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What should you do if your dog is bitten by an adder?

First steps, symptoms and where to call after an adder bite.

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Short answer

Keep the dog as calm and still as possible, carry it if you can, and contact a vet, because an adder bite can make a dog seriously ill. Leave the bite alone and do not squeeze, cut or suck it. Outside opening hours, call the local veterinary on-call service.

a dog with a leash sitting next to a small moose silhouette and a vet cross

Why

  1. The adder (hoggorm) is the only venomous snake in Norway, and the northernmost find is from Rana in Nordland.
  2. Giftinformasjonen says local signs of poisoning come quickly, usually within two hours, and the dog can go on to develop heart, liver and kidney damage.
  3. Municipalities are responsible for organising a clinical veterinary on-call service outside normal working hours.

Details

Typical signs are local swelling, lethargy, vomiting, limping if the bite is on a leg, and circulation problems. Bites to the head and legs more often give serious symptoms. Giftinformasjonen, the Norwegian Poison Information Centre, does not answer questions about poisoning in animals, so call a vet. Adders are protected in Norway, like other snakes.

Tip

Look up the local veterinærvakt number before you go hiking, and phone before driving to a clinic: in Bergen, for example, you must always call the on-call line first to make an appointment.

What may differ

Not every bite injects venom: Giftinformasjonen says that if the animal has no symptoms 8–12 hours after the bite, little venom was probably injected. Let a vet make that judgement.

People also ask

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Sources

This answer does not replace advice from a vet, so contact a vet or the local veterinærvakt if your dog is bitten.

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