vindiboy Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Wecamped last weekend in the New Forest on a Rally CCC, A fellow camper had a dog and as he was walking the dog in a nearby field , the dog yelped and leapt into the air, the owner noticed an Adder slither away,and the dog had been bitten by it. The dog was rushed to a Vet, and received an injection , the Vet said the dog was lucky in that it had been bitten on its cheek and not on the nose as that would probably have been fatal due to more Blood Vessels there or something, so beware of ADDERS in the New Forest right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porky Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 A quote from the Forestry site:- The adder is the only venomous snake native to Britain. Adders have the most highly developed venom injecting mechanism of all snakes, but they are not aggressive animals. Adders will only use their venom as a last means of defence, usually if caught or trodden on. No one has died from adder bite in Britain for over 20 years. With proper treatment, the worst effects are nausea and drowsiness, followed by severe swelling and bruising in the area of the bite. Most people who are bitten were handling the snake. Treat adders with respect and leave them alone. So hopefully that puts it into perspective*-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted August 6, 2010 Author Share Posted August 6, 2010 Hmmmm, must make the dog aware of that when I see him again LOL :-o :-o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Around here it's been a bumper year for both grass snakes and adders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevina Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Our collie/terrier cross, the aptly named "Bramble", was bitten back at easter on Godrevy headland near Hayle. These heathland and dune areas in Cornwall are awash with adders and Spring is the worst time to be bitten as adders are loaded with venom after winter hibernation. Luckily he only took a light bite (small holes) on a back paw as he sprang by looking for rabbits. Came back looking very sorry for himself, vets within the hour, antibiotic and antiinflammatory and loads of compression bandage all up the leg. No anti venom as hospitals will not give it to vets as in short supply. Anyway dogs apparently need 7 times as much as a human (weight for weight I presume), antivenom is thought to have been the cause of death in half the (10) human fatalities, and only about one dog in 30 dies from the bite anyway. He was completely out of it for 18 hours but trying to run around again (impossible with bandage) withn 36. Liver test 4 days later was a bit off but vet said not to worry if eating/drinking ok. Kidney test was ok. Scary for a while but still let him run around after rabbits in the bushes, and before anyone cries foul - he's trained NOT to take them! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Non of us have a map of the countryside with adder hotspots marked on so accidents will happen. Adders tend to inhabit clearly defined areas. It is reasonable to assume that in those areas, you may come across an adder particularly at certain times of the year or day. Why would people take their dog, an inquisitive nature being one of the reasons we love dogs, to an area where the dog may be bitten by an adder? If they have little choice, for example, the only local dog walking is in such an area, why is the dog not on a short lead to ensure they keep to the path? Adders rarely occupy public footpaths. Good to hear that the dogs survived and presumably so did the adders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmaggott Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Early this year, on the footpath through the sand dunes at Newport (Pembs) I noticed my dog was interested in something at the edge of the path. When I got closer I could see it was a young adder that had come onto the path to warm itself in the sunshine. The dog and adder were nose to nose and the adder was flicking it's tongue onto my dog's nose. I think both were equally bemused as to what the other was. I stayed a fair distance away so as not to startle it and called the dog away, when she had come to me the snake just stayed where it was. I think a bite was not forthcoming because it was such a young snake and it was not really warm yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enodreven Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Hi, Its not only dogs this poor guy nearly died, I know its not that common but its worth being aware and giving them plenty of room. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-10711818 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 Just in case anyone wants to familiarise themselves with what they look like .... http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/adder.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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