Comment

Comment by chocky on April 21, 2009 at 12:47am

Mmm...
its always a bit dangerous to administer any type of medications to a dog, when its made for people.
the strength levels are just made for people, not dogs, plus your dog may have allergies to the ingrediants
in the medications, so ididn't want to risk that. It could cause more harm than good.

I only brought her to the vet because it was around her snout and mouth, so it could have given her problems
with her breathing.

perhaps if it was around her body i would have maybe done someting different, like
1) take out the stinger
2) clean the area with antiseptic
3) ice it to keep the swelling down
4) monitor her to make sure she doesn't get worse

well.. it was a weird experience... thanks for the comments everyone! and hope this helps with other ppl
if they get in similiar situations.

BTW: we dont have killer bees or anything like that in Australia, the worse would maybe be wasps and things like that, but they aren't that common.

And...

Hachi is just fine =))

Comment by John Wolff on April 20, 2009 at 2:50pm

Another FAQ topic? Let's have an expert comment, but if I've got it right:

The danger from single bee stings is from anaphylactic shock, an allergic hyperreaction,:
"...Any time you notice any of these symptoms: excessive swelling, hives, trouble breathing, vomiting, lethargy, seizures, wheezing, fever, pale gums seek emergency attention at once. The dog may be experiencing an anaphylactic shock which can turn out life threatening pretty quickly." VERY quickly; anaphylaxis is one of the few immediately life-threatening first aid situations.
Note the "pale gums" symptom, showing faltering circulation, a symptom of shock (?) not mentioned in my human first aid training. You can't see facial pallor in a furry face.

If you'd waited 3 hours, my guess is you were way past the danger window.

A reasonable first aid to a sting might be plain Benadryl 1 mg per lb. body weight (not the sinus kind, which might include a decongestant). I carry Benadryl for human first aid but HOW DO YOU ADMINISTER BENADRYL TO A DOG?!? You'd have to figure this out ahead of time. Whether it would do any good for anaphylaxis, I don't know.

stings
link

I've heard that honeybees kill more people in the US than any other animal. Not sure if this is honeybees alone, or includes Vespid wasps (wasps being commonly mistaken for honeybees). If it's a wasp, you can forget stinger removal; I believe wasp stingers are not barbed. Wasps do get aggressive in late summer and autumn when their food supply is limited.

So. You've got Benadryl in the medicine cabinet/FA kit. Do you know how much those lurid pink tabs contain, or how much you're going to try to give your dog, and how? I don't.

Comment by Sam Tsang on April 20, 2009 at 9:55am

Glad to hear she's doing ok mate!

Comment by Bev Levy on April 20, 2009 at 8:03am

My Corgi, Sparty, has been stung a few times by bees! After the first time it is like he seeks them out so we watch him pretty close if there are any bees around. Fortunately he is not allergic to them. One time the bee bit him on his but. We were at our cottage so I called our vet and they suggested I look for the stinger to make sure it wasn't still in. I said "have you ever seen a corgi but! The chances of finding one with all that fur would be slim.."