To tell him to go to A&E?

[0AliasGrace0]

Just got these pics through from a friend. He thinks he was bitten by a snake at an outdoor theatre event tonight. Two puncture wounds that bled, hand is now tingling and swelling. I'm usually very chilled with health things but looking at that (and after a quick google) told him to get himself off to A&E. He's dithering...any snake bite experts out there?

Why am I the only person who can’t see any bite marks in the pics?

@OhYouBadBadKitten It's the heat

@Toohotme two little spots in lower hairy part of hand

with that amount of pain and the reaction it could have been red ants. I've been bitten by a (pet snake) and stung and bitten by all manner of beasties and the absolute worst was when the red ants got me.

My husband thought he had knelt on broken glass in the garden one day - it was actually a red ant nest.

I'm glad your friend got medical attention though!

Tingling is usually a bad sign, better safe than sorry if he doesn't know what exactly bit him.

Very strange that they would have bled ? ! Wasp and bee stings can blister but they don’t bleed, nor do skin reactions to plants.
Good it isn’t a snake though !
Lots of nonsense about snakes on here.
In the UK we have three native snakes- Grass snakes, Smooth Snakes, and Adders. Only Adders are venomous, the other two are completely harmless. Grass snakes can get huge and frighten people but are not at all dangerous. They often lay their eggs in compost heaps. (I’ve seen Grass Snakes and Adders but I’ve never seen a smooth snake, they are very rare) . Adders have a noticeable zig zag pattern down their spines, Grass snakes have a white patch either side of the head at the neck. There is no interbreeding, these are distinct species and only Adders are dangerous. Adders are most likely to bite dogs or cats, usually on the face or a forelimb. Your dog might start drooling, be wobbly on his legs, look blank. The area bitten will probably swell dramatically, but if you have carried on walking your dog ( not having seen the snake or realising) then your dog can have a systemic reaction and the swelling may be less noticeable initially. Seizures can happen. Dogs can die quickly, or they may lose a bitten limb later due to tissue necrosis. Dogs or cats need to see a vet ASAP, and to be kept as still as possible. Horses also sometimes get bitten.
Human bites are uncommon, but do happen if people are walking through dunes, or through general adder habitat such as wooded areas near the sea. Make a noise, watch out and stay still if you see one, as Adders will try to get out of your way. Children are more at risk than adults for obvious reasons. All adder bites need medical attention as quickly as possible.
No one has died of a bite since the 1970s, but sometimes children might need a stay in hospital. If you are on holiday in an adder area (eg Pembrokeshire, but they are widespread ) then teach children to take care, and never to pick up a snake if one is on the beach. (They sometimes fall onto beaches when dunes slip, and need someone wearing thick protective gloves, who knows how to handle venomous snakes, to put them back into their proper habitat).
We also have slow-worms in the UK, they look like a smallish snake but are in fact lizards (they don’t have legs ) they are harmless and very beautiful.

Thanks for the info sirvix.

Thinking about the bleeding, only insect I can think of is a horse fly. The bites can be nasty, and they do bleed.

I saw an adder while dog walking next to a wheat field, scary

Adders were prolific in some areas if kent when i was younger. We saw 12 on one walk !

Clearly he’s not an Australian.... I can’t imagine anyone dithering if they thought they might have been bitten by a snake! I am petrified of the bloody things!!!

I wonder why they ruled out an adder bite.

Still it's been a useful thread, it prompted me to remind dd what to do if she or anyone else gets bitten.