Anyone who's brought their dog outside in the summer sees that dogs just can't help snapping at insects that fly past his muzzle. We're not sure why dogs like to do this, but often the outcome is a painful sting in a sensitive part of the mouth or face!

You'll be able to detect a sting immediately, because you'll see your dog pawing and scratching at his muzzle. If your dog is salivating a lot more than usual, it's probably due to a hornet or bee sting. Seeing your pet foaming at the mouth can be a really horrifying experience, especially when you're not sure why.

There are several options to help relieve the pain of dog bee stings:

Clean the sting site with a mixture of warm water and baking soda. One tablespoon of soda to two pints of water is a good formula to use, and don't worry if your dog swallows some - it's harmless. Repeat the cleansing procedure every 10 minutes until the sting seems to be less bothersome to your dog.

Ammoniated quinine can be put directly on the area.

Bee stings might not bother some dogs; however, if your dog has been stung and needs some relief, potassium bromide is a good antiepileptic medication.

Once your dog has been stung by a bee or wasp and you can see the stinger, gently try removing the stinger with tweezers.

A trip to the vet because of a sting may seem trivial at the time, but a sting can be very painful and lead to swelling and other unpleasant effects from the sting. So if your pet seems uncomfortable at all after a sting bring them to the vet, it will save your pet a lot of pain.

Dog bee stings are just part and parcel of the summer experience, unfortunately. Dogs can get lucky - snapping at bees buzzing by may not necessarily mean your dog will be stung. Once I owned a dog that chased bees every moment he was outside and he was never stung (to my knowledge). But it never hurts to know what to do for your dog, just in case of a painful sting.