Adders

Has anyone ever had a dog bitten by an adder? Or, indeed, have you ever been bitten?

Thankfully none of mine have ... yet! However, this year more than others, I have seen loads of the little s*ds and am really worried that one of the dogs (or us) will be bitten before too long.

I keep Piriton in the house, but wonder whether it is always important to get the anti-venom from the vets asap? Is it more imperative for a dog bitten on the face or neck, but should still be classed as an emergency if bitten anywhere else?

I *believe* (but could be mistaken) that the vet doesn't hold the anti-venom at the surgery, but has to get it from the local hospital (Our local hospital is over 50 miles away).

Thanks for any advice and/or experiences.

Rob was out counting with a colleague and his dog was bitten by an adder. He was bitten in the face and his tongue started swelling. They gave him a piriton and took him to the vet and by the time they got there, it had gone down a lot.

We also suspect Lucky was bitten on the thigh by one but it didnt' cause any problems at all.

I think the main worry is if they are allergic or if it is on the face and there is the risk of swelling.

Last time I was up there, I saw an adder while counting. It's the one thing that I hate about counting up there as it used to be quite stressful when working in Northumberland.

Will certainly be on the lookout for the ****** when we are up there in a couple of weeks!

Helen

The summer we moved here I discovered snakes (which I later found out to be grass snakes) but I asked at the vets and they don't stock the anti venom.

My friend was bitten by a snake on Horsell Common and her leg became very swollen and went blue/black from top to bottom. She was hospitalised and the doctors had to contact a poisons unit for info, and the upshot was they weren't sure it was an adder, possibly a released snake. It took long time for her to recover. Since then she carries a homeopathic nosode with her and ALWAYS wears stout footwear!

No experience of dogs getting bitten though (thankfully).

A friend of mine had to take a trip to the vet when her dog was bitten and had a terrible reaction. She was told vets don't actually keep anti-venom as part of the regular stock, so her flat coat spent a week as an in-patient with drips and antibiotics etc etc They rang around near by practises, even the equine vet but all didn't carry the product!

It's not foolproof I know, but given that adders will always prefer to take evading action rather than bite, if walking in the countryside try singing (no matter how badly!) and putting your feet down heavier than normal. Also, and this is a real pain, keep dogs out of the undergrowth. Prevention is better than cure in my book.

Thanks everyone.

Yes Helen, if you are counting up here again in a few weeks, DEFINITELY keep your eyes open, as I have seen more this year than previous years - which is strange, considering the fact we have had little sunshine but lots of rain.

I remember now that my sister's dog got bitten a couple of times by adders, but being a big, stocky dog I don't think there were too many problems. I must ask her.

Twix and Dalmonda - those are both quite worrying/disturbing stories. I am going to ring my vet in the morning and see what their take is on adder bites.

Bitkin - I wish it were that simple I live on a heather moor and we can come across adders almost anywhere and any time. I always thought they were only out in the hot sunshine, but not so. I do agree that adders will only bite when threatened, but it is so easy to just stand near, or even on, them and not even realise they are there.

Maybe they are just bored I'll let you know if we have any spare time to come and see you all.

Helen

My greyhound was bitten by an adder, thats what the vet says, she had two puncture marks on her lower back leg and it swelled up like a balloon, she was ok after some antibiotics no bad reactions.

My mums siamese cat was bitten by one years ago and the vet was amazed he survived as he'd had a dog in the week previously that unfortunately died.

Not much you can do really except keep them on lead, they like the long grass especially when the suns out so they are unavoidable really. Have seen a few this year already

Never had a dog bitten but I was bitten by one when I was about Oscar's age (about 7). It hurt like hell and I was taken to hospital but don't remmeber much about it tbh.

I went home the same day with a very sore leg, which remained painful for about 23 days (seemed like weeks though).

I've never thought to ask the vets about it. We don't see them much here unless we go into thick grassland as much of Birmingham is very urban and made of concrete.

Walking with heavy footfalls can help but no point singing as all snakes are deaf, they just pick up ground vibrations.