Most wasp and bee stings in dogs and cats cause brief pain and local swelling that settles on its own. Call your veterinary team the same day if the sting is on the face, mouth or throat, if your pet was stung many times, or if you see hives, vomiting, weakness or laboured breathing.

Why wasps get bolder in Guildford in early fall

Wasps are not more common in September. They are hungrier, slower and far more willing to pick a fight. A yellowjacket colony spends the spring and summer building, and by late August it has reached its largest size of the year. The queen stops producing new workers, the colony’s food supply dries up, and hundreds of adult wasps switch from hunting insects to scavenging anything sweet they can find.

That is why the wasp that ignored you in July lands on your patio table in September. It is also why the same weeks bring a rise in stings among pets. Across Guildford this shows up in a handful of predictable places: fallen apples and plums under backyard fruit trees, blackberry thickets along fence lines and greenways, uncovered garbage and recycling bins, and ground nests tucked into dry banks, compost piles and the gaps under garden sheds.

Dogs find these spots because they are interesting. A dog nosing through windfall fruit is doing two risky things at once, which is worth knowing if you have already read our guide to acorns, conkers and fall windfall. The fruit itself is one hazard. The wasps working that fruit are another.

Ground nests deserve a specific mention. A dog that digs at or steps on a hidden nest does not get one sting. It gets a swarm, and unlike a honeybee, a wasp can sting repeatedly. This is the scenario that turns a minor afternoon into an evening at the clinic.

A sting on the paw is not the same as a sting in the mouth

Where your pet was stung matters more than most owners expect, and it is the single most useful thing you can tell us on the phone.

• Paw or leg. The most common site, because dogs step on wasps in grass. Expect limping, licking and a swollen toe or pad. Usually the least worrying location.
• Muzzle, lip or nose. Very common, because dogs investigate with their face. Swelling here is dramatic and can look alarming within twenty minutes.
• Inside the mouth or throat. This happens when a pet snaps at a wasp and catches it. Swelling in the airway is the reason this location is always a same-day call, even if your pet seems comfortable at first.
• Multiple stings anywhere. A swarm from a disturbed ground nest is a different situation from a single sting, and it is judged on the number of stings, not on how the skin looks.

Cats are usually stung on the paw or the face for a different reason, which we come back to below.

Signs that deserve a call the same day

A single sting on a leg, with mild local swelling and a pet who is otherwise bright, eating and moving normally, is often something you can watch at home for a few hours. Get in touch the same day if you notice any of the following:

• Swelling that keeps spreading past the sting site rather than staying put
• A sting on the face, muzzle, lip, tongue or anywhere in the mouth
• Raised bumps or welts appearing on the skin away from the sting site
• Persistent scratching, rubbing the face along the floor, or non-stop licking at one spot
• More than one or two stings
• Any sting in a pet who has reacted badly to a sting before
• A sting in a very small dog or a kitten, where less goes further
• A sting in a pet already being looked after for a heart, breathing or skin condition

The signs that should not wait at all

A small number of pets react to a sting with a sudden whole-body response rather than a local one. It can begin within minutes and it does not always start with obvious swelling. Head straight for urgent care and call us on the way if you see:

• Laboured, noisy or open-mouth breathing, or a cat breathing with its mouth open at all
• Vomiting or diarrhea within minutes of a sting
• Sudden weakness, staggering, or collapse
• Pale or grey gums
• Swelling around the throat, or a change in the sound of the bark or meow
• Restlessness and distress that comes on fast and does not settle

Our doors are open late on weekdays. A sting reaction is time-sensitive, so please phone rather than waiting to see whether it improves on its own.

What to do in the first few minutes

Keep it simple. The goal at home is to keep your pet calm and safe while you get advice, not to manage the sting yourself.

• Move away from the area. If a nest was disturbed, get your pet and yourself out of range first. Carry a small dog if you can.
• Stay calm and keep your pet still. Activity and panting make swelling and distress worse. Lead walking only, no running or play.
• Note the time and the count. Write down when it happened and how many stings you think there were. This genuinely changes our advice.
• Look, do not squeeze. Honeybees can leave a sting behind in the skin. Do not pinch, dig or press at the site, and do not let your pet chew it. If you can see something left in the skin, tell us on the phone and we will guide you.
• Watch the breathing. Check the chest and the gum colour every few minutes for the first hour. These are the things that matter most.
• Phone us. Describe the location, the number of stings, and how your pet is behaving. We would far rather hear about a sting that turns out to be minor.

The one thing to leave alone

Please do not give your dog or cat anything from your own bathroom cabinet, from a friend, or from a pet store shelf. Products made for people are not interchangeable with veterinary care, and something that is unremarkable for an adult human can be harmful to a 4 kg cat or a small dog. The internet is full of confident home fixes for stings, and a good number of them are unsafe for pets. Call us first and let the veterinary team decide what is appropriate for your specific animal, at its specific weight, with its specific history. It costs you a phone call and it removes the guesswork entirely.

Why cats often end up worse off

Cats get stung because they hunt. A wasp bouncing along a window or crawling on a windowsill is a moving target, and a cat will bat at it and then bite it. That behaviour puts the sting on the paw or inside the mouth, which are the two locations that need the closest attention.

Cats also hide discomfort well, so the usual clues are quieter than in dogs. Watch for a cat that suddenly stops eating, sits hunched, hides somewhere unusual, holds one paw up, drools, paws repeatedly at its face, or breathes with an open mouth. Open-mouth breathing in a cat is never normal and always warrants an immediate call.

Indoor cats are not exempt. September is exactly when wasps come inside through open windows and patio doors, and an indoor cat has never learned that they sting.

What happens when you bring your pet in

The first step is a hands-on examination. Our team checks the breathing, gum colour, heart rate and temperature, then looks at the sting site and works over the rest of the body for stings you may not have found under the coat. That head-to-tail check is why we ask you to come in rather than describe it over the phone when the picture is unclear.

Depending on what we find, we may keep your pet with us for a period of observation, because some reactions build over the first hours rather than appearing straight away. If there is any concern about the chest or about a pet who is unsettled, our on-site pet diagnostics let us look further the same visit instead of sending you elsewhere.

For pets who react to stings repeatedly, or whose skin stays sore, itchy or inflamed long after the sting itself has settled, our dermatology service is the right place to work out what is going on. A pet that reacts strongly once is worth a conversation about what to do next time, before next summer arrives.

Lowering the odds on Guildford walks and in the yard

You cannot wasp-proof a neighbourhood, but you can take the easy wins.

• Clear windfall fruit. Fallen apples and plums are the biggest wasp magnet in a Guildford back garden in September. Picking them up daily solves two problems at once.
• Keep bins closed. Wasps work garbage and recycling bins hard this time of year. Keep lids down and rinse anything sugary.
• Walk your own yard first. Before letting a dog out, look for a steady stream of wasps going in and out of one spot in a bank, a wall gap, a compost pile or under a shed. That is a nest, and it is a fenced-off area until it is dealt with by a professional.
• Keep dogs out of blackberry thickets. Ripe berries in late summer and fall draw wasps, and thickets hide nests well.
• Watch the sniffing. A dog that suddenly starts digging at a hole in the ground is worth interrupting quickly in September.
• Screen the windows. The simplest fix for indoor cats, and it works.
• Skip outdoor food. Meals and chews on the patio attract wasps directly to your pet’s face.

None of this needs to make the season stressful. Early fall is one of the best times of year to walk a dog around Guildford. A little awareness about where wasps are working, and a phone call when something looks off, covers almost all of it.

Frequently asked questions

My dog was stung on the paw and is limping. Is that an emergency?

Usually not, but it is worth a call. A single sting on a paw with mild swelling, in a dog who is otherwise bright and eating, can often be watched at home for a few hours. Contact us if the swelling spreads up the leg, if bumps appear elsewhere on the body, if your dog will not settle, or if anything changes in the breathing.

How long does swelling from a sting last?

Local swelling from a single sting usually peaks within a few hours and eases over a day or so. Swelling that is still growing after several hours, spreading well beyond the sting site, or appearing on other parts of the body is not following that pattern and should be assessed.

Can a wasp sting a pet more than once?

Yes. Wasps and yellowjackets can sting repeatedly, which is why a disturbed ground nest is far more serious than a single encounter. Honeybees generally sting once and leave the sting behind. If your pet ran into a nest, please call us regardless of how the skin looks.

My cat is breathing with its mouth open after being stung. What should I do?

Come in now and call us on the way. Open-mouth breathing in a cat is never normal and is a sign that needs immediate veterinary attention, whether or not a sting is involved. Keep your cat as quiet as possible and avoid handling the sting site while you travel.

Is one wasp sting dangerous for a small dog?

It can matter more in a small dog than in a large one, simply because there is less of them. Small dogs and kittens are worth a same-day call after any sting, and a face or mouth sting in a small dog should be handled as urgent.

My dog reacted badly to a sting last year. What should I do differently?

Tell us before the next one happens. A pet with a previous strong reaction is in a different category, and that history belongs in your file so anyone you speak to knows it immediately. Book a visit to talk it through rather than waiting until you are standing in the garden with a swollen dog.

Speak to the team at 108 Avenue Animal Hospital

If your dog or cat has been stung and you are not sure how worried to be, phone us.

Published by the team at 108 Avenue Animal Hospital.

This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person veterinary examination or advice about your individual pet. If you have an urgent concern about your pet, contact 108 Avenue Animal Hospital or your nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.

108 Avenue Animal Hospital
14675 108 Avenue, Surrey, BC V3R 1V9
Phone: (604) 581-1108
Email: info@108aveanimalhospital.com
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM; Saturday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM; Sunday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM