Dog owners are being warned to watch out for adders in Harpford woods.

Newton Poppleford resident Zoe Adey took to social media to warn of snake bites after walkers had spotted several of the reptiles.

Zoe, who owns Poppleford Pet Care, recalled her own experience when her 12-year-old Jack Russell Tilly was bitten.

She said; “I’d been walking in the wood with her off the lead and she was rummaging about in the leaf litter at the side of the track when she yelped and came running. I didn’t see the snake that bit her, but I could see the fang holes just above her fetlock on her right leg.

“She was at the vets on a drip for over a week and received a blood transfusion - we were told her chances of survival were slim as her kidneys and liver started to fail under the strain of the venom. But she was a tough little dog and pulled through after several weeks of high dependency care at the vets.”

In an incident where a dog was bitten, Zoe advised owners to carry their pet back to the car to stop toxins spreading, before taking it immediately to the vet. She said: “In the mornings they [adders] are a bit slow as they need to the sun to warm them up before they are fully awake.

“Most of the time they will hear you coming and hide long before you see them, but please keep your dogs away from them as they can bite.”