Bees Wasps etc

[John W]

So my little girl (Boston Terrier 10 mnths) chases any bug that flies and eats it and she's pretty good at it. Moths being a particular favourite. I do my best to discourage her and when I'm around can, but she'll find herself on her own never the less and fill her boots with moths and gnats and whatever.

 

My worry is bees, wasps etc which I know she'll go for when she comes across them. Part of me, a big part actually, sorta hopes she grabs one and get stung because that'll teach her more than anything I can do but.....

 

... should I be worried? What if she swallows one and gets stung in her throat? Or should I just let that happen so she learns the hard way?

[Tassie]

19 hours ago, Snook said:

I wouldn't be letting it happen if you can prevent it, as it can cause an anaphylactic reaction in some dogs. When my dog's face swelled up with a suspected bee sting, I was advised to get him straight to the vet in case his throat started to close up. It turned out to be an abscess in the gum but they were very concerned about the potential for a serious reaction if it had been caused by a bee. I'm also aware of a few dogs who have been stung in the face by bees more than once, after trying to catch and eat them. Getting stung once doesn't guarantee she won't do it again. 

Couldn't agree more.   A friend's medium sized dog is anaphylactically allergic to bees after one sting.  She has to carry an EpiPen with her and had to use it to save the dog's life during a 10 minute drive to the bet after a bee sting.   And European wasps can do multiple stings.

[sandgrubber]

My Lab pup looked like a Shar pei after catching some insect with a stinger.  I gave her antihistamines... with veterinary advice.  She was fine, and became more cautious about catching flying insects.  Bottom line, ask your vet for a recommendation as to what to do if she gets a bad sting/reaction BEFORE it happens. It's hard to teach them not to catch flies. 

[Diva]

I’d discourage it but it’s not likely to make much difference when you are not around. Make sure you have some antihistamine on hand in case she does get stung.  

 

One of mine was stung on the face by something in the garden at midnight a couple of weeks ago. It went from a golf ball sized lump on the side of his muzzle to his whole face swollen in about 20 minutes. I had over the counter antihistamines for myself, confirmed safety and dosage online, then gave him one.  

 

But he started vomiting and I don’t think it stayed down, so we ended up at the vet first thing in the morning for an injection of antihistamine. If his breathing had been affected we would have gone to the emergency vet, but it wasn’t.

 

The vet confirmed the antihistamine I had used was one they used themselves and was the right thing to do. She thought the vomiting probably meant he had been stung before and his response might be worse every time it happened. Bit worrying.