How To Administer First Aid
for Dog Bites and Insect Stings

Everyone can most likely say that they have been bitten by a dog or stung by some sort of insect. One thing you may notice if you observe this long enough is that dog bits usually occur around the neck, face, ears, and the upper chest area. The cut or injury may not look all that bad at the beginning but they can cause a substantial amount of damage when they break the flesh. Some bites, stings, and or injuries can be hard to find and administer symptomatic treatment. If your dog starts to show any signs of agitation you should contact your veterinarian right away. Here are some ways that you can help prevent and or treat dog bites and stings from wasps and bees.

Dog Bites

• 1.   If you ever see two dogs fighting you should of course try and stop them but be very careful that when you are breaking up the fight of the two dogs that you do not get bite by the dogs. The best way to break up the fight would be to throw some cold water on them. Make sure that you let the dogs calm down before you examine them for any injuries. If you come across a dog that has a wound you should clip the hair around the wound so that the wound has a less chance of getting infected.
• 2.   After you have removed the hair around the wound you should wash the area with warm water and a very mild disinfectant. To make sure that no hair can get into the wound put a very small amount of petroleum jelly around the wound. This will help prevent the wound from getting infected and it will help the wound heal faster.
• 3.   When you are looking at the wound look to see if the wound is a punctured wound. If it is punctured you need to take your dog to the vet so the dog can get some treatment to help the wound heal faster. The skin may also be lacerated and if it is then make sure to apply antiseptic cream on the wound. Some bruising may occur but that is to be expected. The lacerated to the point where the dog may need stitches to help heal the wound.

Stings from Wasps and Stings

Playing outside with your dog, your dog may get a bee and or wasp sting. These two types of insects are very similar but their stings are very different. Wasp and hornet stings can cause pain and massive swelling where they are stung. If dogs are allergic to these types of stings they could end up having a really bad reaction to the sting. The swelling could end up around the mouth and if that happens then the dog needs immediate veterinarian care.

If a bee would happen to sting your dog the stinger is still going to be in the dog's skin. Make sure that if you think that your dog has been stung by a bee make sure to examine the area where your dog may have been stung. Make sure that you pin point where the stinger may be located in your dog's skin. Once you have located it find a pair of tweezers, you may need a magnifying glass to make sure that you do not pick something else out of the dog's skin. Swelling may occur after you have removed the stinger if this happens you should apply an ice pack.

Article by Kelly Perry of
Oh My Dog Supplies