Dog's throat swells to the 'size of three cricket balls' after being bitten by adder

A dog that was bitten by an adder while walking in Hampshire had its throat swell up to the "size of three cricket balls".

Siobhan Holland-Broadhurst's dog Daisy was being walked by a dog walker in The Alver Valley Country Park in Gosport about a month ago when she got a call to say Daisy had been bitten on the snout by a venomous black adder.

The three-year-old Romanian Mio was taken to the vets whose advice was to hold off giving her the anti venom to see how she reacted.

She was then taken to an emergency night vet where she seemed to be stabilising.

However, Ms Holland-Broadhurst said her dog's throat was black and blue and swelling up to the "size of three cricket balls".

She said: "Her throat was swelling up like mad. So on the second night there they said we have got to give her the anti-venom, so I said 'absolutely do'."

When she was given the anti-venom, the swelling started to go down.

Daisy's blood tests revealed her vital organs were fine and she is now back to herself.

But it's left Ms Holland-Broadhurst nervous to walk her in the valley.

She said: "I'm absolutely terrified of walking anywhere near the Alver Valley.

"We've always thought the snake season was July to October and my vet advised me not to walk there again until the winter."

Howard Inns, from the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, said dog owners should remain vigilant and keep their dogs on leads if they think they will see an adder on their walks.

He suggested walking in places like parks and gardens to avoid adders.

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