Bee Stings for Benadryl
Judy (San Diego, CA) on 02/17/2007:
My 14-lb. miniature poodle stepped on a bee today [back foot] and ran into the house holding the "offending" foot high in the air, then repeatedly licking it. I immediately made a baking soda paste in a small dish and immersed his foot it it. After 1/2 or so, I left to run over to the store and when I came back, saw that he had vomited partially digested food he had eaten after I left. He also developed some red patches on his belly that he kept trying to scratch, kept drinking lots of water, and panted loudly and rapidly. I checked online and found this website, administered a finger-tip of benadryl from my 25 mg. capsules, his panting has ceased and he is relaxing. Not a direct weight-dose correlation to a 125-lb. dog but reassuring that benadryl can be used, cautiously. Thanks.
JD (Mesa, AZ) on 09/13/2006:
As a former Firefighter/EMT we used to treat anaphylaxis in the field with epinephrine or Benadryl. I am allergic to bee stings and have had to use this several times. One day my lab/mastiff came into our house and was beginning to show signs of swelling. A few seconds later she began to look like a sharpei. I immediately gave her a dose of 25mg of benadryl and saw most of the swelling go down. Because my dog weighs 125lbs, I gave her a second dose of 25mg of benadryl and saved her life for the second time (once when she had Parvo I kept her alive with antibiotics and IV fluids). Epinephrine is the prefered drug for treating anaphylaxis, however this must be obtained through a prescription, which you can get for dogs, but if you need a great OTC treatment, benadryl works very well. Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening problem and if not treated immediately you can loose your pet. Be careful how much of a dose you give your pet as some small animals can OD.
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