A FAMILY dog has been hailed a hero after protecting a toddler from an adder attack. Sixteen-month-old Vincent Hunt was playing in his grandparents' garden at the Red House Park, off Hogmoor Road, when the incident happened last Wednesday, July 16. Vincent's grandmother, Liz Hunt, said: "Vinny was playing with his ball in the garden when the ball rolled away from him. He and our dog Pickle, who is 11 and only partially sighted, ran to fetch it. I looked away for just one moment and when I looked back Vinny was stood stock-still. His ball was about a foot in front of him and on the other side was an adder. "Pickle must have sensed the danger because she was jumping in front of the snake, trying to distract it and steer it away from Vinny. I mean, she's 11 now - she doesn't normally jump around. "I think you could say she is a hero because if she hadn't taken the bite then I know for sure that our grandson would have been bitten." The snake bit Pickle on the throat. Mrs Hunt said: "It was so frightening and it all happened so quickly. I rushed down the garden and pulled Vinny out of the way and shouted at Pickle to get away. I didn't see the snake bite her, but it was still hissing and sparring. "Once we were inside, I checked her over and thought she might have been lucky and got away with it. "I could tell that she wasn't right though - her ears were pinned back and she went to hide under the bed. "I thought she might have been behaving like that because I had shouted at her. Normally, you never have to raise your voice at Pickle, but I was so panicked I shouted at her to get away from the snake. I thought at first that was all it was." But when Mrs Hunt checked on Pickle a little while later, she found that the dog had been bitten and had a very large swelling on her throat. "The swelling was already quite big by then and I was really worried that it was going to block her airway," she said. "Her face was beginning to swell too, so we knew that we had to get her to the vets straight away." Mrs Hunt and her husband, Rob, drove Pickle to the PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) branch in Cowplain, near Havant. Pickle spent the night at the PDSA, where she was given a drip, steroids and antibiotics. She has since made a full recovery. Mrs Hunt said: "We honestly didn't know if she was going to be OK or not. "Thankfully, the vets did a brilliant job and she's fine now." Adders can be recognised by a characteristic black or dark brown zigzag pattern and have a V or X- shaped pattern on the back of their heads. They are quite common in Bordon during the summer months. Although their venom can kill humans and dogs, no-one is thought to have died from an adder bite in the past 20 years. Vet Louise Fletcher, from the Chalet Hill branch of the Amery Veterinary Group, told the Herald: "Dogs usually make a speedy recovery from adder bites as long as veterinary treatment is sought. "There is an effective anti-venom for adder bites but, unfortunately, there is an availability problem and there are only emergency supplies left. However, we can treat the symptoms of the problem and the dog will recover. "My advice would be to keep calm and see a vet as soon as possible. This kind of thing is quite common for dogs and it's very difficult to prevent, especially on hot days in areas of heathland." Chairman of the Deadwater Valley Trust Bill Wain said: "There have always been adders in Bordon because they like the dry, sandy nature of the acid heathland here. Unfortunately, dogs do get bitten because they approach the snake so quickly that they can't get away in time and sometimes dogs even stand on them. "It's important to remember that adders are quite timid and they are far more frightened of you, than you are of them. Generally, they hear the footfall of people approaching and they'll get out of the way. "However, if you do come across an adder, don't panic. Either wait for it to pass or just step around it."
