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08
Jul
Dog bitten by adder at Thruscross
A mountain rescue team saved a dog that had been bitten by a snake on a popular walking route near Harrogate.
Cocker spaniel Elsa was nipped on the nose by an adder while out for a walk with her owner Carol Hammond at Thruscross Reservoir, near Blubberhouses in the Washburn Valley.
She soon became unwell and needed to be carried, so Mrs Hammond, whose husband Derek volunteers for Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue, called 999.
Derek’s colleagues soon arrived and took Elsa to Forest House Veterinary Surgery in Knaresborough, where Elsa was given a shot of anti-venom.
Forest House vet Jonathan Mills told the Stray Ferret:
Elsa's not yet back to her normal self. The main effects were over within a day, and after a few hours here with us, she was allowed to go home.
What we’re worried about now is what damage might have been caused to tissues, and how they react and heal over the coming days.
We’d usually give it a week or two to see what happens.
Elsa before she was bitten. Photo: Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association.
On its Facebook page, Forest House vets said:
Adder bites are rare but more likely on cooler days, when the snakes are lethargic and slower to move out of the way of inquisitive dogs.
The adder, or European viper, is the only venomous snake indigenous to Britain, and in the north of England is found mainly in moorland areas.
They are not aggressive and bites are rarely fatal, although they can be very painful.
In the UK, it is illegal to kill, injure, harm or sell adders under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
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