What to do for insect bites/stings
and when to seek vet attention
What stings?
Most (non-flea) insect bites/stings in pets are due to bees. We do also see wasp and ant stings.
Bees, wasps and ants are members of the Hymenoptera family and they can inject hymenoptera venom when they sting/bite.
Bees
Honeybees and African bees sting (native bees don’t). When a bee stings, the barbed stinger detaches from the bee and remains in the ‘victim’. The bee dies but the stinger can keep pumping venom into the victim.
Dogs are more commonly stung than cats. The three main scenarios we see are:
dog walking along and gets stung (on the foot) by a bee on the ground
dog sniffing around in vegetation and gets stung on face
dog chasing and snapping at flying bees and gets stung in the mouth
When cats get stung, it’s usually when a bee comes inside and the cat sees it as a new plaything.
WASPS
A single wasp can sting the ‘victim’ multiple times. Their stingers do not detach.
Wasps are attracted to meat so we commonly see stings occurring when a dog goes back to a bone or bowl of food that has been left out.
ANTS
Meat ants, bull ants and fire ants can all cause painful bites but are fortunately relatively uncommon in Elwood.
How can I tell if my pet has been stung?
Sometimes it’s obvious. You dog yelps, holds up a foot and you look down to see a dying bee staggering around. Sometimes it’s less obvious.
Suspect a bee/wasp sting if you see:
your pet (dog) suddenly appears lame while walking around outside – especially if he frantically licks at his foot or starting rolling around
your pet starts rubbing at her face (particularly upper lip) while outside
you see swelling of the face – his lips look fat and he’s puffy around the eyes
you see bumps (hives) come up over her body
Signs of a more serious envenomation include:
vomiting/diarrhoea
appearing weak/wobbly or collapsing
‘Allergic’ reactions
Hymenoptera venom contains a multiple substances that can trigger a reaction. Not every pet will have the same reaction, but the reaction that your pet has will usually remain the same with each sting episode.
Localised reaction
This is the most common sort of reaction and the least serious.
Within seconds of the sting, there is pain, swelling/oedema and itchiness at this site if the sting. Usually the swelling is fairly mild. Occasionally we might see swelling of a whole foot or leg.
A reaction within the skin layer
There are two forms of this:
facial angioedema – swelling of the face/head, usually involving the muzzle (lips) and the skin around the eyes
urticaria – commonly called hives, where bumps appear all over the body
This will typically occur with 30 mins to 3 hours after a sting.
Just because your pet’s face is swollen doesn’t mean that the airway is affected. In fact, it’s less likely that the throat will swell closed with this type of reaction than with a localised one where the bee is swallowed and stings on the way down.
Anaphylactic reaction
This is a serious reaction. Instead of the venom affecting just the local area or skin, we see it affecting the whole body.
Seek urgent veterinary attention if within minutes of a sting (or suspected sting), your pet:
vomits
has diarrhoea
appears weak, wobbly or collapses (even if this is temporary and he seems to recover)
vocalises
salivates profusely
has any form of laboured breathing
The venom causes mass release of histamine from mast cells in the body and results in changes to the circulation (and possibly death).
Delayed hypersensitivity reaction
The ‘delay’ period is anywhere between 3 and 14 days after the sting. It’s rare for us to see this, which is fortunate as it’s serious.
Things to look for include vomiting, lethargy, odd bruising of the gums or belly, bloody urine or skin lesions/swelling.
What to do if your pet is stung
If your pet shows signs of anaphylaxis, go straight to your nearest vet.
Remove the sting
Look at the area your pet is paying attention to (usually lip or foot) and see if you can find a sting. They can be fairly easy to find on the lip (typically on the inside surface) but difficult on the foot. Sometimes it’s easier to feel a sting than see it.
They are very small so hard to ‘pluck’ out with your fingers (we use fine forceps). You can sort of push or scrape them out with something like a credit card.
Apply an ice pack
If your pet will tolerate it, apply a tea-towel wrapped ice pack to the area. This can reduce pain and swelling.
Allergy medication
In the clinic, we typically give an injection of an antihistamine (chlorpheniramine) to pets who have been bitten or sting by an insect. We may also give a short acting corticosteroid depending on the reaction.
You can use ‘human’ antihistamines in dogs and cats. If you can’t easily get to a vet and you have access to some antihistamine tablets, this may be a useful alternative.
Here are some antihistamine dosages for dogs:
dexchlorpheniramine (Polaramine®) – available as 2 or 6 mg tablets. The dose is
one 2 mg tablet for dogs under 15 kg
one 6 mg tablet dogs over 15 kg
promethazine (Phenergan®) – available as 10 and 25 mg tablets and 5 mg/ml elixir. The dose is:
1 mg/kg (round up the dose to the nearest tablet or half tablet)
fexofenadine (Telfast®) – available as 60 mg capsules and 120 or 180 mg tablets. The dose is
5–10 mg/kg (round up the dose to the nearest tablet or half tablet)
loratadine (Claratyne®) – available as 10 mg tablets. The dose is
5–20 mg/dog (round up the dose to the nearest tablet or half tablet)
cetirizine (Zyrtec®) – available as 10 mg tablets and either 1 mg/ml or 10 mg/ml oral solution. The dosage is
5–20 mg/dog (round up the dose to the nearest tablet or half tablet)
Other medications
For pets who are stable after a sting but have shown some gastrointestinal signs, we may give anti-vomiting medication and/or gastroprotectants. Don’t given any human medications you have at home for this unless instructed by a vet.
Do not give any human pain relievers to pets without specific instructions by a vet. Many are toxic to pets.
Monitoring after a sting
For mild reactions (localised and skin), watching your pet for 12–24 hours after a sting is recommended.
For more serious reactions, you will be given specific advice by your vet.
It’s not necessary to go out and buy an Epipen if your pet has only had a mild reaction. If stung again, you’re likely to see the same sort of reaction again – it’s not impossible for the reaction to be worse (say if there were multiple stings) but it’s not typical.