Massive attack by honeybees in a German shepherd dog: description of a fatal case and review of the literature

• Published in: Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases
• Main Authors: Mudassar Niaz Mughal, Ghazanfar Abbas, Muhammad Saqib, Ghulam Muhammad
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SciELO 2015
• Subjects: German shepherd; Honey bee; Sting; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Toxicology. Poisons; RA1190-1270; Zoology; QL1-991; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/1678-9199-20-55; https://doaj.org/article/fd4f31d1ed6040baa0450bc587e8b805

In the present study, a fatal case caused by honeybee (Apis cerana) stings was documented in a female German shepherd dog that was presented at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan. Characteristic clinical signs included hematuria, hematemesis, incoordination and convulsions along with evidence of massive honeybee attack supported the diagnosis of envenomation. The dog was treated with dexamethasone and diphenhydramine, but it did not respond to therapy and died. This outcome could be avoided if we had a bee antivenom available for treating envenomated patients.