Dog bee stings can be just as painful for your dog as they are for you, and they are more common than you think in the summertime. Anyone who’s brought their dog outside in the summer sees that dogs just can’t help snapping at insects that fly past his muzzle. We’re not sure why dogs like to do this, but often the outcome is a painful sting in a sensitive part of the mouth or face!
When your dog reacts to a sting in his mouth, he will scratch and paw at the area that was stung. Your dog may also react by heavy drooling, which can alarm some owners that are not aware of the wasp or bee sting.
Some things you can do to relieve the suffering of dog bee stings are:
Clean the sting site with a mixture of warm water and baking soda. One tablespoon of soda to two pints of water is a good formula to use, and don’t worry if your dog swallows some – it’s harmless. Repeat the cleansing procedure every 10 minutes until the sting seems to be less bothersome to your dog. You can also directly apply Ammoniated quinine to the area.
Bee stings generally don’t upset any dog too much, but if your dog is seriously panicked or bothered you can give him a little potassium bromide to make him more tranquil. Once your dog has been stung by a bee or wasp and you can see the stinger, gently try removing the stinger with tweezers.
A trip to the vet because of a sting may seem trivial at the time, but a sting can be very painful and lead to swelling and other unpleasant effects from the sting. So if your pet seems uncomfortable at all after a sting bring them to the vet, it will save your pet a lot of pain.
Dog bee stings are just part and parcel of the summer experience, unfortunately. Dogs can get lucky – snapping at bees buzzing by may not necessarily mean your dog will be stung. Once I owned a dog that chased bees every moment he was outside and he was never stung (to my knowledge). But it never hurts to know what to do for your dog, just in case of a painful sting.
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