My spaniel was nearly hissstory after she was bitten by an adder
WHEN Chrissie Curtis’s dog Luna yelped in pain during a walk in the woods, she assumed her pet had pulled a muscle.
But when the spaniel’s back leg swelled up, Mrs Curtis took her to the vet – and learned the true scale of the problem.
It transpired that the threeyear-old had in fact been bitten twice by an adder, Britain’s only native venomous snake.
Mrs Curtis, a retired nurse, was warned her decision to keep walking Luna could have proved fatal, as it helped the venom spread around the dog’s body. ‘I was devastated – I
thought I was going to have to say goodbye to her,’ the 58year-old said yesterday.
‘The vets said adder bites are rare. I’d seen my friend’s dog suffer a snake bite and not make it, so I was thinking the worst.’ Thankfully, the fact that Mrs Curtis took Luna to the vet promptly meant she made a full recovery after a course of fluids, antibiotics and anti-venom. The mother-of-three is now warning other pet owners to be
on the lookout for signs of adder bites. They are more likely to harm dogs in the spring, when the venom is thought to be more potent. If given prompt treatment, more than 95 per cent of pets are likely to make a full recovery.
Owners are advised to take their dog to the vet as soon as possible if they know or suspect it has been bitten – ideally carrying their pet, as walking allows the venom to spread.
Mrs Curtis was in Gadley Woods near her home in Buxton, Derbyshire, last month when Luna was bitten. ‘I am so relieved she is still here,’ she said. ‘I’d never thought about adders while walking Luna before but now I am more cautious.’
Adders generally only bite in self-defence, for example when stepped on or disturbed. Around 100 people a year are bitten by the snakes but there has not been a human fatality since 1975.