Wasp Bite

[Belinda Littlemore]

Hi there

I have a near 5 year old female Irish who I think this afternoon may have been bitten by a wasp around her mouth as my husband found her playing with it in the family room.  She is scratching madly and rubbing her face on the rug, walls and anything with an abrasive surface.  Does anyone know if it is OK to give her polaramine?

Thank you 
Belinda

[James Doran]

Hi Belinda, I never experienced any stings with my boy, so I'm not in a position to answer but I hope some of the more experienced setter owner members pick up on your post. Some of them are bound to have the knowledge to advise accordingly. I hope your girl is ok!  Sincerest regards & best wishes.

[Howard Glansfield]

I don't know but when our dog is stung he reacts and we give him Piriton.That is safe with dogs and works. 

[human friend]

I've given my dogs Polaramine (pink pack) before: some vets recommend it and there are antihistamine dosage charts to be found online. I think a topical pain killer would be better for a wasp sting, though.

[Belinda Littlemore]

Hi all

Thank you for your help.  She seemed to settle down on her own accord after an hour or so and then no other symptoms so all is well!

X

[Cornelia]

Hi Belinda, I carry antihistamine tablets with me called Betnesol since a few years. Our girl was stung several times by bees - one sting, I had to take out of her tongue! A dog can develop an allergy after several times being stung. With an allergic reaction, everything does swell until the dog looks like a Shar pei. When the face and the tongue swell there is danger of suffocating. But even without that, such a condition is a life threatening emergency and would need immediate treatment. I think it depends on where you live, i.e. how far to the nearest vet (10 minutes or two hours) or what your life stile is (we travel a lot, all over Europe, even to the northern cape!) and that it does not hurt to have antihistamines with you in your wallet. We can not get Polaramine here; it's according to pharma wiki a first generation antihistamine (since 1960) and out trade. There is probably something newer on the market in your place as well. Without an allergic reaction, I simply cool the area around the sting/bite with ice and put a creme on (Fenistil) against the itching. Hope this helps. Good luck, C & J xxx

http://irishsetters.ning.com/profiles/blogs/bee-scare-for-joy

[Jennifer S]

My little girl Teagan is fascinated by bees and had been stung twice. The first time was on her paw pad. It was so adorable how, when she was stung, she immediately ran to me and held up her paw, whining. I'm a paramedic and am used to treating anaphylaxis, but in humans. I immediately crushed up a (human) pediatric dose 25mg of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and gave it to her with some peanut butter to see if it would help with pain relief by reducing the reaction. She was acting so sad and pathetic I ended up having her lay with her paw on an ice pack. Yes, I totally spoil my pups! Then I kept an eye on her and occasionally checked her mouth for swelling. This is a typical symptom of anaphylaxis, in humans. I was so paranoid that I thought her tongue was swelling so I took her to the vet. My vet calmed me down and gave her an intramuscular injection of diphenhydramine 50mg. The vet told me that dogs can tolerate much higher doses of that medication than humans. She also told me that anaphylaxis manifests in dogs in their GI tract and that a sign of reaction is sudden diarrhea. Huh... who would have thought?!

So the next time she was stung, silly girl tried to eat the bee! She ran to me whining and chewing like crazy. I sat with her and comforted her thinking she didn't need meds if she wasn't reacting. About five minutes later she suddenly stood up and dropped a pile of diarrhea at my feet. Lovely! This time I crushed up 50 mg of diphenhydramine and 10 mg of famotidine (Pepcid). Diphenhydramine is a histamine H1 antagonist and famotidine is a histamine H2 antagonist. We administer both via IV in the ambulance for allergic reaction so I figured it couldn't hurt. And yes, I first googled if famotidine was safe for pups and it is. Gave it to her with some peanut butter and sat with her for a while. She took a nap and woke good as new.