My dog was stung by hornets now his nose is swollen..what do i do?!?

Question

My 4 month pup was out playing by the river today when he came upon a nest of hornets and they came out and swarmed him. His nose started to swell on one side now both sides our swollen. He seems to be ok except when he breathe he will kinda snore sometime but other than that he seems ok and is his same active self. Should I be worried? What should I do to help with the swelling?

Here are some pictures. Look on the bridge of his muzzle and you can see the swollen lump.

before being stung

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2383070710103573034jMdvMm

after

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2622297810103573034svepIw

Answer 1

I have had my dogs stung by 1 at a time and never more than one, gotten a little swollen and been fine. If your dog was stung by more than one though I suggest watching his behavior through out the night and if problems seem to come about such as not eating food, drinking water, maybe even treats that he usually would go for I would call a vet and get him in there asap. Keep him hydrated no matter what though!

Answer 2

Watch him for more extreme facial swelling that's less localized.  Also watch for difficulty breathing, excessive panting, drooling, vomiting, shaking, lethargy, or other signs of an allergic reaction.  If you notice any of these symptoms, it is an emergency and you need to rush him to the emergency vet for treatment.  You can phone your vet as well and ask about the proper dosage of Benadryl for your dog and what else you should watch out for.  It may help to take the swelling down and prevent further reaction.  Basically it's like a bee or hornet sting on a human.  If it's just a little swelling, it will be uncomfortable as all heck for a while but will heal itself.  If the dog begins to have an allergic reaction, it is a veterinary emergency.

Answer 3

You can give him some Benadryl.You would give him 1 mg.of Benadryl per lb. of body weight every 6-8 hours. This will help with the swelling and stop any further swelling.

Mama29 is right about the meat tenderizer,but it's papain,not MSG that you want. Baking soda paste or cortisone cream is good,too. Oh,and a dab of ammonia really helps with the pain and itching.

Answer 4

He should be fine.  He can still breath out of his mouth.  Swelling will go down with time.  Keep an eye on him and call a vet just to see if they have anything you could give him to speed up the process.  Good looking pup by the way.

Answer 5

You know, he looks quite content in the picture so I wouldn't worry too much.  If an anaphylactic reaction was to happen, it would have already become apparent that he was in distress long ago.

Just keep an extra close eye on him, and if his breathing worsens and he starts to have some shaking and excessive swelling of the face, I'd head to emerg with him.  But I'm pretty sure he's ok now... and has probably learned a valuable lesson that hornets HURT!

Poor fella.

ADD: you can make a paste of baking soda and water and smear it on his snout to make him more comfortable if he starts rubbing his nose... it will ease the burn and help the itch.

Answer 6

Call your vet.

Answer 7

Call a 24/7 er vet,phone advice is free,.

when Baxter got stung, vet had me put Neosporin Plus thing layer on it,,,,it helped with the sting pain per vet and did help the swelling

but consult a vet before using it okay

and I also put a ice pack on it, off and on for about 45 mins, not to freeze his nose, and it seemed to helped the swelling and the tears in his eyes went away

sorry your baby got hurt...hope gets well real soon.

Answer 8

Hi Wolf,

  Nice looking pup.As long as he's not having problems breathing he should be okay.Put some ice in a freezer bag and wrap a hand towel around it and hold it on his nose.This will help take the swelling down

My Friend.

Your Friend,

poppy1

Answer 9

make a paste of MSG (monosodium glutomate) and water and apply to sting area.  MSG is meat tenderizer- it dissolves the protein in the venom) I know this  works as I stepped in a yellow jacket nest a few days ago and if I had not doen this and a massive dose of benedryl I would  have had to go to the hospital.  

give dog a dose a benedryl (dosage depends on weight of dog, my 85lbs. dog gets 1 adult tablet)

apply a cold compress to swelling hold it on five mintues then remove (as dog will probably not put up with it more than that) repeat as you are able/dog will tolerate)

Answer 10

go 2 the vet