First Aid For Animal Encounters

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• QWhat are ticks?

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  A RealAge answered

  Ticks are small blood-sucking parasites with eight legs that attach themselves to the skin of animals and people. Their bite can lead to infection. In people, tick bites can lead to diseases, such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis. Ticks live in every part of the world where hosts can be found, although not all areas have ticks that carry disease that affect people. People who spend time in areas with untended vegetation or tall grasses, such as forests or other wild areas, may be especially at risk of a tick bite. And people are more likely to be bitten during the spring and early summer. Ticks on the skin should be removed as quickly as possible with tweezers. Common symptoms of an infection include fever, a rash and general body aches.
• QShould I see a doctor if I've been bitten by a spider?

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  A TriStar Centennial Medical Center answered

  Spider bites, like those from a black widow, can cause symptoms that should be seen by a doctor immediately. You're going to be pretty sick pretty quickly if it's a significant envenomation (poisoning with venom), with local sweating and abdominal cramps. The most important thing is to take precautions to help prevent insect and spider bites. You can do this by keeping yourself covered, either with clothing or bug spray, and checking for bites when you return inside.
• QWhat are wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets?

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  A RealAge answered

  

  Wasps, hornets and yellow jackets are stinging insects. Unlike bees, they can sting multiple times. When they sting, they inject a poison venom, which is sometimes called bee poison. Some people are allergic to this venom, and can have a severe reaction. Symptoms of a wasp, hornet or yellow jacket sting include:

  • Pain, itching and swelling where the sting occurred
  • Low blood pressure
  • Cramps, diarrhea or vomiting

  People who are allergic to stings may also have:

  • Swelling of the eyes, throat or mouth
  • Joint pain
  • Dizziness or fainting
  • Rapid pulse
  • Hives
  • Breathing problems

  If you are bothered by a wasp, never try to hit or smash it. Some wasps, when killed, can emit pheromones that can alert the rest of the colony to attack.

  
• QHow do I avoid tick bites?

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  A Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at P/SL answered

  You can avoid tick bites by:

  1. Wear long sleeves, long pants and tuck your pants inside of your socks, so you don't expose the skin. And, wear light-colored clothing so you can see the ticks better.
  2. Using insect repellant like Off if you're going hiking or camping. The CDC recommends people use repellants that have more than 20 to 24 percent of DEET. You’ll want to spray it all over your body. You can spray it on your hands to apply it to your face, just make sure you avoid the eyes and mouth and use sparingly on the ears and the back of your neck. And, remember to wash your hands afterwards. Children should not handle repellents because they are all toxic. An adult should spray it on their hands and put it on their kids.
  3. Take a shower within 3 hours of being outdoors. If you take a shower within this time frame, you should be able to wash the ticks off your body.
  4. Check for ticks. They love warm areas such as the neck, the skull, under the armpits, brawny areas, the belt area and the back. Ask a friend to check your scalp and back.
• QAre marine life stings dangerous?

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  A American Red Cross answered

  The stings of some forms of marine life are not only painful, but they can make you sick. The side effects include allergic reactions that can cause breathing and heart problems, as well as paralysis and possibly death.
• QHow dangerous is an animal bite?

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  A American Red Cross answered

  The bite of a domestic or wild animal can cause infection and soft-tissue injury. The most serious possible result is rabies. Rabies is transmitted through the saliva of diseased animals such as skunks, bats, raccoons, cats, dogs, cattle, and foxes.
• QWhen is an insect sting an emergency?

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  A American Red Cross answered

  Most of the time, insect stings are harmless. If the person is allergic, an insect sting can lead to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition.

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• QHow can I identify a widow spider?

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  A American Red Cross answered

  Widow spiders can be black, red, or brown. The black widow spider is black with a reddish hourglass shape on the underside of its body and is the most venomous of the widow spiders.
• QWhat spiders are dangerous?

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  A Dr. Jonathon E. Pangia, DO , Emergency Medicine, answered on behalf of Grand Strand Medical Center

  There are really two spiders in the country that are most famous for being rather dangerous -- but very rarely are they ever going to be life-threatening or limb-threatening. That is the black widow spider and the brown recluse. The black widow spider is in all 50 states and the brown recluse is in a very limited part of the country. The black widow is very small, it lives in dark, cool places -- particularly little holes. That's the spider you'll find that's made its web in the sunken spigot in your backyard or is under the pad of that plastic basketball hoop in the backyard.
   
  The brown recluse is much more of a woods spider and loves to hide out under leaves and in different areas like that. It is actually significantly larger than the black widow spider. The brown recluse likes to hide under things like a pile of leaves, under dirty laundry left astray on the floor or inside bed sheets.

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• QIs a scorpion sting an emergency?

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  A American Red Cross answered

  Only a few species of scorpions have a sting that can cause death. It is difficult to distinguish highly poisonous scorpions from nonpoisonous scorpions. Therefore, all scorpion stings should be treated as medical emergencies.