Snake in the grass

If you are walking on the Downs with your dog, be very careful – the snakes are awake.

The warm weather has brought adders out a little early and they are basking in the sunshine and hiding in the long grass. Here at Grove Lodge, we have already seen 2 adder bites in the last 2 days.

If your dog disturbs one, either accidentally or by curiosity, the adder will bite. This is a potentially fatal injury, as you may have seen from Lulu’s story on the blog last year.

The best thing to do if you think your dog has been bitten is to get immediate veterinary help as the sooner we can give supportive treatment then the better the general outcome. Most dogs will just be very swollen around the bite but some develop very serious side effects.

We thought we would reiterate this message and remind everyone that  the adder is a protected animal and should be left alone. If you are aware of adders in a certain area then put your dog on a lead and warn fellow dog walkers.