Dogs and adders

[good_egg]

an hour ago, whilst mowing the grass. I chanced across a young adder. Not wishing to harm it, but not wishing it to harm my dog, i tried to catch it and promptly lost it in the under growth.

so now, its out there somewhere, along with my dog, and hopefully the two never meet!

my question, is whether dogs have an instinctive fear of snakes or whether there's any way to train them to be affraid? where i live, adders are relatively common, sadly even in my garden it seems.

[bimbo123456]

Yikes, that must have been scary for you. I took this off a website :"The venom is rarely fatal, the bite should however be taken seriously, and one should seek prompt medical attention if bitten by an Adder. Symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting and painful swelling and loss of mobility of the affected limb are not uncommon within hours of the bite. Do not attempt any form of first aid either on yourself or a victim of an Adder bite. The only helpful action is to immobilise affected limbs if possible and keep the victim calm and reassured, whilst medical attention is sought.

Adder bites are sometimes though rarely fatal to pets. Recent evidence suggests that the snakes venom is more potent during March/April after the animals leave hibernation, so extra caution should be taken when walking dogs at this time. Wear suitable footwear, keep dogs on leads and take care when sitting down in areas where Adders are known to occur.

The Adder is not a common garden visitor, though occasionally if conditions suit them they will take up residence."

Might be an idea to ask your vet for some advice. And...don't go out with bare feet in your garden.

[good_egg]

thanks for reply, the local vets round here sell snake bite kits. we had one once but ours came with a one month shelf life, and at ten quid a pop, we never replaced it.

besides which, the application is quite complex, and i would rather spend the time racing to the vets

[lankeela]

Racing to the vets is indeed your best course of action if your dog is bitten. My friends Rough Collie was out in Thetford Forest last year with her husband, by the time he had got home with him his leg had swollen up so he phoned his wife and met her at the vet. The vet diagnosed a snake bite, they had to put him on a drip and it was touch and go for a couple of days, and also a chance he could lose the leg. Fortunately his quick trip to the vet helped and he made a full recovery. Sadly a Border Collie brought in the same day, but a day after it had been bitten, as the owners were waiting to see if the swelling went down, was not so lucky and they were not able to save it.

[Illyria54]

One of my dogs was bitten by an adder almost exactly a year ago, we almost lost him, the vet said we got him there just in time, he was on a drip for 5 hours and as he was bitten on his lip, his head swelled to twice it's normal size, the worry was that his airways would be compromised, fortunately he lived to tell the tale, I was told that anti-venom can only be administered once in a dogs lifetime so I am completely paranoid now, I almost pray for it to be cold or to rain, at least while I am out with the dogs, my dogs are not let off leads when it is really hot, my husband takes them out at 5am before he goes to work and they have their loose running time then and again in the cool of the evening.
For goodness sake be careful trying to move adders as they can put a human in hospital and always wear wellies while out walking in adder territory.

[woofgang]

We too have had a dog bitten by an adder, we live in the new forest where they are very common.....I see loads more than the dogs do and we also have them in the garden occasionally. They like peace and quiet so regularly disturbing bushes, keeping areas clear and so on will help persuade them to go elsewhere. They also like compost bins or piles of decaying garden waste as they tend to be warm so get rid of those if you have them and that will help.
A simple precaution is to walk where you can see your feet! Adders are sensitive to vibration so heavy footsteps should be enough to make them clear off....they don't want to meet you!
Be especially careful in spring and autumn when the snakes are drowsy and won't be so quick to get out of the way, also early and late in the day when they will also be sleepy.

I did see a Cesar Millan program where an electronic collar was used to teach dogs to stay away from rattlesnakes. I am absolutely against the use of these things in dog training but I could see the point of it for that. It took 3 shocks with the collar to teach the dog to stay away from the snake and that lesson might well save his life. In the UK I think that might be a bit excessive as the risk from an adder is much less.

[good_egg]

I think i just answered my own question.

this afternoon out walking, i noticed my dog looking tentatively at something, and then very cautiously backing away. I got there to see another adder, hissing and coiled with his head back in a very threatening manner. But my dogs reaction was to give it a wide berth, which makes me a bit happier. i know that when she finds toads or hedgehogs, she does everything but, leave them alone, and was fearfull that she might unwittingly show adders a similar lack of respect. thankfully that appears not to be the case.

As for my own state of mind. . . . . when i said that theyre not uncommon round here, i meant that you see maybe one or two a year, if that! I hope this isnt a sign of things to come

[Avatar]

Totally irrelevant perhaps, but I go out walking most weekends, either in the forest or out to the purbecks. Walk between 3 and 8 miles regularly. Anyway in over 3 years or so I saw my first adder about a month ago! In fact I turned round and only then saw it and realised I'd walked right over it!
Secondly are you *sure* the snake in the garden was not a slow worm or a grass snake? A baby adder I would reckon could easily be mistaken for a slow worm.

[good_egg]

thanks for the reply avatar, but i know difference between adders and slow worms lol. The one in my garden wasnt much bigger than a large slow worm granted, but had perfect black zigzag markings over pale greeny grey. Yesterdays one was more brown and the markings less distinct but clearly there. Now im off for my afternoon dog walk, oh the joy

[Illyria54]

Last Summer when my dog was bitten, the vet said that they were getting on average 11 dogs every week!! last year I saw at least 5 Adders, and a lot of the time they were in places I thought were Adder free like in the gateway to one of our farms fields, so I am on the look out everywhere.

[good_egg]

they say things come in threes? three guesses what ive just seen this afternoon?