Dogs and Bee Stings

[longarm]

Last week my 1 year old lab got her first sting. I was relieved - it didn't have any serious or lasting effects. Today she was stung again by I am assuming a bee... she started to throw up and stagger around, went to her bed and passed out. I mean she wasn't responding to me calling her name in her ear. This within 10 minutes of the sting. So I started to pack her up for a trip to the vet and before we left I sprinkled a little water on her face - she seemed interested and then drank an entire bowl. 5 minutes later she is out on the front lawn chewing sticks as usual.
In your experience do dogs become more allergic to bee stings over time? Can't figure it out..

[Sundance]

Wow...... I think benadryl is OK for dogs but check with your vet. You may even be able to get some injectable for the dog.

I have 3 dogs.......

The lab is smartest and oldest, he lays back a hundred feet and watches me work.

The Chesapeake is easy going and deliberate in her walk around the hives and rarely gets nailed.

The Springer.......... Well..... He gets nailed on a regular basis and still comes back for more. I keep telling him there are no birds near the hives but to no avail.

[Michael Bush]

>The Springer.......... Well.....

I've had several. Brains are rare in Springers.

[xC0000005]

Mine (Dachshunds) perch on the edge of the hive and eat bees if I let them. They get stung. They come back. Last year, when I dropped a frame of bees after tripping, they took off like rockets (with bees clinging to them). That made the avoid the hive for about a week.

[amymcg]

Benadryl is definitely safe for dogs, but it takes a larger dose than it does for us. You should check with your vet.

[Brian Suchan]

Weve always had German Shorthairs & they & bees do not get along at all. Get stung pretty frequently on there own behalf!

[Keith Benson]

"I've had several. Brains are rare in Springers"

Nonsense. They all have 2-3 neurons. Problem is they do not synapse. . . .

See the vet. Benadryl is indeed safe, and the dose is often higher.

Keith

[Bee-wildered]

My dog stands at her water dish and barks at the bees drinking from it. I have rocks in it for the bees (can't keep 'em out) and the rocks keep my dog from dumping her water bc of the bees. She's a Mountain Kerr.

Funniest thing I ever saw was the way she "danced" when one stung her on the nose.

[Gene Weitzel]

We have a Aust. Shepherd mix. She just eats the bees and ignores the stings. But then again she eats exploding firecrackers too, so what can I say. I have to keep her on a cable dog run when I work the bees or she just won't leave them alone.

[peggjam]

Well, my blueticks must be about the same as the springers, at first anyway. After they get stung a couple hundred times, they also sit back while we work the hives. The B&T's know better to begin with, and never get close enough to get stung. My ole mutt dog can hang around all day, and only get stung once or twice, which she doesn't much mind.

[Joshua2639]

My vet recomended Benadryl for my 80lb lab. She recomended up to seven 25mg pills (told me to start with two). I couldnt do it though because two Benadryl puts me out and I weigh about 2.5 times as much as my dog.

Glad to see that its common for dogs to get higher doses, now I feel better about my vet.

[magnet-man]

Joshua, I have a Jack Russell with a skin condition and I give her two 25 mg all the time and it doesn’t knock her out. To make it easier to get her to take it, I coat her pills with candy almond bark. She will also that the pill plain with no problem which is amazing.

[LaRae]

I keep epinepherine on hand in case of anaphylatic shock for the livestock...it works on dogs too...but check with the vet on doseages.


LaRae

[FordGuy]

it may be a problem completely unrelated to bee stings, but one for which a trip to the vet is warranted. Could be a neurological problem.

[DANIEL QUINCE]

My boxer knocked down a wasp nest and within minutes his all body was like a 150 lb balloon. Drove to the store and after he had 4 benadryl pills, he was ok before we got home, about 10 min. He's 115 lb and according to the vet, this was his luck. A smaller dog could have died. He never passed out so. He was rolling and rubbing his face in the grass in frenzy.

[Hill's Hivery]

I have a beagle and she will lap up the curious girls that come around here. She can't reach my hive, thank goodness! Once you get past the sting the sweet probably is good!
Well she also eats flys too.

[Jamie]

Okay, sorry if I posted twice...my computer is acting up today...
Just wanted to say that I appreciate the topic!
My 2 pound chihuahua got stung on the leg the another night and couldn't walk afterwords...luckily the next day he was doing find...my golden retriever eats the bees and stings just get him going even more! My border collie doesnt pay much attention besides eating the sugar syrup!!
Its interesting that dogs need more benedryl than humans though! I don't think I will have to worry about my Chihuahua and giving him any meds...after that one sting he won't go anywhere near the hives.

Thanks again for all the info

Jamie

[Tobikiri]

I'm sorry I came so late to this thread.
I'm a licensed veterinary technician and thought I'd give professional input on this topic.

Yes, benadryl is safe for dogs. However, I've got my Veterinary Drug Handbook in front of me, and it says that the dose for dogs is 25-50mg by mouth two to three times a day.
It does not give a per pound dosage, just a flat dose for a dog. So please, if you give benadryl to your pooch, do not give more than two 25mg tablets in an 8 hour period.

Overdosing can result in seizures, coma, respiratory depression and death.

And please, if your pet does not respond to the benadryl and begins to swell, get to your vet!!!
Sorry for rehashing an old thread. I just wanted to make sure everyone's pets were safe! Carry on! smile.gif

[Les Evans]

My Dog(Dalmatian)got stung for the first time today when I was checking my hives,
Since we got the bees he always goes over to check them with me or when I am not around I will spy him going up to the entrance taking a look then leaving.
I knew it was going to happen...he was happily watching the bees fly and would take a bite at one once in awhile only to come up with empty air.
I was watching as one landed on the ground and my dog went to investigate...he put his nose down to smell and then snorted which made the bee mad and it flew up and nailed him on his hip.
He was a real trooper though,not a yelp or anything he just kind of licked where he had been stung. He came over to me and just sat there with a look of "what the hell was that" on his face.

He's going on seven in June and learns real quick. He still comes over to the hives but just sits next to me or walks the fence line. No more sniffing or biting at them.

[ May 14, 2006, 02:22 AM: Message edited by: Les Evans ]

[hobbee]

Yeah , I'm concerned about my pooches they are both brindle and the bees do not like dark colored dogs -I know this because I saw a black lab stray sniffing one of my hive in the front woods and he got stung - lol started snorting and dancing - so I wonder if the amstaffs will catch on right now they are both puppyish

[Mabe]

Black lab and flat coated retriever.....

A great way to pill a dog is in a marshmallow. Pull it apart and stick back together over the pill. Almost impossible to spit out and the dogs wolf down the marshmallow. Wish I'd figured that one out years ago.