Bees Can Kill Dogs

(Photo by paterjt and used under the creative commons license.)

I was reading some news articles the other day and came across this story about bees killing a dog in Miami FL.  It never even occurred to me this sort of thing could happen.  I can't tell you how many times my dogs have chased and tried to eat hornets and bees.
Africanized Killer Bees Kill Family Dog; Injures Owner | Firstcoastnews.com | Florida News

I can't tell you what I would of done had I been in this person's shoes but I hope I would of tried to save my dog.  I just hope I'm never faced with this kind of decision.

So I figured maybe I should check into this a little more as spring is here and flowers will be blooming soon.  With the flowers comes bees and hornets.  I thought it might be a good idea to figure out what a person should do if their dog was stung by a bee or hornet.  To my surprise the remedies I found are pretty similar to that of treating a human and fairly simple.  

First thing you want to do is remove the stinger, if possible.

Even if you can't remove the stinger, you can apply a baking soda and water paste to the sting area.

Ice the area to keep the swelling down.

You can also give your dog some Benadryl if you want some additional backup.  For a large breed dog you can give them 2 - 25mg tablets.  

If these things are not helping and your dog is having a severe reaction , contact your vet.     

I actually already have Benadryl in my doggy first aid kit which will now take on an additional use.  I think I'll add some baking soda to that kit, too.  And I think I'll be watching my dogs a little more carefully this spring and summer around those bees & hornets.      

Tip for today: Don't antagonize those bees!  They can kill ya.