Bee Stings … What Do You Do?

Oh, the wonder of all those wonderful garden scents and pretty, pretty flowers! They will tempt your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in for a good smell almost every time and this, naturally, makes their curious little noses and paws prime targets for the bees that share a love for an irresistible garden flower!

If your Cavalier and a bee DO collide and the sting of that mighty bee is the result – the sting will likely only have a localized result, so removing the stinger within the first few minutes will help stop the venom from spreading even further. You can usually remove a stinger most effectively by using a firm straight-edge (i.e. a credit card is ideal) to try to scrape the it out … this is the preferred method over trying to squeeze the stinger out or use a pair of tweezers.

And know that while you’ll make your best attempt to even find the stinger, it is often very difficult to locate in your Cavalier’s beautiful coat, so it’s not catastrophic if you aren’t able to. Your dog’s reaction to the sting just may be stronger, unfortunately.

Here at Gillcrest Cavaliers, we give our adult dogs one tablet of Benadryl (diphenhydramine) immediately after a bee sting … it’s excellent for bringing the swelling down and happily, it works very quickly. Of course, keep a close eye on your dog to make sure the swelling subsides and if it doesn’t, you’ll want to visit your veterinarian (making sure to let them know you’ve already administered Benadryl). For puppies the dosing would be different, please contact your vet for instructions on what to use for a puppy, and the amount to use.

IF your Cavalier becomes ill (beginning to vomit within 10 minutes, for example), he or she could be going into anaphylactic shock and as that can be deadly, rush your dog to your vet as quickly as humanly possible so they can give administer steroids and additional Benadryl directly into the blood stream using an IV.

It’s a challenge to both let your Cavalier enjoy the wonderful outdoors and keep them safe, we know — but hopefully, you’ll now be prepared for one of the most common hazards of the great outdoors!