bee stings

[lovemyshiba]

I was just on the phone with my friend, and her cat got stung by a bee. She was asking me what to do, and I had no clue what to tell her. Riley likes to "play" with bugs too, and I wouldn't know what to do if he was stung.
I thought maybe we could have a thread of advice on what to do for bee stings, it may be helpful, so if anyone has any advice, post it here.
(I told my friend to call her vet and ask them what to do)

[slick]

I've never been in that situation before but if it were to happen to me I would call the vet ASAP. Some humans can have bad reactions to bee stings and I know that those people carry around and antihistamine to counter-act the sting. I can only assume that some animals might have the same reaction. Hope things turn out OK.

[lordgoliath]

Not sure about cats, but for dogs it is a good idea to have some benadryl on hand for bee stings. In general it is pretty safe to give. Ask your vet tobe sure, but the ruleof thumb is that you can give 1MG of benadryl per lb of dog weight. The benadryl capsules I believe are 25MG each.

Hope that helps.


James

[MaxandSpike'sMom]

When Max was about 5 or 6 he got stung by ground bees. OUCH!!!

The Vet said that dogs will most likely be stung on the nose or mouth, or possibly the foot - the rest of his body is well protected by the coat. Unless you see it happen, his behavior will be puzzling, until the affected area starts to swell, which usually happens quickly.
I was told that the dog will usually manage to dislodge the sting by rubbing it. If it is still there, remove as quickly as you can.

I was told to give him benadyrl or try to rub some honey --(not sure why honey) on the sting.

I guess treat it as you would a human.

NOTE: I was also told that they could have an allergic reaction just like in humans so if the swelling is obstructing the airway. or having difficulty breathing.....Call the VET immediately!!!

[Cincy'sMom]

Sadie had an allergic reaction last summer that I believe came froma bee sting. She went outside inthemiddleof the night and then kept itching at her face. I got up gave her some Benedryll and went back to bed. She didn't stop and didn't stop, so finally, I got up again and her whole muzzle was swollen. We made an emergency run to the vet at 4 am where they gave her steroids and within a few hours the swelling had gone done. I am sure to ALWAYS have benedryll at home and with me when we go to a park. etc.

[weitzel]

ours was stung once on the paw, i pulled the stinger out, then called the vet, i gave him benadryl, children's he's only 8 lbs., but he's 2