If you see the stinger, don’t try to grab it or pull it out with tweezers or you may squeeze more poison into your pet. Instead, you can try to scrape it out with a dull knife or something with a similar edge.

There are several different topicals you can apply if you notice your pet gets a bug bite or a sting. For bee, hornet, or wasp stings, apply a freshly sliced onion. Alternatively, a drop of ammonia water has the same effect, if you happen to have ammonia or an ammonia based product around the house. If you have Urtica urens tincture, that works well, too.

For all bug bites and stings, a baking soda poultice can offer relief, or a poultice made with lobelia and charcoal. See the Poultices section. If you have none of the above, aloe vera gel is helpful.

Internally, give a few pellets of Ledum 30c  every fifteen minutes for three treatments. You can also give a little diphenhydramine, which is Benedryl, to reduce the histamine reaction that will follow. Most tablets are 25 mg, and you will want to give about 1 mg for every pound of body weight. This is a rough estimate, so a thirty pound dog, for example, would get one 25 mg tablet.

Allergic Reactions

If your pet has an allergic reaction to the bite or sting, or anything else, give diphenhydramine, described in the preceding paragraph. If breathing stopped, follow the instructions in the Artificial Resuscitation section and get to a veterinarian as soon as possible. If you know your pet has such allergies, you should have an anaphylactic injectable on hand at all times, and regularly check its expiration date. These types of systemic allergic reactions tend to get more serious with each bite or sting, so if your pet has shown signs once, the next time it could be worse. Make sure you’re prepared.