Adder bite warning

[poptart]

I'm posting this as a heads up to other dog walkers who may not be aware of the danger of adder bites.

We came home from a walk at the woods (East coast of Scotland) on Thursday to find Tiree was limping and over the following half hour his front elbow swelled alarmingly. I was lucky enough to get an appointment at the vet that morning, thinking it was a muscle sprain or some such. Never in my wildest dreams expected the diagnosis of an adder bite. Rushed him to their main surgery where he was put on a drip and kept overnight. He's home now and recovering slowly on anti-inflammatories and antibiotics. I'm so glad we were able to get him to a vet quickly as adder bites are life threatening and very nasty. A bite around the face can cause the airways to swell so badly they close. If you notice unexplained limping, swelling, bruising on the skin and even bite marks get your dog to a vet immediately.

[Joules]

Wow, that must have been very scary.  Thank goodness you got Tiree to the vet promptly. 

I know adders can be drowsy in hot weather and if disturbed by a dog, it can be very nasty.

Hope he is recovering well now. 

Thanks for the heads up. 

[bizzylizzy]

Thanks for the warning, not something I‘d have thought of immediately either!! Hope Tiree‘s making a good recovery. Sending him 

[Jaysmumagain]

Sending lots of hugs....the moors at the back of the land my husband was raised on is known for adders and with Ollie and his manic runs we resort to his reel

thanks for the warning it's one of the things you tend to forget about

[Ambler54]

Vet here in Cornwall suggests keeping Piriton tablets with you, if you suspect a bite give half a tablet, if possible carry your dog to the car to reduce movement and hence the spreading of the venom and get to a vets.Been a few incidents down here especially on the coast paths, although one last year was on a beach, Adder was in the seaweed, and recently there was an adder on Caerhays beach, dog owner saw it fall from the grass bank on the cliff side.

[wendall]

Saw one on my walk yesterday, luckily before the dogs did. Called them to me and walked in the opposite direction. It’s a good idea to carry piriton, but as for carrying the dog, it could be a long walk back home!😩

[Jaysmumagain]

Thank you for the info on Caerhays - next door go alot through the summer as leave there tourer van there for the summer months.  So as they have two labs its worth me mentioning it.

[MillicentWight]

We live in a village near the center of the Isle of Wight and now that Willow is nearly blind I never let her far away from me, especially at night. She still goes around the garden with her nose in the hedges all the way though, and we have a mint bed just ouside the kitchen window which is one of her favourite sniffs.  A toad has made it’s home there for the past few years and each night at about 11pm and in darkness except for a small torch  we make our last trip into the garden before bed. One night last week I made it to the mint before Willow and as I leaned over the mint and pulled it apart to look for the toad I was greeted with a loud hiss, and there was an adder sat up waiting to strike. I know how lucky I was not to be bitten but shudder to think what might have happened if Willow had been, at that time of night too. Haven't seen the toad since.
Until now I have always thought of our garden as a safe haven, but not any longer. This was just outside our back door rather than at the bottom of the garden!

[Ambler54]

That is so scary.One of the problems has been that a few years ago Adders were re- introduced into various areas as they were endangered, one of these areas were dunes down West Cornwall, the area is fenced off with warning signs...unfortunately the adders cant read .........a 2 year old child has been bitten down here recently, I am all for conservation but sometimes You do just one wonder...