very well.
Be cautious around areas where there are known to be snakes, know what their habitat is and when they are likely to be about.
In the spring and late summer here in the northern U.S., the snakes shed their skin. At that time, they are the most dangerous because they can't see well.
2006-11-14 15:16:14
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answer #1
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answered by expatmt 5
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