An animal’s playful and curious nature can put them at risk of being harmed by insects and creatures that sting and bite. While most of these encounters between cats and dogs and these creatures only cause temporary pain and irritation, some can be life-threatening. Clients who know what to watch for and who understand the steps to take can help when their pets get caught in a battle with nature!

Stinging Insects

The most common stinging insects a pet will encounter include bees, wasps, and yellow jackets. The site of the sting will most often occur on the animal’s face, nose or paws and will cause painful swelling and redness. Swelling may be localized to the area of the sting but may spread to include the face and neck, even if the animal was not stung on the face

Treatment

1. If at all possible, identify the insect
2. Only bees leave a stinger in the sting site, if the stinger is still present in the skin:
   1. Do not squeeze or pull it out with tweezers as that may potentially inject more venom into the site
   2. Scrape the stinger out of the site by using a fingernail or something stiff like cardboard or a credit card
3. Mix up a paste using baking soda and water, and apply directly to the sting site
4. Apply an ice pack to the sting site to reduce any pain and swelling
5. Calamine lotion can be placed on the sting site to relieve itching
6. If the animal has a severe reaction to the sting, contact the veterinarian

The animal needs to receive prompt veterinary care if it has been:

• Stung several times, because the intensity of the absorbed toxins may send the animal into shock
• Stung in the past and going into anaphylactic shock, a serious and immediate allergic reaction that occurs when the animal has developed a sensitivity to an allergen through prior contact and is exposed again to the allergen. Initial symptoms include pain, itching, swelling, or redness at the sting or bite site
  • Acute anaphylaxis occurs immediately or over several hours
    • Signs include: agitation, diarrhea, vomiting, breathing difficulties, harsh breathing sounds, swollen voice box, weakness, circulatory collapse
    • If left untreated, the animal can go into a coma and die
  • Treatment requires prompt veterinary care to administer:
    • Intravenous or subcutaneous adrenaline
    • Oxygen
    • Antihistamines
    • IV fluids
    • Hydrocortisone.

When an animal has had a previous severe reaction to a bee sting, an Epi Pen kit for home use may be advised to counteract the chance the animal may experience any future severe allergic reactions or an anaphylactic reaction.

Spider Bites

Black widow and brown recluse spider bites are toxic to animals, but fortunately, an antivenin is available for treatment. The initial sign of a spider bite is an intense and sharp pain at the bite site. Signs that occur later may include excitability, face scratching, fever, chills, drooling, vomiting, weakness, muscle and joint pain, and labored breathing

If the animal doesn’t receive antivenin, it may experience seizures, shock, early paralysis, and, sometimes, death if bitten by a black widow spider.

When an animal is bitten by a brown recluse spider and does not receive antivenin, it may experience one of these 2 syndromes:

Cutaneous form:

• Site of the bite and involved skin will die and ulcerate
• Leaves a large wound that is slow to heal, sometimes taking months

Visceral form, which is much rarer, but often fatal:

• Seizures
• Blood disorders
• Kidney failure
• Death.

Treatment

If ever a pet is bitten by a spider, it is important to either try to capture and contain it to bring in for identification, or take a picture to show the veterinarian. Treatment for black widow or brown recluse spider bites requires immediate veterinary intervention and antivenin.

Insect stings and spider bites can create an emergency situation. It is important to keep a close eye on pets as they investigate nature’s environment!

Your Covetrus representative can provide other tips and suggestions of value to you and your clients! Contact us at 855.724.3461.

Sources:

Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, 3^rd ed., D.M. Eldredge, D.G. Carlson, L.D. Carlson, J.M. Giffin

Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, 4^th ed., D.M. Eldredge, L.D. Carlson, D.G. Carlson, J.M. Giffin