Dog owners warned of deadly hidden danger lurking in bushes, shrubbery & on beaches after pet rushed to vet

A WOMAN has urged dog owners to be careful of hidden dangers lurking in bushes and shrubbery.

Lucy Crawford was walking her two golden working cocker spaniels in Bearminister but was left stunned after ending up at the emergency vet.

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One of her dogs, Willow, had been bitten by an adder.

Lucy was in Dorset to visit her family and was enjoying the walks with her dogs.

"We had a lovely walk at Cogden Beach on Good Friday and so my husband and sons decided to try West Bexington on Saturday," she said.

It was on this walk where Willow was struck, she claimed.

Lucy added: "When they arrived home, she didn’t eat her food and I noticed a large swelling under her chin and on the side of her face."

Initially, the family thought she'd accidentally swallowed a fish hook as Lucy's husband had found several on the beach.

They rushed Willow to the emergency vet in Dorchester, where the vet quickly deduced it could be an "adder bite given the amount of swelling".

Lucy's dog had also been staggering which would align with the snake bite.

However, it was hard to believe that there were adders in that location, as "they were very early in the season," according to the vet.

The vet also thought it "would be unlikely for them to be on the beach".

After an X-ray and a thorough examination, they only found one puncture mark, even though the family were told an adder "would typically leave two".

The vet sent Willow home with pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication but advised the family to keep a close eye on her and suggested that it still could've been an adder.

Once Lucy was home, she found out that Cogden and West Bexington were known to have "venomous snakes" in the area and that other walkers had spotted sightings of adders from early February.

WILLOW'S RELIEF

It became clearer to the family "that there were two puncture marks on her muzzle" and one of Lucy's children remembered Willow jumping back from a bush on the beach.

After taking some pain relief, Willow's condition started improving and she began eating again.

The vet was adamant it was an adder bite but held off on giving the dog anti-venom as it has significant risks.

Lucy's cocker spaniel now has a nasty bruise down her neck along with some swelling but she has recovered well and is back to her usual bouncy self, she added.

The mum-of-two has urged anyone walking their dog along "Cogden or West Bexcington" to be extremely careful and to watch their surroundings.

She said: "I would advise anyone walking their dog at Cogden or West Bexington to keep them well away from the vegetation at the edge of the beach.

"Dogs are permitted on the beach but not in the bird reserve, so they were keeping them on the beach. 

"Willow is a terrible scavenger, and she licked a dead porpoise head and then munched a bit of a dead guillemot."

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