# Sophie scared me to death today



## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

We went to Sophie's 2nd obedience lesson today but just as he got to the door to go in the building, she suddenly started to scream BLOODY murder and collapsed. It was horrible, thankfully the instructor was right there and checked her out I had to sit down before I fell down. 

So ran to the specialty vet, xray, examined by neurologist, etc. They didn't find anything structurally thankfully (knees, hips, back, neck, etc) they noticed she was gassy she has been for a bit I figure it is from the training treats and been trying to find some that don't bother her as much. xray showed some gas in duodenum but not tons. 

Since they couldn't find anything else they tentatively diagnosed it as acute abdomenal gas pain. I guess anything could happen but seems odd to me shes been gassy and never shown one sign of discomfort at all, and then to have it hit her litterally mid stride so suddenly. 

I wonder about bee sting too I had just pottied her in some short grass, walked 10 feet to the training building door and that is when it hit her. Could have picked up a bee in the grass and took it that long to penetrate her thick coat?? 

AUGH I have no idea but scared out of my gourd!!!!!!!!!!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

How scary for you!! Maybe Sophie just stepped on something sharp and it frightened her. Hope she now feeling better!


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

She is much better than earlier. Where she was walking was clean flat cement nothing to step on. She's a really tough cookie  so don't think she would have reacted like she did unless she was in a lot of pain. The bee thing makes the most sense to me the more I think about it. To be fine and walking along and in an instant start screaming and collapse and not want to walk....but recover fairly quickly. I hope so anyway! If so it was a $414 bee sting (and I'd be thrilled to pay it!)


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

What a scare!! So glad she seems better now! It could have been a bee in the grass...but you will never really know for sure. I would think her paw would have gotten swollen though if it were a sting. Main thing is that she is ok.


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

OMG! I would have been terrified! Glad she is okay.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

How scary! So glad she is ok.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

I am glad that she is doing so much better now, and hope it never happens again. I can feel your panic from her screaming--nothing is so scary as a child or animal suddenly screaming in pain and you don't know what is wrong!


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## Ollie"s Mom (May 23, 2014)

My stomach is doing flip flops just reading your post. So scary. Glad she seems to doing ok.


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

I think it was a bee. My dog Zoe screamed suddenly and I actually saw the bee. She recovered pretty quickly though. I iced her all the way to the vet.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

Thank you I feel even better now! From reading your posts and talking to other people about it, I really think it had to be a bee sting. The neurologist (I wonder how many people have taken their dog to a neurologist for a bee sting ) said when he was examing her she was jumping up with her paws looking out the window and what not. So she recovered quite quickly. 

The best way I can describe it is if a dog were happily trotting down the street, and suddenly got shot. That is how quick and how extreme her reaction was. And as I mentioned she is not a screamer when she gets hurt she usually doesn't say anything and she's had some pretty good pokes and prods while playing, me stepping on her foot, etc. I know gas can be very painful and can come on fast but but it would not be instantaneous like that. Plus she has never had anything like that or any suggestion of gas pain at all even though she gets gassy. 

Sophie is pretty much back to herself and is eating etc just great. When we got home today I got out of the van and a yellow jacket bombed me. Everyone around here says they are really bad right now. So thanking God it seems to have been a bee sting and nothing more serious. I really thought she was dying right in front of me, I thought she was having a stroke or aneurysm or something. I am so glad the instructor, Terry was right there and saw it to, to back up everything I remember. She also thinks it has to be a bee sting, from the way Sophie reacted. Poor baby girl. I never want her to hurt like that again. <3


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Oh my gosh - I just saw your post about Sophie. Scary! Foxy (my corgi) got stung by a yellow jacket once and it took her almost the whole afternoon to get back to normal. Now, when Foxy used to poof (fart), that would scare her. She would jump up like something bit her and run away! Do you think maybe that is what happened with Sophie? So glad she is back to normal!


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

Poor Foxy I hate bees!!! 
Sophie gets really gassy which I finally have narrowed down to her training treats and have been trying to find something that agrees with her more. So she has done her share of farting (clear the room!) with no reaction. With this incident, she was screaming bloody murder just like she had been shot and was obviously in a ton of pain. She nibbled and licked a bit at her upper inside back leg today the same one she was holding up most when this happened so I'm pretty confident it was a bee sting.


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## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

I use poached chicken breast for training treats sometimes. You can freeze them after you cook and cut up and just take as much as you need. No fat, no gas, no crumbs... just a thought.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

Thanks Jen I actually just tossed a tub of frozen chicken I was using for training treats, she was getting gassy while on those also although I was using other treats at the same time. I have too many variables so am keeping her on a strict diet of her meal ingredients (I home cook.... ground turkey, egg, goat yogurt, greens and supplements) and am using egg and ground turkey as her training treats. She hasn't been nearly as gassy last night or today but that many training treats is throwing off her protein ratio in her daily intake so have been trying to add more greens to compensate but she picks out the meat and egg best she can and leaves the greens! I will try putting it all in a food processor so its harder for her to pick out the greens. Sneaky little Havanese.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Yes, it does sound like a bee sting. I got stung inside the house about a month ago. I had come in from outside and I think one had landed on me and I didn't know it. I moved my neck down towards my shoulder and it got me! Hurt like the dickens! I think you can use benadryl on dogs for bee stings but I don't know the dosage. Willow once had a reaction to too many Zuke treats. Got diarrhea real bad during the night. I'm pretty sure it was the Zukes as I had given her quite a few during the afternoon for training treats. Diarrhea is not fun on long haired dogs!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Dee Dee said:


> She is much better than earlier. Where she was walking was clean flat cement nothing to step on. She's a really tough cookie  so don't think she would have reacted like she did unless she was in a lot of pain. The bee thing makes the most sense to me the more I think about it. To be fine and walking along and in an instant start screaming and collapse and not want to walk....but recover fairly quickly. I hope so anyway! If so it was a $414 bee sting (and I'd be thrilled to pay it!)


I think a bee sting is a good possibility too. Pixel got stung by a wasp over the summer, and BOY! Did she scream!!! The difference is that I saw the wasp, (she tried to eat it and damaged it enough that it couldn't fly away)so I knew exactly what had happened.

The bad thing was she got stung right on the muzzle. I called my vet and explained what had happened. They told me that the danger with facial stings, especially on small breeds and ESPECIALLY on small breed puppies, is that they can cause enough swelling, even without an allergic reaction, to cause airway obstruction. So I had to keep her on Benadryl for 24 hours, with instructions to watch her carefully for another 24 in case there was any bounce-back after the Benadryl left her system. Fortunately, she was fine. A sore mouth for 2 days, but otherwise, she had no trouble.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

krandall said:


> The bad thing was she got stung right on the muzzle. I called my vet and explained what had happened. They told me that the danger with facial stings, especially on small breeds and ESPECIALLY on small breed puppies, is that they can cause enough swelling, even without an allergic reaction, to cause airway obstruction. So I had to keep her on Benadryl for 24 hours, with instructions to watch her carefully for another 24 in case there was any bounce-back after the Benadryl left her system.


Thank you for this information on small dogs and stings! When Foxy (corgi) got stung, she was stung on or maybe in the mouth as she was snapping at the yellow jacket. We were camping and all I could do was put ice on it which seemed to help. Since then, I travel with Benadryl. However, I don't remember the dosage. I think it's so much per pound of weight. I think one can Google it.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

Ouch! Pixel and Sophie really are too much alike  poor Pixel and poor you Jackie! That would be a very tender place to get stung. I really really really hate bees...

I am glad to hear though that Pixel did react much like Sophie, not that it's good but more proof on the side of the bee sting. I am sure now that is what it was she has been totally fine since. What a relief. 

We went to our obedience private Tuesday and when we got out of the car poor puppy had her tail down (very unusual for her) and was shaking! It didn't last long and we were able to help her forget it for the lesson but I felt so bad for her. And as we were leaving a stinking yellow jacket came bombing at us as we were going back to the van to leave. I can't wait for winter.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

I'm surprised you are still seeing yellow jackets! We haven't had any bees or any kind of wasp around for quite some time. It's amazing what memories these little guys have. She'll get over it pretty quickly I bet. Maybe next time you go she won't react at all.


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