HELP - What to do about wasp/ bee stings???

[Stella]

I am at work and my husband called me from home (what does he think I can do here??), he thinks the dogs got into a wasp or bee nest and might have been stung.  He and both dogs are freaking out.  If they have been stung, what should we do??  We have Reactine Extra strength in the house, but I figure that would be too strong?  I know you can give Benadryl - how much??  What should we be looking out for - swelling etc. I guess? Do we need to worry about this??

UPDATE - So, he got them in the house and there were wasps in their coats!  He picked them out and killed them.  It looks like they both got stung more than once.  He called the vet who confirmed what you guys all said.  So, he came into to town bought the Benadryl and gave them just one table teach to start with (25mg).  Our 80lb guy reacts to anything that makes him drowsy, so he is sleepy already even with that dose!  The vet said just keep an eye on them for swelling around the eyes or mouth or if they become distressed.  He went back outside at home and found a ground wasps nest that they had dug up, so he sprayed the **** out of it with wasp killer!!

[Rose Ann and Amante]

I suspect Amante was stung this past weekend while we were camping. I watched him for awhile and searched him. I found nothing. He would be fine one minute and would suddenly yelp for about 20 sec running to get back in the camper. I tried to calm him, since I could not find anything I did nothing. I am happy that you asked this question. I was going to post the same question later LOL!

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

If your DH is freaking out it could cause the dogs to be more nervous.  If it was a nest, they could have been stung multiple times and I would take them to the vet.  I would at least call the vet and see what they advice.  The vet can also tell you if using Benadryl will help and the amount needed.   

If it was just one or two, I would watch out for swelling, discomfort or changes in their behavior.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Here's some info that may help.  Have your DH look for any of these symptoms.  I would call my Vet just to get an okay on the Benadryl.  Good luck and keep us posted.

• Mild to Moderate Symptoms: Swelling in face, muzzle or nose; hives (large bumps) on any part of the body.
• Severe Symptoms: Hives, trouble breathing, diarrhea or sudden defecation, urination, severe itchiness, weakness, drooling, pale gums, cold limbs, mental confusion or depression.
• Treatment: Call your vet or emergency pet hospital and describe your dog's symptoms. Ask if you can give your dog a Benadryl tablet. Many vets use this human allergy med at a dosage of 1 mg per 1 lb. of dog body weight. Tablets are 25 mg each, which would be the dosage for a 25 lb. dog. A 50 lb. dog would need two tablets, a 12 lb. dog would need half a tablet, etc. But call a veterinarian FIRST; you need professional advice. In severe cases of allergic reaction, your dog can go into anaphylactic shock. He/she will die without immediate medical attention.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

this is good information to know. Hope your doods are ok

[Mike, Cedar and Reno]

This same thing happened to my dog Cedar on our hike in the woods three days ago.  She hikes off leash & we do this every day.  I saw her sitting & looking dolefully back in the trees which is very unusual.  When I got to her & started checking her over, there were hornets in her fur.  She had obviously run into a nest.  She's 7 months old and is still in the "get into everything" phase.  I picked 3 hornets out of her hair by her butt, and when I got home I smeared a paste of baking soda on the spots where I thought she was stung.  I also used ice packs.  A facebook friend told me about Benadryl, but I didn't use it.  She was pretty sedate for the rest of the day, but is back to normal now.  It's better than a friend in Sweden whose English setter was bitten by a Swedish viper the day before yesterday.  That's really life threatening and painful.  The dog pulled through, but the vet bill was $1800.  Fortunately, she had insurance which took care of most of it.  I'm attaching a picture of her dog.  You can see how swollen the right side of the face is.  They had her on morphine.  I always worry when I have taken my dogs into rattlesnake country.

 

[Stella]

Hartley seems to be ok as far as the stings are concerned.  Chase, who is our ADHD, OCD dog is not handling it quite so well.  He is now terrified to go outside the house and is freaked out at any kind of insect near him.  We had to give him another dose of Benadryl because he keeps fussing with the stings.  My husband told me that the dogs had come running around the house and were thrashing and throwing themselves on the ground because there were so many wasps chasing them - very scary.  So, now we have one more fear to work through for Chase - hopefully he will be better tomorrow.

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

Sorry to hear Chase is having such a hard time.  Thankfully they didn't have a major reaction.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Hope the doodles are ok! That's one mess I wouldn't want to get into.