a bite. However, in the vast majority of cases, it is administered within 24 hours. Prognosis According to NSW Health, redback spider bites were considered not life-threatening but capable of causing severe pain and systemic symptoms that could continue for hours to days. In almost all cases, symptoms resolve within a week. Fatalities are extremely unlikely. In 2016, the death of a bushwalker from a redback spider bite was widely reported. In this case, the death occurred from secondary infection; and the man in question had just recovered from a serious car accident. Apart from that, there have been no deaths due to redback bite since the introduction of antivenom. Before this, redback spider bites had been implicated in at least 14 deaths in Australia, however these cases cannot be definitively linked to the redback bite as the sole cause. Bites to animals Redback spider bites are difficult to diagnose in pets unless witnessed. Dogs appear to have some resistance. They are at serious risk only if bitten many times, and rarely need antivenom. Cats are likely to be more susceptible and require antivenom, which can reverse symptoms very quickly. Guinea pigs, horses and camels are very susceptible. As with humans, the symptoms are predominantly autonomic in nature alongside pain at the bite site. Dogs may also suffer vomiting and diarrhoea, muscle tremors or clonic contractions, and abdominal wall rigidity, while cats may salivate excessively, protrude their tongue or be overexcitable. Historical treatment of bites Most traditional or historical first-aid treatments for redback spider bites are either useless or dangerous. These include making incisions and promoting bleeding, using ligatures, applying alkaline solutions, providing warmth, and sucking the venom out. In modern first aid, incising, sucking, applying bandages and tourniqueting are strongly discouraged. In 1893, the Camperdown Chronicle reported that a doctor noticed that a severely ill benumbed victim got much better overnight following treatment using injections of strychnine and cocaine; strychnine had been popular as a snake bite antidote, but it was not effective. As of 2011, administration of magnesium sulphate was reported to have had some benefit though evidence of effectiveness is weak. Cultural impact Indigenous Australians in New South Wales mixed the spiders' bodies with the venom of snakes and pine tree gum to form a broth used to coat spear tips. Slim Newton drew popular attention to redbacks with his song "The Redback on the Toilet Seat",