The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Benadryl
Posted by Eobie01 (Collinsville, Illinois) on 05/22/2009
I took my 4 year old boxer to the emergency vet clinic, she had hives on her legs and back, she was panting a lot, her tummy was a little red, and when she walked her feet kept coming out from under her and she would just stretch it out. We told the vet all of these problems and she said that it was most likely caused by a bit or sting of some sort. Now Bailey our boxer has been stung before and was given a steroid shot and some benadryl and had no side effects. This time it is different (just to let you know they gave her 2ml of benadryl and 4 cc Dex S/P). We took her to the vet at around 9pm and we left there at 9:30pm. When we got home we let her outside and she seemed fine, then we went to bed. I was up watching tv and she just started to pant and breathe kind of funny, then she started to whine. I just laid there with her for a little bit to see if it would go away and after about 30 min I called the vet to let them know what she was doing. They said that this was a side effect of benadryl. At the time of first writing this it was 1am. Now it is 5:12am and I have been up all night with her. All night she was pacing and laying down and was trying to get comfortable but couldn't. A few times she would put her head under the bed or she would sit up and just stare. And all the while she would start to whine again. Now she is pacing from our bedroom out to the hallway and she just got sick. I am going to be calling the vet first thing in the morning. I don't like what I have seen.
Benadryl
Posted by Jeanie (Chesterfield, MI, USA) on 04/15/2009
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I tried the Benedryl on my 6month old 3 lb Yorkie... so far she is doing well, I was so worried because she is soooo tiny!! I called the vet, and she said use Benedryl, but because of her age and size they said use liquid childrens Benedryl at only one half ml per pound. It seems to be working for her!!! Thanks!!
Apis Mellifica
Posted by Tamara (Tucson, AZ) on 02/23/2009
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My pit bull was snapping at bees yesterday, little did I know she had eaten 9 of them. Her face swelled up, and she vomited. Unfortunately, she is allergic to benedryl. I keep prednisone on hand for her because of the allergy, and also gave her a high dose of apis mellifica homeopathic remedy .
I probably could have just used the apis, but panicked!! Don't discount apis mellifica even for bee sting allergies. I have a friend who is allergic to bee stings who decided to try it for a bee sting (keeping her epi pen at the ready) and the apis mellifica homeopathic remedy worked! No side effects! ( I read that epinephren side effects can be made worse if on maoi's) I will always have apis mellifica in the house, and I hope that the prednisone tip is useful to anyone who has pets or people allergic to benedryl.
Anyhoo, we circled the emergency vet block in the car for an hour until I was sure the swelling was down, then we went home. Everyone fine.
Benadryl
Posted by Vic (Hong Kong, HK SAR) on 02/10/2009
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Thanks for the reassurance your site has given me. After my 3 yo 25kg Husky apparently got stung by a tropical bee and the advice from an emergency vet clinic was to use antihistamines, he seems to have less irritation and anxiety. Time will tell to see if the swelling goes down and he gets back his energy. 8mg of drug have chilled him out a whole lot.
Benadryl
Posted by Desiree (Portland, OR) on 01/10/2009
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Benedryl has been shown to cause premature dementia (not that dementia is a normal part of aging). I wouldn't say it is not harmless. I don't recommend anyone take it on a regular basis. I read this in a report about 10 years ago. I can't believe this information is still not mainstream and so many people are still using it.
Benadryl and Prednisone
Posted by Heidi (Vaughn, Washington) on 09/27/2008
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I had never had a dog stung by a bee until today, my 10 month puppy got a wasp stuck in her hair! As a nurse I knew about the Benadryl, and Ice, but I also called a friend of mine up who has asthma and got one tablet of Prednisone. I broke it into half and gave a half at the time of the sting and 12 hours later. She did great, we snuggled from the sleepy Benadryl, and the swelling went down with the Prednisone and I didnt have to worry about a relapse in the wheezing I could hear.
Benadryl
Posted by Kay Amante (Montague, Michigan) on 09/11/2008
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My husband took Jack our 2yr old Great Dane into our woods. Jack found a yellow jacket nest and was stung about 80 times in the face, neck, & back. He had really bad swelling all over. His head and mouth were the worse. He couldn't breath properly, and he was in a lot of pain. So I looked up dog bee stings on the internet and I was sent to this site. I gave Jack benadryl the dose someone on Earth clinic had recommended. It really took the swelling down on his head and made it so he could breath right again. Now Jack is sleeping like a baby and not crying anymore. Thank you for your help!
Mud
Posted by Lin (Yellow Springs, Ohio) on 08/26/2008
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Mud has cured my family's external bee stings for over 35 years. Wherever you are, there is mud, all you need is a little water. Just make a paste and slap it on. I've used it for a one year old baby whose piercing screams stopped within seconds, for a panic d customer in a store to our dog's paw just yesterday. The mud does it all, draws out the stinger and the poison - fast. Leave on from 2-20 min. Rinse off, then wash with soap and water. Relax and have a glass of water.
Apis Mellifica
Posted by Cindy (Wichita, USA) on 08/23/2008
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I always keep high potency Apis Mellifica homeopathic remedy on hand. My daughter is allergic to bee stings.
Natural remedies for animals seem to fly in the face of those who claim they only work as placebos.
Shake some unprocessed sea salt into the pooch's water. Domestic animals are notoriously salt deficient. If you know of someone who has a pet with arthritis, you can see the benefits of the watercure immediately. Just shake some sea salt in their water dish. I don't know if it's the salt or if it is the fact that they seem to drink more water if it has a pinch of salt in it, but it works. The "placebo effect" claims so often used against natural remedies won't hold up against a dog that is cured of arthritis or a child cured of asthma.
Benadryl
Posted by Dave (Lyndeborough, NH) on 08/21/2008
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Our dog Trevor, a 3 year old, 80 lb Walker Hound, was stung today by bees or wasps at least 80 times all over his head, face and legs. He was in massive pain and his face and neck swelled up very very big while he rubbed his face all over the ground and then all over the rug trying to make it stop. He would not let me put ice or cold peas anywhere near him, so I dumped some ice water over his head, much to his chagrin. Fortunately, his breathing stayed pretty normal, a little fast and a little shaky but probably mostly from pain and being frightened. I had to take his collar off, the swelling of his neck was making it hard to breathe. But his airway stayed open, he did not wheeze or collapse, and I gave him 3 25mg benadryls in peanut butter to help the swelling and pain. He seems okay now, just drowsy, and the swelling is subsiding thanks to the benadryl. I think if he had been more allergic to bees, that many stings would have killed him very quickly.
Benadryl
Posted by Richard (Lombard, Illinois) on 08/16/2008
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Thank you for helping my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Oreo, get over her sting. At 9 months old, she is still quite inquisitive and chases bugs in the yard. After coming in from play, we noticed her nose and mouth were quite swollen. I immediately called my good friend who is a veterinarian. The call went into voice mail, so I looked up "dog bee sting", and got your web site. I had topical Benadryl Gel, so I applied some to the sting site. It seemed to keep her eyes from swelling closed. We went and got Benadryl liquid and administered it with an oral syringe. My vet friend called me back and applauded our actions. Your timely information was just what the doctor would have done for Oreo.
Benadryl
Posted by Lisa (Manchester, UK) on 08/15/2008
Wasp sting is Alkaline therefore you need to treat with an Acid =Vinegar. Bee sting is an Acid so therefore is to be treated with an Alkaline = Bicarb of Soda.
Benadryl
Posted by Angela (Verona, ON) on 08/14/2008
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I am a tech at an animal hospital and had delt with meany pets and bee stings. Not until it happen to my own puppy did I really feel the panic that goes through an owner Abby my puppy had an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting her toung swelled up and she couldnt breath properly it started out looking like she just had something in her mouth then about 10 min later it was so big she couldnt keep it in her mouth. We had a previous reaction to bee stings where her face would swell up so i had benadryl on hand gave her some and there was no inprovment. so i took her to work and gave everything we had used in other dogs. shes all better now with a little after swelling adema but okay.I will always have benadryl on hand now!
Reader Feedback
Posted by Steve (San Francisco, CA) on 08/09/2008
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Good advice on bee stings. I got my dog to the emergency room right away, they administered a shot of antihistimine, and said to follow the advice you have given. His lip is about five times normal size. The idea of putting ice on it is good, but it's not an easy thing to do. A bag of frozen peas is working well.
Benadryl
Posted by Jamie (Eden Prairie, Minnesota) on 07/31/2008
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Thank you so much for publishing the information about bee stings. My 5 yo Basset got stung on the foot tonight and wouldn't put any weight on her leg. I googled bee sting treatment for dogs and found this information.
I gave her a tsp of benedryl and crushed up some baby asprin. I wish I would have known about the disolve strips before today so I could have them on hand - getting her to swallow the liquid was a bit tough. She didn't like the ice AT ALL, but snuggling her while I put the ice pack on her chubby little leg made it tolerable. My poor baby girl.
Benadryl
Posted by Amanda (Westmoreland, NY) on 07/31/2008
My 4 month old Boxer got stung by a bee today. I thought she was chasing a fly! But when I got stung and it attacked me I got her home ASAP. I found this site while looking up bee stings. I didn't know that dogs could have reactions to bee stings too! I checked her out and could find no stinger but I will keep these remedy's on hand from now on. Thanks again you really helped me out!
Benadryl
Posted by Teresa (Kenedy, Texas) on 07/29/2008
Hi, I also have chihuahua and was wondering what dosage you used. The capsule form comes in 25mg and am afraid that this dosage might be too strong for their weight.
Benadryl
Posted by Kerri (Granite City, Illinois, USA) on 07/27/2008
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I have a sweet little chihuahau that gets easily excited on trips so my vet told me to give her benadryl to relax her. She gets so excited that she gets diarhea and vomits too so, I keep it on hand. She was stung by a bee this afternoon and I panicked. She still had the stinger in her paw so I carried her inside and removed it. I was so thankful to have the Benadryl. I cleaned her pad with rubbing alcohol, that always helps my stings, and gave her the pill. She still won't use that leg after a few hours but I'm so glad I didn't need to rush her to the vet. She's so sensitive that if she gets all of her annual shots on the same visit she will blow up like a puffer fish. Thank you for this site, it reminded me about the baking soda paste.
