This morning Dakota stepped in a bee's nest on the ground and got stung on his front right leg. He's hyperventilating, constantly licking the sting site, and limping (not putting weight on the stung leg).

I checked the sting site for a stinger and couldn't find one to remove. I gave him some Benadryl and I tried to apply a baking soda paste. I did get some of the paste on but he was very sensitive in the area and started crying and did not want me touching the sting site. So far the swelling is localized to the site and what little baking soda paste I was able to apply I think he's already completely licked off.

He is noticeably uncomfortable. I am keeping a close eye on him in case things get worse and I need to rush him to the vet...hopefully that won't be necessary.

My poor baby boy is in pain and it hurts me to see him like this.

Ouch, poor dakota. I hope he calms down and you Don't have to go to the vet. Does he get pricked ofter or was this the first real pad poke? We have stupid prickers here and S&J are always getting thorns in the pads, they walk it off after I pull them out. Not sure about beestings and if they feel the same or not. Could he just be in shock?

If it was a ground nest then its a good bet that it was either a yellow jacket or wasp nest, they don't normally lose their stinger when they attack. Dakota will hurt for a bit but unless he is allergic to bee stings he'll recover within a few hours.

Better than the snout! I've used hydrocortisone before. Maybe dab some on and wrap it in tape. Or continue the baking soda thing with some gauze and tape to keep him off of it. I would guess his reaction is one of fear/confusion and based on your interest in him as well. Just keep watching all the vitals. The pulse should normalize before the breathing.

Ridik and I are pretty much immune to yellow jackets anymore. He catches them in the air and when they bite his mouth nothing much happens now. When the bite me I barely get a bump, not like the mounds I used to get. Maybe a couple of more bites will shake his immune system into shape.

Poor Dakota!
I hope he turns around and a vet visit won't be needed....

Val, I would surmise that those are indeed yellow jackets if the nest was in the ground. They will remain active during daylight hours but will return to the nest after sunset. Is the nest in your yard? You can buy yellow jacket killer at Lowe's or HD that has shoots its spray about 20 feet and then hits the nest (which, as far a you can see, is really just a hole in the ground) and foams up effectively clogging up the entrance so the bees are trapped and die. You will want to do this around sunset. Yellow jackets are MEAN bees, they will attack you if you ride or push your mower near their nest or, like Dakota, if you step on it.

We've had multiple one's in this yard since we moved here two years ago. We've even had them begin a nest under the siding of the house! A swarm of them got me when I was mowing (9-10 stings) and their sting just plain ole' HURTS! My stings were not really swollen, but each one hurt for hours. I'm sure Dakota is hurting, but hopefully that's it. Hubby is ver y allergic it them

Poor Dakota! I'm sure you're taking great care of him, but that would just kill me inside too...

Keep us posted!

Thanks for all the advice guys! It's been several hours and Dakota is doing so much better. He's no longer hyperventilating, he's not licking his leg anymore, he's not reacting when I touch the sting site, and he's putting weight on the affected leg, no longer limping around. Breathing a sigh of relief over here.

This one definitely wasn't a wasp or yellow jacket as I've been stung by them before and these were different. My husband said the same thing, that bees don't go underground.

I did some image searches online to find a pic that looked like what stung Dakota. This pic looks like what swarmed out of the ground at him:


They were very small and fuzzy and really looked like bees to me. As soon as Dakota stepped on their spot it literally was like a swarm of them flew out of the ground. Luckily this happened in the yard next door to our house because I had to carry Dakota home as he would not walk on that leg once he got stung. Normally I wouldn't carry him but hanging around with a bunch of angry swarming bees? wasps? was not an option.

Thankfully he is doing well, I think the Benadryl knocked him out.

Edit to add: This is the first time he's been stung before which is quite surprising considering the fact that he's always chasing and trying to eat bee's in the garden.

SO happy and relieved that Dakota is doing much better!

Aww! So glad he's doing better. Poor Dakota!

Poor man!! Glad he is feeling better. It kind of looks like a honey bee.

We had the kind of bee you are describing in my yard as kid. They definitely were not wasps or hornets, they were fuzzy and a bit smaller than a honey bee. We just called them ground bees, not sure of the exact species. My dad would use a funnel and pour down a good amount of boiling water into the hole. Seemed to work.

Glad to hear Dakota is feeling better!

Val, I am glad to hear Dakota is doing well. There are many types of ground bees, few that actually colonize. A lot of time you can actually see where they are burrowing. Generally in thin areas of the lawn you will see a weird looking mound that looks like a giant anthill. If you find it there are a lot products out there that will kill them off. The colonizing ground bees that I am familiar with here in NY are very small and vicious and need to be smothered out.

Here's an article from the Univeristy of Georgia that you may find helpful.

http://apps.caes.uga.edu/urbanag/landscape_alert/bees-attack.cfm

Well I'm glad to know that there are some ground bees in existence so the hubby won't think I'm crazy. Since these are in the yard next door to us I can't do anything about them but I am keeping this info on hand (thanks Melissa and Becky!) in case they migrate over into our yard, I will keep an extra close eye out now that I know they are in such close proximity!

Is Dakota all better and back to normal?

Yep, he's totally back to his old self!

Goodness this poor dog got stung again!

The left side of his lip/muzzle is swollen, he can't close his mouth or put his head down without it hurting. I gave him some benadryl and he screamed when he swallowed each pill individually (he got two 25 mg pills).

I tried to open his mouth and lift his lip to check for a stinger and he screams and tries to get away from me. I touched his collar and his neck and he screamed. I tried petting him on the back to calm him down and he screamed even then. He's crying, swollen and in pain.

Here's a pic of his swollen muzzle, the one side is normal and the other is obviously quite swollen.


I hope he recovers quickly, I'm supposed to go out with my friends for lunch but will cancel if necessary.

Aww! Poor baby

Awww Dakota =(