A heartbroken woman is warning other dog owners after her pet was bitten by an adder in woodland.

Ziggy the dog is in serious condition after being bitten on the nose while on a walk in Thetford Forest on Friday.

Owner Sandra Cutting said Ziggy, a rescue English Setter just under five years old, is on a drip, has swelling around the chest and lips and is in the care of animal health specialists in Bury St Edmunds.

Mrs Cutting, from Thetford, said she wanted to warn other dog owners and added: 'I had a dog who put her face in a wasp nest but I've never had anything like this before.

'I couldn't take it all in but she is still fighting. Heartbroken.'

Adders typically hibernate in the winter, however recent unseasonably warm weather may have disrupted this pattern.

The adder is the only venomous snake found in the wild in the UK. Mostly found in areas of open heath and sand-dunes, it is sometimes found in woodland.

UPDATE: On Sunday night Mrs Cutting received a phonecall from the vet to say Ziggy had improved so much they were happy for her to be taken home.