A dog owner was left in tears when a vet advised he should consider putting his pet down as a snake bite left it seriously ill. Momo, a nine-year-old Akita cross breed, nearly died after being bitten by an adder at her owner’s holiday home in Westgate-on-Sea in Kent on May 13.
Owner Julian Radley, who lives in Harlesden with Momo, said that now whilst on the mend, his dog and family have been seriously shaken by the events, and hope their story will act as a warning to others. Julian said: “I want other dog owners to be aware of adder snakes across the country as well as in coastal areas.”
On May 13, at around 4pm, Julian was brushing Momo’s coat on the patio when she raced off after seeing a cat run through the garden. After a few moments she returned from the bushes with nothing appearing out of the ordinary.
However, in the evening Julian noticed a lump on Momo’s ribs, and initially assumed that this was a minor injury from when she was chasing the cat earlier. He phoned the vets who advised to give the dog some mild painkillers and bring her in the next day.
He took Momo to the vet in the morning and the lump was initially diagnosed as an abscess. Vets told the family that they needed to sedate Momo to drain the build up in fluid, which they authorised, leaving Momo in their care.
Later that day Julian was informed that the source of the lump was not an abscess, as the fluid did not respond to their attempts for drainage. At this stage Momo’s condition worsened and she stopped eating, which was a major cause for concern surrounding the normally healthy dog.
Julian visited the vet again and, concerned about the dog’s health, advised the practice to administer a blood check immediately. This came back later that day to reveal the dog’s damaged kidneys and liver.
Too late to give Momo anti-venom
After around three days of not eating and growing increasingly poorly, Momo was driven back to London for examination at her registered veterinary centre. Julian said: “Within 20 seconds the vet said ‘this is a snake bite, this is an adder’.”
It was clear that whilst running through the garden in Kent earlier that week, Momo was unlucky enough to be bitten by Britain’s only venomous snake. The vet advised the family that due to the previous misdiagnosis and delayed response in treatments, it was too late to administer an anti-venom, as the damage had already spread throughout the dog’s body.
Momo was referred to Queen Mother Hospital for small animals, where she was placed on an IV drip and kept overnight. In the morning veterinary staff advised the family that they could gauge see very little improvement from Momo and they should begin to consider putting her down.
Furthermore, with Julian, a pensioner, unable to cover costs for further vital treatment, the future for Momo began to look bleak. Julian said: “When they told us we might have to put the dog down it immediately made us all cry. I remember we looked at her, this healthy dog and could not believe that she might die”.
Through his son, Julian came across the PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals), a charity that helps cover veterinary costs for owners who cannot afford to care for their animals. As Julian is a pensioner the family were overjoyed to find that they were eligible for the support, and admitted Momo for treatment.
During her care with the PDSA in Hendon where she was given antibiotics and intensive treatment, Momo slowly began to improve and began eating again, soon she was allowed to return home. On Momo’s last check up with the PDSA on May 23 Julian said that the family was overjoyed to see her continuing improvement.
Despite the wound from the adder bite still being present, Momo is on the mend and the family and vets are monitoring her situation. Continuing with a specialist UV therapy to manage the wounded area, it may still take two-three months before Momo returns to full health.
Julian said that he hopes that the story of Momo can be taken as a cautionary tale to dog owners. He said: “We want to let people know to be careful because there are adders about. I wouldn’t want another family or pet to go through what we have gone through”
To cover some of the prior veterinary costs and pay for ongoing antibiotic treatment for Momo, Julian and his family have set up a Go Fund Me page which can be donated to here.
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