Dogs are curious and playful pets, so it’s no wonder why it’s so easy for a bee to tempt them into playing catch. They would always be into catching and playing with almost anything that moves. But, what if they begin considering such as treats? Would it be something to worry about in such a case?
So, you may ask: My dog ate bee: what should I do now? If your dog ate a bee, the best thing you need to do is observe your pet for any reactions after eating. It would be best to look for unusual behavior and issues for the following days. If your dog shows some health problems or symptoms, take it to the vet to have it checked.
Many people think that bees are poisonous and that eating such would mean grave danger. However, bees don’t have poisonous. They sting so bad. Still, if eaten, they can also cause some problems for our pets.
In this article, we’ll tackle everything you need to know about this matter. This way, you can respond adequately and do the necessary steps if your pet ate a bee.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Contents
- 1 What should I do if my dog ate a bee?
- 2 What happens when your dog eats a bee?
- 3 Can dogs die from eating bees?
- 4 How do you know if your dog has been stung by a bee?
- 5 My dog ate a bee and is throwing up – what to do?
- 6 Do bees get dogs high?
- 7 My dog ate a dead bee – what to do?
- 8 How to prevent dogs from eating bees?
- 9 Summary
- 10 Resources
What should I do if my dog ate a bee?
Circumstances would vary from time to time when it comes to the effects of eating bees for our dogs.
For instance, some dogs would remain healthy and won’t have any issues. Thus, you don’t need to do anything about it.
On the other hand, some dogs may show symptoms that indicate a health complication or issue.
As pet owners, we want to ensure our pets remain safe even if they go overboard playing now and then. Thus, if you see your pet ate a bee, here are some things you can do.
Observe your dog for symptoms and reactions.
The first thing you need to do is to observe your pet for adverse effects after eating a bee.
Some dogs may have an adverse reaction towards eating bees, while others may feel alright. For this reason, it would be best to ensure your pet’s health is okay by checking on it for signs of problems.
Health complications may come to the surface in the next hours or the following days. Thus, it’s ideal for you to continue checking your pet’s health in the next few days.
This way, you can be confident your pet remains alright after eating a bee.
If your pet shows any signs or symptoms, consult the vet immediately. If, after a few days, your pet seems alright, then you don’t have to do anything further regarding that matter.
Understand what happened.
Understanding what happened is the key to know the proper response and help your dog needs.
For instance, you need to know some information by answering the following questions.
- How long has it been since your pet ate a bee?
- How many bees did your pet eat?
- Aside from eating the bee, was your pet stung by it?
- Aside from bees, did your pet eat other insects?
As long as you understand what happened, you’ll have all the information to know if your pet needs immediate attention. Moreover, it will help you understand how grave or how simple the incident was.
Take your dog away from the area.
If your dog continues to loiter in the area, it would be best to keep it inside the house or anywhere far from it. The last thing you’ll want is for your pet to encounter more bees to eat.
For this reason, it would always be best to secure your pet by taking it inside the house. If it happened inside, put your pet in a room where there are no bees.
This way, you’ll prevent your pet from accessing more insects. It will also help you examine your pet for any signs or symptoms.
Do something with the bees around.
The next thing you’ll want to do is prevent the incident from happening again by taking the bees away.
While it would seem impossible to shoo them away, you can consider taking away what attracts them.
For instance, you may have a garden of flowers or some tree. You can use some bee repellants to prevent them from sticking around.
Take your pet to the vet.
To ensure your pet’s safety, you can take it to the vet. Or, you can at least have a consultation through a call.
If your pet shows some symptoms or adverse reactions, a physical check-up may be necessary. However, if your pet seems alright, calling your vet would still help.
Through a consultation, you can ensure your pet receives the proper treatment. You will receive recommendations and advice from an expert.
You May Also Read – My Dog Ate Charcoal: What Should I Do Now?
What happens when your dog eats a bee?
If your dog eats a bee, your pet may show some signs or symptoms as a reaction towards such.
One of the things that can happen is the bee would sting its mouth. Another thing is that the bee would get stuck inside its body.
For this reason, some symptoms may include issues on the mouth, the tongue, or the throat. Moreover, it can cause severe swelling of the face and neck.
In other instances, it may also cause issues in the digestive system. Thus, it would also be best to look for signs of an upset stomach.
Whatever the symptom is, it would be best to consult the vet as long as you see one.
Can dogs die from eating bees?
It’s quite rare and unheard of that eating bees are the cause of a dog’s death. However, it’s not entirely impossible.
The thing is that eating a bee won’t give your dog any severe symptoms. Now, it’s an entirely different thing if your pet already suffers from grave danger.
While the incident may not cause your pet’s death, it may be a factor for your dog’s illness to worsen.
Many people think that bees are poisonous, and they can cause a dog’s death if eaten.
However, bees may be venomous, but they have no poison. Thus, if your dog is healthy when it eats a bee, it won’t die just by that incident.
How do you know if your dog has been stung by a bee?
If your dog gets stung by a bee, chances are it would start showing symptoms. Thus, looking for these symptoms in your pet will help you determine if your dog has gotten stung.
- Among the things you need to look for are the following:
- Constant whines and restlessness
- Too much biting and scratching on the stung area
- Excessive drooling
- Pawing at their face or mouth
- Swelling, heat, and redness in a particular area
- Holding up their paw/lameness
If you see any of the following symptoms on your dog, it would be best to consult a vet to seek an expert’s help.
You May Also Read – My Dog Ate Tums: What Should I Do Now?
My dog ate a bee and is throwing up – what to do?
If your dog ate a bee and is throwing up, it would be best to take it to the vet.
Vomiting is one of the symptoms and usual reactions of dogs after eating a bee. Such a sign means immediate help from an expert is necessary.
Your pet is vomiting because the bee may be causing issues in either its throat or mouth. Or, it can also be causing an upset stomach.
Whatever the case is, it would be best to take your pet to the vet as soon as possible.
Do bees get dogs high?
Dogs may get high from eating bees or even from getting stung by them. They can get high if they eat one. However, the most usual cause for dogs to get high is from a bee sting.
Bees are a popular food and playmate for dogs, and they can get hyped just by seeing them.
It would be best to keep in mind that it’s not the taste of bee that attracts dogs. Instead, it’s the smell that attracts them and even makes them addicted.
While they do get high, it’s not a real danger as long as they follow the basic dietary guidelines.
Some dogs can get addicted to bee stings. They would feel the urge to pursue a bee, seeing it as prey.
Such a chase usually ends up in a hive, which is dangerous for dogs.
For this reason, it would be best to prevent such incidents by taking away the bees in your area.
My dog ate a dead bee – what to do?
A dead bee is less likely to cause your pet an issue since you won’t have to worry about a possible bee sting. However, it doesn’t mean you won’t have to worry about anything at all.
The first thing you need to do is to observe your pet for reactions after eating the bee.
In general, eating a live bee and a dead bee would produce the same effects. The only difference is that a live bee may sting your pet’s throat or mouth before it gets ingested.
The reason why observation is important is that it will help you figure out what to do next.
If your pet shows any signs of complications or issues, it would be best to consult your vet.
However, if your pet shows no problem, it would be alright to leave it as it is. Still, make sure you prevent such an incident from happening again in the future.
How to prevent dogs from eating bees?
While a dog-eating-bee incident isn’t new, it should be a lesson to prevent it from happening again.
Here are some of the things you can do to prevent your pet from eating bees again.
Do something with your flowers.
The primary reason why bees would hang out in your area would be flowers or any vegetation.
It may not be ideal for you to take away all your flowers and vegetation. However, it’s something to consider, especially if your pet gets stung all the time.
Another thing you can do is prevent your pet from playing nearby. Or, only allow such if your pet is under your supervision.
If you can’t remove your flowers, you can mix up some plants that can repel bees. Among these are mint, cucumber, and marigold.
Spray some non-toxic bee repellent.
Non-toxic bee repellents exist, and they are available in markets today. If you didn’t remove your flowers, it would be best to keep bees away by spraying some repellant.
However, as you do this, make sure it’s safe for your dog, in case it will play around in your area.
By removing the bees, you’ll lessen your dog’s urge to play around with them.
As always, the use of such repellants should be with your vet’s approval. This way, you can ensure your pet’s safety.
Divert your dog’s attention.
Another thing you can do is to divert your dog’s attention away from the bees. You can do this by giving your pet an interactive toy.
Moreover, it would be best to allow your pet to stay indoors if you can’t play with it.
This way, you’ll avoid having your pet running around and chasing bees again.
Introduce such toys with your guidance, and leave them with your pet only as long as you think it’s alright. It may take a few days or weeks, depending on the output of your dog.
What should you do if your dog ate a wasp or ant traps? Check it out!
Summary
Bees and dogs have been constant playmates ever since. Thus, it’s no wonder why our pets would end up having these insects in their mouth.
If your dog eats a bee, the best thing you need to do is observe your pet and respond according to what it shows. If your pet expresses any adverse reaction, a visit to the vet would be necessary. You can worry less about your pet if it seems alright even after a few days of observation.
The last thing you need would be to prevent such an incident from happening again. This way, you can ensure your pet’s safety in a better way.
Resources
Image credits – Canva
[1] VCA Hospitals’ take on the effects of a bee sting to dogs
