Adders

It's the time of year we must be mindful of Adders. I had a Vizsla bitten many years ago and it was such a shock.  Dogs are curious of adders and will stick their noses in. The Adder will bite.  
Adders can be seen on sandy areas basking in the spring sunshine, warming them up as they are cold blooded animals.  Forests, dunes, mountains, heathlands are all good areas for adders to live.
If you see your dog stick its nose into some grass and jump backwards, be aware it could have been an adder.   
What should you do?

• Do not suck out the poison.
• Make sure your dog is away from the area where it was bitten as you do not want to get bitten as well. 
• Mostly the Adder is trying to get. away from you.  So do not chase it, or poke it with a stick. Thats a stupid thing to do. I read somewhere where someone actually tried to do this. Dont! its scared of you. 
• If you are in the middle of the forest, dont let the dog walk.  Try and carry the dog back. Easier said than done if dog is large.  Always carry in. your rucksack a silver blanket, because they can double up to be something you can drag the dog on. 
• Ring your vet. Tell them. your dogs been bitten.  They may not keep the anti venom in, so will ring ahead to somewhere they can either get it, or send you for referral.
• You will see two small puncture wounds.  Check face, neck.
• Swelling at the site of bite. 
• Lethargic, walking slowing. 
• Pain, Lameness
• Drooling or sick. 
• Bleeding, 
• Change to heart rate. 
• Follow exactly your veterinary surgeons advice on the phone and take dog to them asp.  
• Do not think it will all go away on its own.  

When my dog was bitten there wasn't any anti venom for dogs.  The vet gave our dog a large dose of steroid and sent us home. I went back the next day as the dog was worse.  The swelling was huge.  Apparently the fluid can get infected very quickly from a snake bite, and my dog was then given antibiotics.  We had a show a week after the bite. It took three days before he got back to normal.  A week later we took him to the show with no plans of taking him in the ring.  We said he could still come for a day out. But at the last minute I took him in, he won avnsc graduate class. I said wow who  would have thought a week ago he was bitten by a snake. He went in the challenge, and won Best avnsc. I couldn't believe it.  So we had to wait for the group ring.  He went in and won Gundog group 1. !!  So we then went for best in show, and Vizsla are rarely put up for best in show.  He won best in show on the day.  But it was a 2 day show. So he then had to go up against the dog that won best in show the day before, and he won that.  Out of 956 dogs he won Best in show!!!  This dog has been instrumental in our breeding program.  He was an amazing dog to own, and I just wish now I had kept semen from him.  I badly need him back in our breeding again but ive missed my opportunity.  I loved this dog to pieces. Not because he was a show dog, but because of his nature, and his love for. us as a family.