Do you know what to do about a dog bee sting? Find out what happens, what is normal and when you need to seek veterinary attention.

Some swelling is normal.

With bee stings, dogs typically have some swelling at the site of the sting, but it’s rarely life threatening.

True allergic reactions are not common, but they can be life threatening.

If you know your dog was stung by a bee, keep a close eye on him for a few hours. “Facial swelling, hives and generalized itching would be considered an emergency,” says Jamie Mays, DVM, the medical director of VCA Pets First in Richmond, Virginia. “If a dog has a history of life-threatening reactions, we can prescribe EpiPens so owners have some at-home emergency care they can do.”

Dogs are most commonly stung by bees on the face or feet.

Dogs are frequently stung when they step on a bee or when they sniff at a bee to investigate. Pups who are unfamiliar with bees (and don’t know that they can sting) might even try to bite a bee as it buzzes around. “Occasionally you’ll see dogs that bite at them and they’ll have stings to the inside of their mouth, which can be really uncomfortable and the swelling can potentially interfere with their airways,” Dr. Mays explains. “For those guys, I would probably bring them in sooner rather than later.”

Multiple bee stings cause more problems.

The swelling can be more concerning when dogs get more than one sting. “If they get into a hive and they have lots of stings, especially to the face, the swelling is the thing that’s the most concerning,” Mays says. “We can arrest a lot of the swelling with an antihistamine injection. It kicks in in about 20 minutes, so it’s really fast and effective.”

You might not even realize your dog has been stung by a bee.

If you don’t see the bee and your dog doesn’t yelp, you might not realize he was stung unless you notice swelling. See facial swelling or notice your dog breaking out in hives? Rush your pup to the veterinarian immediately.

Some treatments for a dog bee sting provide quick relief.

Whether your dog is experiencing an allergic reaction, or is just uncomfortable due to swelling at the sting site, your vet can help. “Depending on the level of the reaction, they probably would be administered an injectable antihistamine and possibly a steroid,” Dr. Mays says. “Typically, we have the owner and the dog stay in the hospital for the next 30 minutes to an hour until the reaction starts to reverse and the swelling starts to recede. After that, it’s usually at-home care with Benadryl tablets to keep it under control for a couple of days.”

If you see the stinger still lodged in your dog’s skin, don’t pull it out with tweezers.

This can squeeze more venom into your dog. Scrape the stinger with the edge of a credit card to pop it out instead.

Thumbnail: Photography by kozorog/Thinkstock. 

Read more about dog health on Dogster.com:

• What You Need to Know About Dog Flu — Prevention and Treatment
• Don’t Get It Twisted: How to Prevent Bloat in Dogs
• Dog Vomiting: What Canine Parents Need to Know

The post Dealing with a Dog Bee Sting? What to Do appeared first on Dogster.

via Dogster http://ift.tt/2w8BN2B

via Life With Dogs http://ift.tt/2vKH6Em

via Life With Dogs http://ift.tt/2uS9Z2U

You’re standing around the water cooler at work, or the single-use coffee machine, and someone starts talking about something they haven’t done or seen “in a dog’s age.” This leads your coworker to rattle off the truism that, for a dog, one year is the equivalent of seven human years. Let’s examine the facts and fictions that underlie the conversion of dog years to human years. We’ll also set out some basic guidelines for how to calculate dog years, or at least to approximate a dog’s age.

The notion that dog years vs. human years can be tallied at a ratio of 7:1, where every year of a dog’s life is equivalent to seven of your human years, is a fallacy you continue to hear no matter how often it’s debunked. It’s an old wives’ tale, not dissimilar to believing you shouldn’t cross your eyes or they’ll stick that way, or contort your face and run the risk of your features becoming permanently grotesque.

Dog years are not so simple to calculate, because many factors determine a dog’s true age. Among the variables are breed, activity level, size, and general health and stress. From all the information on the subject that I have studied and absorbed, it is also clear that dogs do not age at a fixed rate. Dog years tend to accumulate faster early in a dog’s life, with the rate of aging slowing down and normalizing once the dog reaches adulthood.

What are dog years vs. human years?

Dog years calculators on the Internet vary when it comes to the first year of a dog’s life. The numbers we’ve seen in our research range from 10.5 up to 18 dog years. The majority settle for something in between; received wisdom currently is that in general, when a dog is 365 days old, he is roughly 15 in human years. That may seem very rapid, but consider that dogs mature at a much quicker rate than we do. This is why the ASPCA recommends having dogs spayed or neutered by the time they are six months old. Dogs reach sexual maturity between six months and two years, depending on the breed.

Factors for determining dog years

The two most common factors for determining how old a dog is in dog years — by which we mean as measured against the similar age in human years — are size and teeth. Size is a factor in determining dog years, aging, and lifespan. In these estimations, dogs are grouped into broad size categories, to wit, small, medium, and large dogs. Small dogs tend to have the longest lifespans, so estimations for dog years in small dogs generally see them age slower in dog years. Calculators still show variance when it comes to approximating dog years.

At age 14 in human years, the calculators and charts we’ve consulted estimate that small dogs will be 72 to 84 in dog years. A medium-sized dog at 14 human years ranges from 78 to 96 in dog years. Large dogs who have reached 14 human years are 88 to 108 in dog years. The ratios for small dogs are more like 12:1, for medium-sized dogs, 10:1, and for large dogs, 9:1, but even that is only roughly accurate for the first two years of a dog’s life. As you may have guessed, comparing dog years to human years is inexact at best, but these measures for the first couple of years offer more reasonable estimates than the well-worn 7:1 ratio passed down over the ages in the fireside cackling of so-called old wives.

Dog teeth provide a rough guide

The second frequently cited factor in determining a dog’s age in human years is the appearance of a dog’s teeth. Assuming that a dog is well looked after, cared for, and fed properly, the following are rules of thumb. Dental estimates for dog years are based on the number and condition of a dog’s teeth and converted with the same ratios as above to dog years. Once a dog’s teeth have come in, puppies have 28 teeth in total. Fully grown dogs have 42 teeth in total.

By the time a dog is seven months of age, all of his permanent teeth will have come in. A dog with a full set of teeth that are still bright white will be in her first or second year, and thus, depending on size, anywhere from 10 to 18 in dog years. Teeth that appear to have some use and yellowing, found in a mouth that exhibits the familiar odor we refer to as “dog breath,” in a fully-grown dog, may indicate an age in human years of three to five. This would put that dog along a spectrum of 29 to 45 years of age in dog years, again, dependent on the dog’s size, breed and overall health.

It is much more difficult to estimate an age for an older dog, who may be experiencing tooth decay or missing teeth. With a mouth in that sort of shape, it is generally safe to assume, however, that the dog will be in excess of 10 human years, or between 64 and 80 in dog years, if not older. The condition of a dog’s teeth is a far less precise method for determining dog years than when you have a general marker of human years, along with size, as a basis for your estimate.

Learn more about your dog and aging on Dogster.com:

• Ask a Vet: How to Tell a Dog’s Age
• How to Take Care of Your Dog’s Hair — From Puppyhood Through Their Senior Years
• How to Prevent Tooth Troubles at Every Stage of Your Dog’s Life

The post Dog Years to Human Years: An Inexact Science appeared first on Dogster.

via Dogster http://ift.tt/XHv76J

Hot on the heels of Dogster’s examinations of what kinds of fruits and what sorts of vegetables dogs can consume, and those they’re better off staying away from, we turn our attention to dairy products! The major issue when it comes to dogs and dairy is lactose content. The problem, especially for adult dogs, is that their digestive systems tend to be lactose intolerant. Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down and helps the digestive system to process lactose. The higher a product’s lactose content, the less likely your dog will enjoy the aftermath, regardless of how happily he eats, drinks, or laps it up.

Just because a dog will eat something or does eat something doesn’t mean it’s either safe or advisable. After all, dogs also eat things like grass and poop. As far as items that normally fall under the rubric of “people food,” the best piece of advice is to do your research and introduce these foods and drinks to your dog only in very small quantities to establish an individual dog’s tolerance to them. Let’s take a closer look at comestibles and beverages in the dairy family!

Can dogs drink milk?

Mother’s milk is not only an excellent early album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but also the primary source of nutrition and sustenance for newborn puppies. Like most mammals, for the first part of their lives, baby puppies suckle happily and hungrily at the milk-swollen dugs of their mother. Once grown, however, the majority of adult dogs do not produce enough lactase to break down, process, and digest lactose, a sugar that occurs naturally in milk.

If you or anyone you know suffers from lactose intolerance, the consequences for drinking milk are obvious. Lactose intolerance does not affect all dogs, and each dog may have a different tolerance for a dish of milk. When most grown dogs drink enough milk — or enough of any food or drink with sufficient amounts of lactose — they can suffer from diarrhea, upset stomach, and excessive gas. For weaned puppies and older dogs with finicky digestive systems, the risk of dehydration that accompanies severe diarrhea is best avoided altogether.

Can dogs eat cheese?

A true turophile, or cheese-fancier, would probably not look as befuddled as this Beagle at the sight of all that cheese. This dog is right to wonder whether dogs can eat cheese at all, and, if so, what kinds. Most cheeses have far less lactose than milk, and many kinds are safe for dogs in small enough quantities. Moderation in all things. If you have a cheese ready to hand that you know is low in fat, low in sodium, and low in lactose content, you can certainly offer a small bit to a dog who is willing to try it.

This extends not only to block, wheel, and individually-wrapped slices of processed cheese, but to cottage cheese and cream cheese as well. Cottage cheese especially, in small portion sizes, can be a fine treat for dogs, provided it is low-sodium and low-fat. Your dog cannot speak, but you can imagine that all dogs thank you for being cautious with their digestive health!

Can dogs eat eggs?

It’s a yes and no to dogs eating eggs. You’ll often hear or read that cooked eggs — whether boiled, scrambled, poached, or otherwise — are safe for dogs to eat, while uncooked, raw eggs are not. There is truth in this conventional wisdom. This wisdom holds that raw eggs contain potentially dangerous bacteria such as Escherichia coli, also known as E. Coli, and Salmonella, the two leading bacterial causes of food poisoning.

It is true that the whites of raw eggs contain small amounts of a protein called Avidin. in large enough quantities, this protein can cause damage to a dog’s skin and coat by limiting the B-vitamins they need. It is also true that egg yolk contains enough of that B-vitamin, Biotin, to potentially offset an Avidin imbalance. This is all very technical, I know. On the whole, try to limit your dog’s access to raw eggs. Well-cooked eggs, on the other hand, are perfectly safe.

Can dogs eat ice cream?

As we’ve established, lactose intolerance is a problem native to many dogs’ digestive systems. Much store-bought ice cream is lower in lactose content than milk, but it may also contain far more sugar and other sweeteners than a dog can handle. Keep the ice cream to very small portions, with low-to-no sugar or artificial sweeteners, and your dog may enjoy a little of this classic summertime treat. Do avoid it like the plague if it contains chocolate, though.

Can dogs eat yogurt?

Finally, a dairy product that comes with a resounding “Yes.” I wouldn’t necessarily recommend your dog bury its head in a tub of the stuff with bits in, as the Corgi below is doing, unless it’s cleaning out remnants. Otherwise, in small quantities, yogurt with live bacteria, low fat content, and no artificial sweeteners can be good support for a dog with an upset stomach!

Share your dog’s experiences with dairy products!

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of dairy products, only those most frequently asked about. I just couldn’t find enough interest in whether a dog could or should consume things like Buffalo Curd, Whey, or Yak Butter to write about them. The general rule of thumb for dogs and dairy products of all varieties is that they be low in lactose, low-to-no sodium, and with as little artificial or added sweeteners as possible. If you feel compelled to feed a dog a dairy product, do so in small amounts to establish your individual dog’s tolerance! What kinds of dairy products does your dog enjoy? Let us know the product and the breed in the comments!

Learn more about dogs with Dogster:

• The 10 Biggest Misconceptions About Guide Dogs for the Blind
• 6 Things to Remember When You Have a Fearful Dog
• Four Things You Should Know About Your Dog’s Growl

The post Can Dogs Eat Cheese? How About Other Dairy Products? appeared first on Dogster.

via Dogster http://ift.tt/XKJ0Rk