Treating a bee sting

[eurobich]

The poison from a bee sting can cause a pet to go into anaphylactic shock and you will know the signs of it if your pet appears weak, is trembling, vomiting, has diarrhea, is breathing quickly, wheezing, has pale gums, fever or actually collapses. Hopefully this situation does not present itself, but if it does time will critical at this point and you will want to get your pet emergency help immediately. During this time make sure you keep your pet warm and help to keep him or her conscious by putting some Karo Syrup or Honey on their gums.

If the scenario we just discussed does not occur it is still likely that the sting will result in some swelling. If so, there are a number of things that you can do to help reduce the swelling and relieve your pet of its discomfort. You can use an over the counter antihistamine by administering 1 milligram for every pound of body weight, so a ten- pound animal would get about 3/4 of a teaspoon. You can also dab the antihistamine directly onto the site of the sting. You will probably need to repeat the dose every six to eight hours.

You can also sooth your pet's pain by administering a cold pack to the affected area for approximately ten to thirty minutes several times a day. Or another option is to make a Baking Soda Poultice. Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with enough water to create a thick paste and dab the mixture onto the swelled area. This could be a little bit messy if you are treating an area with thick or long hair so you may want to trim the area a bit beforehand.
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Make a paste from meat tenderizer and water and apply this to neutralize the venom. Keep the paste on for at least 30 minutes. Use gauze or soft cloth around the area to prevent the dog from licking it from the skin. Once the paste has been on the prescribed period of time, simply rinse it off.
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Manuka honey is also an excellent antibacterial agent and useful in healing wounds. It can be applied to the irritated area and also used on cuts and scrapes. Although all unprocessed honey has antibacterial properties, manuka honey is much stronger and is even used in some hospitals.

Making a thin paste of ammonia or milk of magnesia will also help relieve the pain associated with a bee sting.

[CJxxBuster]

thanks Karen, Blue chases bees one day he will get stung

[Sarah L]

Great information, well needed in this weather.

[Nicklelynne56]

Excellent article, thanks k! I'm thinking Jollie got stung by a bee and that's what started this swelling, ? hot spot beneath his jaw. I took him outside to do his business and a bee buzzed around us and he hightailed it to the door in 2 seconds flat and refused to come back out. Clear drainage this morning but still extremely tender. Special thanks to Joan and Karen for your help. Making a trip to city for more Neem Oil. A natural seed, wholistic foods, vitamin shop carries it and several other neem products. Good idea to keep it on hand this time of year. If you or family member has eczema or problems with dry, cracked heels, neem cream works great! Check out the other posts on neem for all its uses.

[jeannie b]

great information thanks Karen xx

[suecj]

Thanks Karen, do they sell neem oil in H and B if not I will get some online. Kary was playing with a fly the other day (just like a cat with a mouse ) so I need to be prepared just in case. You can never watch them 24/7.

[eurobich]

ha ha yes typical bolo they are great fly catchers xxx
No when you come to get Kary chipped I will give you some I have plenty here xx

[chrismc]

Great information, thanks very much.

[Nicklelynne56]

Omg, Jollie has had another reaction to ? bee sting! Shaved area, 3 inches from old site, and applied cold compress and topical benadryl and later a baking soda poltice. Not eating or drinking and it's hot here. Temp 103, which is a little high, and he doesn't want to walk and seems a little wobbly. Called vet and gave benadryl tab and 1/2 baby aspirin. Told me to hold on steroid til morning and reassessment. My poor boy! Mattie is in heat so that affects his behavior too. He mopes around and moans when he can't be with her so I'm not sure if he's acting this way b/c of bite or her. So, I took her out and he then decided to follow and walked just fine. Bugger. Bite looks nasty like before though. Severe swelling, hard and painful to touch, with black center and clear drainage. Probably headed to vet in morning. Not sure what I'm going to do with him. He loves to play in the fenced in yard.

[eurobich]

I would keep him in the home until I did a thorough screen of the area and try to assess wht type of bites he is getting then get pest control to see if they can remove the said nasty lil creatures

Hope he is OK xxxx Hugs to you both

[Nicklelynne56]

Good idea about pest control. Gary and I talked about having someone spray to rid yard of bees but I hadn't really noticed many and sort of forgot about it. Definitely must do now. Site on upper neck again but is softer to touch and draining copious amount of clear drainage today that dries dark on his white fur down to his bellie. Looks horrid and he worsens spot with his itching but I can't keep it covered b/c of location on neck. He is a real baby and screaches when I tip his jaw up to get a better look. You can imagine the performance when I clean and treat it. It's less traumatic for everyone to just put him in the tub again and again. He's walking just fine today so I just don't know what that was about yesterday. I still think it has something to do with bite. He had same symptoms last time but temp is significantly lower. Scary still. I believe benadryl is helping along with poltice and neem. He's such a challenge. He knows I'm trying to help but just can't help himself. He has zero tolerance for pain or perceived pain. I always imagine the horrors from his past and curse that .... who had him before. Makes me so angry! Jollie is such a sweety and I feel so bad torturing him in order to make him better but it has to be done. Poor boy and poor mama! Hopefully it will start to dry up some soon.

[eurobich]

Hopefully he will be better this time, in one way it may make him less susceptible to bites in the future as his immune system recognises the onslought. Rather like how we would treat allergies by exposure to the allergen.
I would continue to use the neem and the poultice and keep us posted, I know its stressing when this happens , but, hopefully you two can enjoy some love time whilst caring for him and the bond you have will become even stronger.
Keep us posted on his progress.
Love K

[chrismc]

Hope he makes a speedy recovery. It must be traumatic for both of you. Big hugs xxxx