How to Treat a Stingray Wound

Most coastal fishermen are familiar with stingray behavior but may not know the best emergency treatments if hit by one. As with most accidents, the best course of action is to do everything possible to avoid being hit. Unless your lower legs are encased in kevlar (they are very expensive), the barb can penetrate the thickest part of a normal wader boot and into your skin an additional inch. The barb is not like a snake fang, the poison is in the cells within the barb. The barb looks likes a small two edged sword with the edges serrated. These edges (and sometimes the front of the blade) break off in the wound. Follow these simple steps to treat a stingray wound.

Things You'll Need

• hot tub
• drinking liquid

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Get out of the water as quickly as possible and start squeezing as hard as you can around the wound to get as much of the blood, which now contains toxin, out of the wound. Blood poison from infection will be a secondary problem. Initially you want to reduce the local damage and pain. The flesh around the wound will turn blue similar to a case of frost bite as some of the cells have died.

• 2

  Get to an ER as soon as possible. You will need a tetanus shot (unless yours is current), some antibiotics, a probable X-ray and possible removal of part(s) of the barb. The pain lasts a couple of hours.

• 3

  Remember that if you can not get medical help in a reasonable time, the best thing to do is get in a hot tub and continue to massage and squeeze the area around the wound. This will help keep the wound bleeding and remove more of the toxin. If a hot tub isn't handy use the cleanest source of non-toxic liquid available like water, beer, coke etc. Heat it up when possible.