Dogs and Bee Stings

The most common signs that your doggie friend has been stung by a bee are: swelling, redness and
pain around the affected area. Most of the time, all that is needed to bring Fido some relief is a simple
ice-pack held to the affected area, however, dogs that have more severe reactions to bee stings
will most likely need immediate veterinary care. The signs of severe reactions include:
weakness (including fainting), shortness of breath, significant swelling (away from the site of
the sting) and over anxious behavior. Vets are well equipped to deal with severe bee stings and
may use a fast-acting injectable medication such as steroids, antihistamine or adrenaline to help your
pet.

Hornet and wasp stings are more painful than bee stings, but the stinger does not become imbedded.
The same guidelines for first aid and when to call the veterinarian apply as for bee stings.

A few days ago my sister told me that her dog was stung by a bee while
playing outside. This bit of news got me thinking….would I know what to
do if one of my dogs was stung? What type of reaction(s) should I look
for?

I did a little research and here is what I found:

The significance of a sting depends on the type of insect, the location of
the sting and of course, how your pet reacts to the venom (not all dogs
have the same reaction). If your dog is stung by a generic Honeybee, you
must (if possible) remove the stinger from your pet. The Honeybee has a
barbed stinger which imbeds itself into the victim. The stinger can be
removed by gently scraping with a credit card or other blunt object. DO
NOT pull the stinger out with tweezers! Using tweezers often results in
additional venom being squeezed in the skin!