The Schnauzer Forum

Please note as my vet advised, if it is the first time your dog has been stung by wasp or bee it is important they see a vet after first aid as they can go into anaphylactic shock as the poison dose is a lot higher for a 10kg dog compared to the same sting on a human.

It is important to know whether the sting was Wasp or Bee as one is acid the other alkali so wrong treatment can aggravate further.
Wasp sting bathe area with vinegar
Bee sting treat area with a paste of baking soda or bicarb
Piriton can be given at a dose of 5ml liquid or half tablet per 10kg of dog

Any body with anything to add please do so.

Great advice - also applies to human stings ;)

Also worth adding is that if there are several stings, which can happen if they disturb a wasps nest for example, always seek vet treatment ASAP.

Good advice, I have just thought I can never remember which way round the acid/alkaline thing is so I'm going to laminate a little note with it on and put it in the doggy first aid kit for very quick reference!

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My Mum always taught me Winegar for Wasps, BiCarb for Bee's and it is one of those silly sayings that has stuck in my head

Maty wrote:My Mum always taught me Winegar for Wasps, BiCarb for Bee's and it is one of those silly sayings that has stuck in my head

Same here!!
Last year Lola disturbed a wasps nest in the hollow of a fallen tree. She screamed (the only time I have ever heard her do this ) I was really glad my OH was on the walk with us as he instantly realised what had happened and rugby taggled her to get the waps off. The wasps were really vicious, you could see them repeatedly trying to sting her and clinging onto her. She definitely had gone into panic/flight mode. The vinegar did the trick though aswell as lots of cuddles

Poor doggie, sending my love:)

Oh poor doggie! I hate wasp and bee strings!

I'm not sure I agree with your vet about the need to always see a vet. I have had a number of dogs over the years who have been stung. On one occasion one of my dogs did indeed go into an anaphylactic shock, it was very quick - I would say minutes, and she was violently sick and disorientated. Thankfully we were walking about 10minutes from our house and the vets was on the way back. We called in and the vet saw to her immediately and advised that a subsequent sting could be fatal and would need emergency treatment. We have had three stings this year, and although painful, there have been no other symptoms and no vet visits. I absolutely agree they need to be closely monitored of course and love the quote about which to use

Firefly wrote:I'm not sure I agree with your vet about the need to always see a vet.

Not sure if it was mine or Kates comment about vet you're commenting on. Should have said my vet said Always see a vet if its the first time they've been stung in case of anaphylactic shock.

Maty wrote:My Mum always taught me Winegar for Wasps, BiCarb for Bee's and it is one of those silly sayings that has stuck in my head

I'm the same "winegar waspies" "BiCarb bee's" Wookie got stung by a wasp in July when we were on a lovely walk with a friend and her dog, all of a sudden Wookie did the funny schnauzer walk (you know the sort, running flat out then uh oh I've got a tiny little leaf on my back leg ;) and must stop immediately) I could see the bloody wasp on her right side above her tail, she didn't yelp squeak or anything but her tail went straight down and stayed down till about 8pm that evening.
Of course I didn't have any vinegar with me and did think about popping into the pub that we had to walk past to ask if I could have some vinegar but I didn't. I keep a couple of Chlorpheniramine 4mg tablets in my doggy treat bag which is always with me on walks (a long with a few plasters & antiseptic wipes) so I got the tablet out and made the decision to give Wookie who is 8.25-8.4kg just a quarter of a tablet, she was fine and back to normal with her tail up again within 3-4 hours.
We're going to Cornwall this Saturday for a week and will have a tub of BiCarb in amongst Wookie's supplies.

Anaphylactic shock in dogs will occur almost immediately after being stung if they are sensitive to this and the reaction is obvious. They will need emergency treatment as quickly as possible and will be likely to have a fatal reaction if stung on another occasion. These are the symptoms:

"Anaphylactic reactions occur almost immediately – usually within moments after a dog touches, inhales, ingests or otherwise is exposed to the inciting allergen. The first signs of anaphylactic shock in dogs usually include very rapid onset of one or more of the following:

Diarrhea
Defecation
Urination
Vomiting
Itchiness (pruritis)
Development of hives (urticaria)
These symptoms quickly progress to one or more of the following:

Weakness
Lethargy
Drooling (hypersalivation)
Shallow, rapid and difficult breathing (respiratory distress; dyspnea)
Pale gums and other mucous membranes
Elevated heart rate (tachycardia)
Weak pulses
Cold limbs
Changes in mental clarity (excitement or depression)
Left untreated, the end result of anaphylactic shock almost always is seizures, collapse, coma and death. Dogs suffering anaphylactic episodes normally do not have severe or obvious swelling around their throat or face, unless the allergen came into contact with the dog in that area. Dogs having hypersensitivity reactions to allergens such as bee stings, vaccines or other pharmaceutical injections may develop mild to moderate swelling or bruising around the entry site. If any or even some of these signs appear suddenly in your dog, take him or her to a veterinarian right away. Anaphylactic shock is almost always fatal if not treated immediately."

If your dog has been stung just once and in distress but not anaphylactic ( the anaphylactic reaction is unmistakeable and immediate) you probably do not need veterinary treatment just the appropriate remedies as suggested above and lots of TLC

Not sure if it was mine or Kates comment about vet you're commenting on. Should have said my vet said Always see a vet if its the first time they've been stung in case of anaphylactic shock.

Hi Dawnspell, it was your comment, because the anaphylactic shock is thankfully relatively rare and the symptoms are so extreme that it's not just a trip to the vet that is required, it is emergency treatment that needs immediate action. In our case it was literally moments and the vet said we were lucky to have got her there so quickly.
I think a general statement which suggests symptoms need veterinary diagnosis and could be missed is misleading. I would rather say that any sting needs to be very closely monitored for symptoms and any sign acted on immediately.
Someone I met recently referring to her work with wasp stings on humans, mentioned that the affect was cumulative and therefore several stings in a short period of time eg over a few days, can also trigger an extreme reaction, which is why I would continue to look for symptoms after any sting.

Whe I was 15 I hit my head on a wasps nest hanging from a branch. My aunt who I was staying with reconned I had been stung hundreds of times on my head face and hands.
My head was numb for days.

I think I have just experienced my dog having it's first sting. On our morning walk, Otto on the grass, he suddenly yelped, looked at me and held his paw up. I took his paw and removed some rubbish put his paw down and he started screaming, wouldn't stop. He rolled on to his side, screaming. I thought he was having a heart attack because he was lifting his whole leg. It brought awful memories of when I lost Oscar, he screamed and fell to his side. I manipulated his paw, checked it over for something stuck in it and he was licking my hand. He had finally stopped screaming but couldn't stand, I picked him up to walk to the vet nearby but decided to sit down on a bench to see how he was. After a few mins I popped him on the floor and he was limping slightly. Got him home, bathed him checked him all over and now he is absolutely fine. Does that sound like a sting?? Flipping scary.

Oscar 12345 wrote: ↑24 Apr 2020, 10:39 I think I have just experienced my dog having it's first sting. On our morning walk, Otto on the grass, he suddenly yelped, looked at me and held his paw up. I took his paw and removed some rubbish put his paw down and he started screaming, wouldn't stop. He rolled on to his side, screaming. I thought he was having a heart attack because he was lifting his whole leg. It brought awful memories of when I lost Oscar, he screamed and fell to his side. I manipulated his paw, checked it over for something stuck in it and he was licking my hand. He had finally stopped screaming but couldn't stand, I picked him up to walk to the vet nearby but decided to sit down on a bench to see how he was. After a few mins I popped him on the floor and he was limping slightly. Got him home, bathed him checked him all over and now he is absolutely fine. Does that sound like a sting?? Flipping scary.

That does sound scary! I know, having had a few of our dogs get stung, that it does provoke a dramatic response so it is likely it was a sting if he is fine now. The pain can be excruciating as I can vouch for having once stepped bare footed on a wasp accidentally. Dogs do also vary in how low their pain threshold is. One or two of ours are real drama queens with pain. However, it is a shock and a painful one so it is not unexpected that they may be frightened as well as hurt. The after-shock /pain can take a while to resolve but once it does all should be fine.

One of our current minis who was stung a few years ago must have heard the buzzing noise from the wasp at the time as she now reacts quickly when she hears an insect buzzing and tries to get well away from the sound.

Anyway fingers crossed that Otto is fully recovered now and it doesn't happen again