Lindy Lu observes a bee
This morning as I logged into facebook, one of my Goldendoodle clients had posted an image of her Goldendoodle curiously looking at a bee. It dawned on me that we are in the bee season and the image of Lindy Lu brought back memories of one of my dogs, having snapped at a bee in mid-air during bee season, many years ago.
The end result was costly to us and not a pretty sight for our canine! Within a few minutes, my poor Joey began jumping around and his eyes began watering. I realized what had happened and scooped him up and rushed him inside. Immediately I placed him into the tub and doused his face with cold water. Although I rinsed his mouth out as fast as possible, the damage was already beginning to take place.
Immediately his tongue was swelling and so was his face. My husband grabbed ice out of the freezer and I grabbed a towel. We wrapped it around his head and of course, our poor dog was freaking out because he didn’t know what the heck we crazy humans were doing to him. He just knew he was in an enormous amount of pain and that his head was swelling up rapidly. I called my vet’s office to let them know what had just happened and we rushed him to their office. This was back when our original vet, Dr. James, was still alive. Unfortunately, he passed away in April of 2006 just before Easter. He is still sorely missed. Our Joey is no longer with us either, as he was 15 years old last year and sadly had to be put down due to deterioration of canine dementia. We miss him as well.
Dr. James, ever so patient with his animal clients, provided Joey with an injection of benadryl as well as some other medication. He told me to make sure to keep a bottle of this on hand.
Benadryl can be purchased over the counter at any local pharmacy and in small doses, is safe for your
Goldendoodle and other small pets. Make sure to read the label. It does cause drowsiness in your pet and make sure to allow your pet plenty of water to drink.
For a day in a half, poor Joey’s face swelled up like a chow chow! He was a purebred Boxer! Had I not rushed him to our vet, complications from a simple bee sting could have been fatal because he had placed the bee in his mouth! His tongue began to swell and the inside of his mouth became red and inflamed. His throat was also inflamed and the sting of the bee caused issues for this area. Had he been allergic to bees, a simple bee sting could have killed him.
Although you may want to panic when your
Goldendoodle gets a bee sting, it is very important that you don’t! Try to find out exactly where you doodle has been stung, if possible. I was fortunate that I was outside with Joey when I saw him jump up at the bee and I wasn’t fast enough to stop him from getting to it and getting it into his mouth.
If your Goldendoodle is stung by a bee, follow these instructions:
- Remove the stinger, if possible, using a pair of tweezers. (remember, only bees will leave a stinger.)
- Apply an ice pack to help relieve the pain and swelling.
- Comfort your Goldendoodle until the pain subsides.
- Give Benedryl, in small amounts (see dosage on package) to help with swelling.
- Take your pet to your vet as soon as possible.
One bee sting isn’t usually a problem, unless your Goldendoodle happens to have an allergic reaction. Multiple bee stings can be a serious problem, if not deadly. Look around your yard, deck and trees or shrubs for bee hives. You may even want to call a professional exterminator to have them check for them. A curious Goldendoodle that disturbs a bee hive can get into some serious trouble!
There aren’t any real statistics available as to how many Goldendoodles each year, have been stung by bees or how many have died as a result. Bee stings can cause sudden cardiac arrest or organ collapse. Antihistimines must be given to your Goldendoodle right away to help until you can get him or her to your vet, especially if a bee sting happens on a weekend or after hours. This treatment is to help prevent your Goldendoodle from going into shock and to help minimize further damage, especially if your doodle has swallowed a bee or if like my Joey, snapped at a bee with his mouth.
Take precautions during bee season and it will save your money in the long run and keep your Goldendoodle safe!
*This article is copyright protected by Dee Gerrish of Goldendoodle World, April 25th, 2011. Thank you, Stephanie for sharing your Goldendoodle image of Lindy Lu. Image is copyright protected by Stephanie Brittain Webster for Goldendoodle World. 2011. All rights reserved. Content may not be republished, copied or redistributed without the expressed permission of its owner/author Dee Gerrish. Image rights must be obtained by the original owner.
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