Snake kills dog: Owner warns others as she blames reptile for bite

A distraught dog owner has warned others to be alert after blaming Britain’s only venomous snake for killing her pet with a fatal bite.

Three weeks ago Jo Bowen-Jones, from Rhosneigr, Anglesey, lost her dog when it was bitten by an adder, she said.

The grandmother adopted Baxter, a Springer-Cocker spaniel, two years ago after her old dog died of natural causes. 

A favourite walking haunt was common land north of the coastal village that abuts RAF Valley’s runway. It’s an area also popular with plane spotters.

On March 31, they’d crossed a wooden bridge over Afon Crigyll when their outing came to an abrupt end. 

Baxter had been enjoying his usual run-around in grassland like he’d done countless times before.

‘He was a real character,’ said Jo. ‘Baxter was a lovely dog who was well-known in the village because he was always at my side. 

‘He loved going for this walk – we went there four or five times a week. He was a typical spaniel, nose to the ground, tail wagging.

Three weeks ago Anglesey’s Jo Bowen-Jones lost her own dog when it was bitten by an adder, she said 

‘I was on a track heading back to the car, not too far from the bridge, when I saw Baxter suddenly stop and lift his front paw. He didn’t yelp and after some coaxing he came to me. But he was struggling to walk – I had to half carry him over the bridge.’

Unable to get her dog home, Jo asked a visiting campervan owner to watch over him while she fetched her car. ‘I was only gone five minutes,’ she said. 

‘But in the time I’d been away, he’d vomited and pooed himself. There wasn’t any swelling but I felt his paw and there was a tiny mark.’

Calling ahead to Bodrwnsiwn Vets in Mona, Jo and the campervan owner lifted Baxter into her estate car. She arrived at the veterinary practice within 30 minutes of the bite. 

‘They carried him in on a rug – there was no way he could walk,’ she said. ‘His breathing was ragged, his tummy was taut and his eyes were not good.’

Baxter was given anti-histamines and paracetamol, and put on a hydration drip. 

An adder bite was suspected but anti-venom wasn’t administered. 

‘It can cause anaphylactic shock and other side effects,’ said Jo. ‘As Baxter’s breathing was so laboured, it was decided anti-venom was too risky.’

Jo arranged to collect her beloved dog at 6pm. She aimed to take him to Colwyn Bay, Conwy, for overnight care: since June 2024 as no such provision has been available for pets on Anglesey.

‘I got a phone call from the vets at 5pm to say Baxter had taken a turn for the worse,’ she said. ‘His heart had stopped and, by the time I got there, he had died.

‘I knew he was going downhill and I was losing him but it was still a shock. He was a fit and healthy five-year-old dog. As he had deteriorated so quickly, it made me wonder if he’d had an underlying condition.

‘I can’t fault the vets. They did their best and there were very clearly very upset. We’re 80 per cent-plus sure it was an adder bite that killed him. 

‘He didn’t swell, as often happens, but every dog reacts differently. Soon after I read an adder had been seen in the same area around the same time.’

Pictured here is a snake, believed to be an adder, on Traeth Cymyran beach near Rhosneigr where the dog was bitten

Keen to alert others to the dangers, Jo posted a warning on Facebook. She didn’t want to alarm people, just make them aware. 

‘Dog owners often associate adders with coastal dunes but this happened on grassland,’ she said. ‘They can be found in any open, sunny habitat.

‘This year they seem to have come out early. Usually they will do their best to avoid people and dogs. But early in the year, as they emerge from hibernation, they can a little drowsy and might not be so quick to get away, so extra care is needed.’

When her old dog died, Jo took time to grieve before adopting Baxter. 

He was sourced for her by Spaniel Aid, a rescue and rehoming charity for spaniels and spaniel cross-breeds.

This time she’s looking for a replacement straight away. ‘I believe Baxter came from the Holyhead area,’ she said. 

‘It took him a while to settle but when he did he loved it here. As I’m just two minutes from the beach, it was a paradise for him, especially as Rhosneigr is so dog friendly.

‘I’ve been in touch with Spaniel Aid already. I’ve been widowed 10 years and without a dog in the house it feels very empty.’

Two days after she lost Baxter, Jo had a phone call from Bodrwnsiwn Vets. 

‘They told me they’d received an anonymous letter asking why the practice didn’t have any anti-venom in stock,’ she said. 

‘That wasn’t the case – not giving it to Baxter was a clinical decision.

‘The vets also told me they were trying to re-establish overnight care. If that happens, it would be excellent news. 

‘When Anglesey lost this provision, a lot of people were very upset as it left them having to travel to Colwyn Bay or further. When something bad happens, you want something good to come out of it, and hopefully this will be it.’

Despite rapid increases in the UK’s canine population, adder bites remain uncommon and deaths are incredibly rare. 

While nearly all bitten dogs show symptoms, 95.4 per cent reportedly survive with prompt veterinary treatment.

Fatalities generally occur if the bite is untreated, and is more common in smaller dogs.