Doggo Problems: How to Avoid and Remedy Bee Stings
Just as cats are curious, dogs are also risk-takers that like to play around and sniff at anything. Often, they sniff too much and stick their noses where they don’t belong, resulting in painful bee stings. Moreover, although their swollen faces might look cute after, it would be advisable to grab the first aid kit before your camera.
Signs of a Bee Sting
When dogs get hurt, it’s usually difficult to tell at first glance. What’s more, they can’t voice out when they’re feeling pain, what kind of pain it is, and where it is located. As a pet parent, you need to be perceptive of the signs. With that, a dog stung by a bee will present with the following:
- Whining. If your dog keeps whining and you don’t know the reason, try to visually inspect its body to look for any swollen area that could reveal a bee sting.
- Swelling of the Skin. If you see a swollen area on their skin, carefully examine for a lodged stinger at the center.
- Dog Holds Up the Affected Area. If you notice your dog keeps holding up a limb or a body part to you for unknown reasons, assume that your dog is trying to show you that it’s hurt and scan the area it’s trying to show you.
- Pawing, Biting, or Scratching the Affected Area. Every time you observe your dog doing the mentioned acts on his skin, make sure to look over the area immediately and discern if it has been stung.
How To Remedy Bee Stings
If you find that your dog has been hurt and presents with a swollen area, immediately get to action to apply first aid. Otherwise, your dog might develop more severe reactions to the sting the longer you wait to address it.
- Confirm that it’s a bee sting. Bee stings are easy to identify because each bee can only sting once. After, they leave a barbed stinger lodged in the skin and die after.
- Look for and remove the stinger. Once you’ve confirmed that it’s a bee sting, scrape off the stinger using a stiff and flat material. Do not squeeze the swollen skin or use a tweezer to remove it because more venom could leak from the sac attached to the stinger.
- Apply a soothing paste. After removing the stinger, make a paste from water and baking soda and apply it to the sting site to soothe the pain.
- Address the swelling. To prevent further swelling that could distort tissues, apply a sterile ice pack on the area.
- Cover the sting site. Cover the sting site with a loose bandage to prevent your dog from scratching, biting, and irritating the open wound.
When To Go To Your Vet
When a dog gets stung by a bee, mild reactions typically include signs in the aforementioned. However, some dogs are negatively and severely affected by allergic reactions to a sting even in a short amount of time. It is advisable that you visit your local veterinary services immediately. In addition, if you notice your dog has symptoms of conjunctivitis, you need to go to your vet for immediate treatment and get vet-prescribed dog pink eye products.
Allergic Reactions
After confirming that your dog has been stung, keep a close eye on their condition hours after.
If you notice the following signs on your dog, contact your veterinarian for an appointment as soon as possible.
- Lethargy. If your dog has a severe allergic reaction, he might present with weakness or low energy. In worst-case scenarios, they could even collapse.
- Rapid or Difficulty Breathing. Watch the rise and fall of your dog’s chest, and feel the in and out of the air in their nose. If you notice that your dog is breathing faster than usual or is having difficulty breathing, bring them to the vet as soon as possible.
- Excessive Drooling. If your dog doesn’t normally drool, take that as a sign that something is wrong with its health.
- Diarrhea or Vomiting. If you can assure that nothing is wrong with your dog’s food, but it has diarrhea or keeps vomiting, it could be a severe allergic reaction to a wound.
- Hives. Hives are red bumps that can raise a pet’s fur. If you notice your dog itching excessively, inspect the skin for this possibility.
- Swelling Beyond Area of Sting Site. Sting sites should have localized swelling, where only the raised skin is close to the wound. Larger swelling areas are a sign of an allergic reaction.
- Pallor or Paleness. You can check for pallor by inspecting your dog for pale gums.
How To Avoid Bee Stings
Staying out of a situation is always easier than getting out of it. To prevent your dog from getting stung by a bee, make sure to reprimand activities where they are playing with flying inspects. Rewarding this behavior with compliments could give it the wrong idea that it’s okay to play even with bees.
Takeaway
Seeing your dog swollen can be freaky. However, the best thing to do would be to stay calm and assess the situation. Keeping composure is essential to appropriately deal with whatever problem, including bee stings.