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.
Posted by Cindy (Wichita, USA) on 08/23/2008 ★★★★★
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.
I only know our Schnauzer almost died. Generic allergy medicine fir children works. Plus at the time it happened 4 years ago I shook him gently and blew in his mouth and nose. I didn't see the stinger in his nose untill several hours later. Of course we called the vet. Closed of course.. But he returned my call.. He suspected pesticide poisioning.. His symptoms we dilated eyes unresponsive head lulled back. I thought he was dead.. We live in the country no pet emergency places. But we do have a good vet. On the safe side I give him dyphenhyidrmine am and pm 1 mg per pound of weight. And I also have an injectable type of same allergy med. But thank the good LORD JESUS I have never had to use it. I was told honey bees are the only bee that leaves stinger in host? i am not familar with the drug you say you used.. Hope this helps.
Posted by Flower's Mom (Pueblo Of Acoma, Nm) on 09/06/2017 ★★★★★
My dog, Buddy, got stung above the eye. It quickly swelled up like a golf ball and completely closed up his eye. He was crying and pawing at it until he had rubbed it raw. Meanwhile, I was frantically researching what I could do to help him when I came across the recipe for Golden Paste using turmeric, black pepper and coconut oil. After making sure no stinger was left in it, I covered the raw area with the paste and held his head up so that he could not rub it off. The paste quickly dried forming an orange "patch" over the site and almost immediately Buddy settled down and went to sleep. When he got up an hour or so later, still with his orange patch in place, I noticed that the lump was about half the size as before, and he could open his eye. The paste not only reduced the swelling, but also the irritation. I applied a fresh patch again this morning and will check it when I get home this evening.
Many thanks to everyone who has made this website the invaluable resource it has become for those of us who want a natural alternative for our selves and our beloved animal companions!
Posted by Lin (Yellow Springs, Ohio) on 08/26/2008 ★★★★★
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.
I noticed my pitbull's eye was red and smaller than his other eye and immediately applied a mixture of 1 tsp of organic raw honey with 1/2 cup colloidal silver with an eye dropper, thinking he had a bacterial infection which he previously had six months earlier. He never did act as if it bothered him but I later noticed swelling on his bottom eyelid, very near the opening and realized it was a bee sting.
I slathered Aloe Vera from a plant I keep, to the swollen area outside the lid, being careful not to get any inside the eye.
Next, I reapplied the honey solution inside the lid using a spray bottle this time. The dog took a nap and about an hour later, his eye looked normal again! I had the same result two years earlier with my small terrier but his bee sting was not as close to the eye opening as the pitbull's sting. At that time, I immediately applied aloe vera from a bottle kept in the refrigerator and after reading about honey for bee stings, I applied honey directly on the swollen area within minutes of the aloe vera. I was shocked at how quickly the swelling disappeared at that time also.
Posted by Flower's Mom (Pueblo Of Acoma, Nm) on 09/11/2017
Update on Buddy: As of this morning, Buddy's eye is almost completely healed! I have not applied the golden paste directly on the wound again, but have continued to give it to him mixed in his food twice a day. The swelling has gone down, he can completely open and move his eye around and the raw spot has scabbed over! I did not expect it to heal up so quickly, but I am grateful it is no longer irritating him. Thanks and blessings to all.
I'm a firm believer in Baking Soda poultice for relief of bee stings, but in the event you don't have access to Baking Soda, if you can find a cigarette, place enough tobacco in your mouth [lower lip] and add enough saliva to make a 'chew'....place that on the sting area and the pain & swelling will also subside virtually immediately. [the 'chew' should be about the size of a quarter].
A week ago my Maltese got stung by a bee. Took him to emergency vet who removed the stinger and administered 2 injections. One was epinephrin. Later he started to cry in pain. He had to stay with them overnight and be sedated. He said something may be wrong with his back. Took him home the next day with perscription of Temaril p. He said pup will be okay.
BUT 2 days later Puppy has developed a bald spot above his tail and it is warm to the touch and causes him pain if touched.
Took him to our Vet - Blood Tests are elevated due to inflammation - X-Rays don't show anything bad. He cannot determine the cause, no evidence of bug bite, however, I think it could be the result of the emergency vets care.
My Vet prescribed Clavamox for inflammation and Tramadol for pain and hot compresses also no playing with others, he has to remain on leash and semi-confinement for 2 weeks. We are on day 3. He called yesterday said we could add another perscription if there is no improvement.
He is not itching the area but the hair is falling out and it's very sensitive. I am worried and love my little 6 month old puppy.
HUGE black Ground hornets & lavender essential oil:
My cat of 3 years old had a near death experience and although it took 2 days to figure out what had really happened I immediately had given an application of lavender oil (3 drops pure on my hand) and lightly brushed his arm and underside of paw with it as soon as I saw there was a problem. He definitely does not like the smell, but I insisted he get the treatment. He was incoherent, stumbling, all in 5 minutes & swelled to the size of golf balls where he was stung (6x) but in 12 hours was alive & well! He doesn't remember his brush with death, just loves me more! I thanked all above who stayed at his side, tho my vet did not believe in Mother Nature's cures, I'm blessed She once again saved another of my pet's lives. I was also stung by these bees 2 yrs. ago and their stings instantly attack your motor skills, altho I 'could not think' to use the oil on me. Hoping this story helps
Posted by Natalie (Lakewood, CA) on 07/17/2009 ★★★★★
My 5 year old pit got stung today (from a hive we just discovered yesterday in an orange tree and had not previously called attention to itself!) I suddenly noticed his right lip was swollen! I located the stinger and verified what it was by looking up images online. I didn't have any Benadryl or baking soda, and he's not a dog you can hold an ice pack on. So in the end I put some ice cubes in his bowl. He was quite happy to eat them, which he usually isn't, so I figured it was providing some relief. I then kept feeling the swollen lip and it went down after about 2 hours. All is well, and the beehive has been removed, thank goodness!
Posted by Heidi (Vaughn, Washington) on 09/27/2008 ★★★★★
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.
My puppy had a bee sting last night, not sure why he loves messing with bees? This was actually the second time he has had this reaction. Anyhow, when I called my vet they said they would probably just give him a benadryl shot and a steroid. I had benadryl and Prednisone at home, so I gave him one benadryl (he is 50lbs) and (half) of a half of a prednisone, since I know they can be strong. It completely took away the swelling in his face and in the morning he woke up normal and happy. I, of course, could not sleep and kept waking up to check on his progress but this did seem to do the trick. I always use a small dose of any medication and go from there.
Posted by Dave (Lyndeborough, NH) on 08/21/2008 ★★★★★
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.
Posted by Richard (Lombard, Illinois) on 08/16/2008 ★★★★★
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.
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!
Posted by Elaine (Prince Albert, South Africa) on 01/05/2011
But you said the Benadryl didn't work, and you took her to the clinic and gave her everything you give all the other dogs. What was that - adrenaline, cortisone and more anti-histmine? If a dog has a serious reaction to a bee sting don't fool around - you have less than half an hour to save his life is he is in anaphylactic shock. This happened to my dog yesterday - he'd never shown any symptoms of bee allergies before, but they build up a sensitivity over time. He nearly lost his life.
We live in southern Florida and my 4 YO, 60 pound rottwiler apparently had a SEVERE allergic reaction over the 4th of July Holiday weekend (eve of July 3rd) and we were damn lucky the vet was there or my dog would have died. She came in after about 10 mins of normal front yard exploration, nothing out of the ordinary but she vomited immediately. Watery and Yellowish. Then I noticed she was very weak and panting but I attributed this to the heat of Florida in summer. Next I immeditely noticed she was not hot at all and this alarmed me for it was about 95 degrees out at the time. Normally there is alot of heat coming off her black fur. Next thing I noticed was the pale/grey gums, not the usual pink. This is when I scooped her up & rushed like mad to the vet. I had no idea what it was, what had happened, nor what pale gums really meant, but my brain told me that wasnt normal.
She was in anaphylacitc shock. 5 more minute delay and she probably would not have made it. The vet said it was touch and go for the first 1/2 hr or so and very severe. He took her blood panel for platelet activity and gave her an IV, dyphenhydrmanie and steroids. After about an hr he came in with a partial smile and then I knew she was ok. I was panicked and terrified. Florida already has so many deadly creatures like fire ants, poisonous frogs, snakes and more, so we still arent sure exactly what happened. The vet said he saw no snake puncture wounds. I dont let her out of my site now. We never found any stingers. She was on a round of dyphenhydramine and prednisone for 5 days which made her drink water like it was going out of style and she peed in the house (carpet of course) every 10 minutes. She ate more than usual as well. We still arent sure if it was fire ants. I had no clue about the benedryl but I'm going to go out and get some immediately. I heard soemthing about ephinephrine too and the EPI-PEN?? anyone know about this?
Posted by Steve (San Francisco, CA) on 08/09/2008 ★★★★★
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.
Posted by Jamie (Eden Prairie, Minnesota) on 07/31/2008 ★★★★★
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.
Hi my name kayla my sister her name caitiln her small dog he name batman he got bee sting in eye he eye and swelling what to do what happened to he I found out that was yesterday still wont eat he food at all I afraid he die please help
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
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Posted by Kerri (Granite City, Illinois, USA) on 07/27/2008 ★★★★★
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.
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.
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.
Posted by Sarah (Los Angeles, Ca, Usa ) on 07/01/2011
My tiny little 3 lb chi stepped on and was stung by a bee at the park... I couldn't find the stinger and she was freaking put so I put some charcoal powder mixed with coconut oil on it to draw out the poison. When I got home I gave her tiny bit of childrens benedryl syrup ( store brand was only liquid form) the vet says the dosage is 1 mg per lb of body weight. Don't get confused bc the dosage on the cup/ lid is measured in ML, not MG... We did the math and 2 ml= 5 mg, so we gave her literally a tiny lick of it off my finger. Once she went to sleep I made a paste of baking soda, water and some OTC lidacaine cream and put on her paw it helped immediately and greatly reduced the pain. Just make sure they don't lick the mixture. If the animal does feed them some charcoal powder mixed in anything they'll eat.
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