What do I do if my Dog is Stung by a Bee?
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Dogs like to roll around and to explore in the yard. Unfortunately, this playfulness can lead to your pet accidentally encountering a bee or a wasp’s nest. If your dog is stung by a bee, there are several steps you should take in order to avoid infection and to reduce the pain your dog experiences.
The first thing you should do if your dog is stung by a bee is to remove the stinger with tweezers. Stingers are usually translucent, which can make them difficult to locate if your dog is stung by a bee. You should be able to find the general area easily because there will likely be swelling around the stinger.
Once you have located the swollen area, look toward the center to locate the bee stinger. You may have to look from the side or otherwise change your viewpoint in order to find the stinger. Be sure to pull the stinger straight out when your dog is stung by a bee in order to prevent accidentally breaking off the stinger.
After you have removed the stinger, you should next apply a paste made from baking soda and water over the entire area. If you are unable to locate the stinger after your dog is stung by a bee, you should still follow this step. Applying this paste after your dog is stung by a bee will help draw out the stinger and any toxins that have been injected into your dog’s skin.
Next, you will need to relieve the swelling that results after your dog is stung by a bee. In order to do this, apply an ice pack to the area. Alternate between holding it to the sting area and removing it from your pet in order to prevent discomfort from the cold.
Finally, stay with your dog to monitor its health and to provide it with comfort until the pain seems to subside. For the most part, it is not a serious concern when a dog is stung by a bee. If the dog is stung by several bees or if the sting is on the dogs mouth, nose, or head, your dog may experience some breathing difficulties. If this occurs or if the swelling around the area is very large, you should see your veterinarian immediately.
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17
the benadryl would work because of the histamine component. anything with "ine" at the end of it is likely to be in this group. Still be careful with what you give and how much, but it means that if you don't have any benadryl another may work. not all benadryl has an antihistamine so be careful and be careful with the other ingredients too. Since it is a first generation antihistamine in it it may cause drowsiness. - anon45967
16
My schipperkee was stung by a bumble bee on his front leg. He limped around on and then he started to vomit. He was weak and shaking but he finally came out of it. What should I have done? Finding the stinger was impossible. - anon45918
15
My chocolate lab (he's four months) was stung on the mouth by a bee and his whole left upper lip became swollen. He then was really lethargic and unlike his energetic self. Then he started shaking and I was scared he was going into shock. I heard about Benadryl so I rushed out and bought some and gave it to him. Within an hour he became better and after two or three hours he was back to his energetic self. It was quite a scare. I also gave him lots of ice cubes to help with any soreness. Now he's happy as can be. - anon44293
14
My 13 week old Shih Tzu got stung by a bee on the mouth. I pulled the stinger out of his nose and he seemed a bit shocked at first. We made the baking soda mixture and smeared it on his nose. Then we iced his mouth. What really worked was letting him play with an ice cube on the kitchen floor. He was distracted by it slipping everywhere and kept trying to bite it. The swelling went down in about 20 minutes, and he was back to his normal self. - anon43579
13
My 3pound puppy was recently stung by a bee or hornet.I fortunately saw him licking his hind foot and found the stinger in his paw. I removed it with my nails then put a baking soda paste on it. Within five minutes he was out. I mean I honestly thought he was dead. No heart beat could I hear. I didn't know what to do except give him some corn syrup and wrap him in a warm towel. I believe he went into shock and after 20 minutes he started coming around. It took two hours before he was back to normal. What do you do for an animal in shock like this? Very scared owner! - anon43071
12
My puppy has just been stung by a bee. It attacked her! It wasn't stung though, it kept biting her! What do i do? - anon42165
11
my pug just got stung 4 times on the forehead from an in-ground hornets nest. the baking soda paste worked really well so thank you so much for posting this article. i had no idea what to do other than give her children's benadryl right away. i would also recommend children's benadryl to help with any allergic reaction to the stings. i have a dropper that i used for her. - anon40749
10
Thanks for the advice on the benadryl. my six month old lab got stung dozens of times on her face and her eyes, ears, lips, etc. were swollen up about three times normal size. I gave her a teensy bit of benadryl with peanut butter, treated her with a lot of ice cubes, and gave her a softened rawhide bone to keep her preoccupied from the agony she was probably in from the stings. I couldn't ice her face or use baking soda because wouldn't hold still but she's a lot better with the benadryl after only about an hour. thanks :) - anon40213
9
Baking soda might be a great idea, but sometimes dogs are allergic to bees and they can even stop breathing. Like in my case, but I hold his tongue and gave him CPR until I got to the hospital. It's also a good idea to always have benadril and just give them a few drops!!!! - anon27600
6
The baking soda recipe is simple. All you need to do is mix like a tablespoon of baking soda with some water until it makes a paste. Then just apply to the affected area. This recipe also works for people too. Good luck I hope it helps. - Jeana
4
Hi, just one point, please dont use tweezers to remove stings as honey bees have a venom sag attached which gets ripped out when they sting you and if you use tweezer to remove the sting you will inject more into the wound.. i would recommend using a credit card or just scrape with a long nail to remove them. best regards, A caring beekeeper. - anon15740
3
This sounds like a good way to cure bee stings. My dog got stung by a bee and now is limping and falling over when he tries to walk. I feel really bad for him. I was also wondering if on your webpage you could post the recipe for the paste you put on the dogs sting.
From, a loving dog owner
- anon15339
2
Our dog and cat uses Venom Cleanser. It worked immediatly on the sting symptoms. - BradBkr
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Written by
Shannon Kietzman
Last Modified: 22 September 2009
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