Most dogs will be stung or bitten by many insects in their lives; it's unavoidable because dogs often see hovering or scurrying bugs as playthings. But for those who are sensitive or allergic, a bug bite can go from being mildly annoying to life threatening. Follow these steps for treating your dog's insect bites.
Instructions
1. Remove visible stingers from wasps or bees with tweezers or scrape the stinger off with a credit card. Apply baking soda paste to soothe the area and draw out venom. Use ice for localized swelling. If irritation at the site persists, apply calamine lotion or cortisone cream.
2. Watch for signs of an allergic reaction if you know your dog has been stung by a bee or bitten by a spider. Symptoms aren't subtle and usually start within minutes of the bite. Facial and paw swelling, hives and extremely red eyes are all signs of an allergic reaction.
3. Give Benadryl at a dose of 1 mg per pound of body weight and call the vet immediately if your dog shows any of the symptoms listed in Step 2 after a bite. Untreated allergic reactions can quickly escalate and become severe; blocked airways and anaphylaxis can result.
4. Grasp a tick's body firmly and turn it over to pull it out. Try to pull it almost parallel to the skin so that the head doesn't break off and stay in the dog. If some skin comes off with the tick, that's a good thing. Apply a small amount of antibiotic ointment to the site.
5. Remain alert for signs of general illness several days after a known tick bite. They could be symptoms of Lyme disease.
Tags: allergic reaction, signs allergic, signs allergic reaction, stung bitten