Dogs and bees

[Heather Wallace]

I am a pet sitter and at the moment I am caring for a young pointer bitch, the only think is she has a habit of chasing bees, im scared incase she gets stung. How would I explain that one to her owners?

It looks funny but I have to tell her off for it!

[carrie]

My Paddy also has a thing about about bees and wasps - he catches, and is duly stung in the mouth by, three or four a year.
This is not a problem and he recovers from it very quickly - much quicker than I do if stung. It appears to have a very mild irritant affect for around a minute - then it is gone. No pain at all (and Paddy is a major wimp!!)
There is a major danger though - you need to find out from the owners if the bitch has ever been stung before. If she has, what was her reaction? If not then you are right, you should watch her carefully when she is contact with bees or wasps - an allergic reaction can be life threatening especially if the sting is in the mouth or throat.
If no allergic reaction is noted then there really is no reason to try and keep her away from them - you could be encouraging her to hunt them out by your giving her attention when they are around!

[kobieeli]

The beagle I grew up with got stung by a bee only once that we know of, and it was a horrible spectacle--the bee got her on her lip, and Daisy's entire face swelled up and her muzzle was about twice its normal size. She looked monstrous, but strangely enough she didn't seem to be in pain or have trouble breathing. She was fine in a couple of hours, as I recall, but she was definitely allergic! We were lucky she didn't get the bee in her mouth or throat.... Remembering that, I'm paranoid now whenever Kobie chases low-flying wasps (something she thinks is a fascinating pastime) :eek: