ADDERS have been highly active in the recent hot weather and with more to come dog-owners are being advised on the action they should take if their pet is bitten.
However it is very rare for dogs to die from snake bite, said a vet at the Severnside clinic in Lydney.
"There are the odd extreme reactions, however. Generally the best action is to get them to a vet as quickly as possible for treatment, but there is no need to panic.
"Adders are not aggressive and only strike if they are threatened. Mostly we get animals bitten on the nose while they are snuffling in vegetation or on the foot when they tread on a snake.
"Within a few hours the affected part swells massively and the sooner we can stop this the better.
"We have medication to bring the swelling down and neutralise the poison. We don't use anti-venom – in some instances it's reckoned to be worse than the bite!
"The worse cases are when bites have been neglected and left for some time. It is unlikely to kill the animal but its can cause a great deal of distress."
Hot dry weather encouraged activity in adders just as it encouraged people to take their pets for country walks.
"Obviously if we told people only to walk their dogs in cool, wet weather we'd be a bit unpopular," said the spokesman.
Heath areas are popular adder haunts although they have been spotted throughout the Forest. One caller told the Review that she was calling her dog away from a snake at Tidenham Chase only to look down and see that she was about to tread on one herself.
•Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is conducting a snake watch survey amid concerns that snake populations are shrinking. It wants people to look out for adders and grass snakes and record sightings on a special form. The Trust can be contacted at The Conservation Centre, Robinswood Hill Country Park, Reservoir Road, Gloucester GL4 6SX, tel 01452 383333.