5 of woman's dogs die after bee attack

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/5_of_womans_dogs_die_after_attack_by_bees_95201599.html
5 of woman's dogs die after bee attack
May 30, 2010


William Gary of Biz-ZZ Bee Farms feels for heat or vibration, which would indicate a large hive, and listens for buzzing as he works to get rid of bees from Charles Gilmore's home in Northeast Bexar County. LISA KRANTZ/lkrantz@express-news.net

 On Friday, Mary Miranda lost Pinky, the only one of her dogs still clinging to life a week after being attacked by bees on her property near Castroville.

A colony in a neighbor's yard, agitated by the sound of a lawn mower on May 22, went after the young man trying to mow. He escaped into his house with only a dozen or so stings.

The dogs were not so lucky.

Lady and her offspring Emy, Rosie and Pinky, all purebred standard poodles, and a rescued Labrador named Destiny were chasing squirrels in Miranda's fenced yard.

Miranda opened her back door to find Pinky collapsed on the stairs, covered in grass and mud, eyes swollen shut from the stings. The bodies of Rosie, Destiny and Lady lay still in the yard, their matted, dirty fur evidence of their struggle. Emy panted weakly under a tree.

At the vet, Emy succumbed immediately, but Pinky held on, until Friday.

Miranda, meanwhile, is still afraid to let her “littles” as she calls her smaller poodles, back out into the yard.

She said the neighbor, who reacted angrily to television news reporters asking about the colony last week, said he has had exterminators out in the past in an effort to get rid of the colony.

The bees could be Africanized bees, which are similar in appearance to regular honey bees but are more aggressive when they feel threatened, according to experts, and are willing to defend the hive more quickly in response to stimuli, like a vibrating lawnmower or barking dog.

Bees of any type shouldn't be allowed to live in a house or other structure, according to the Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab. The longer a colony inhabits a structure, the more defensive the bees will become — and the more it will cost to remove them.
On Saturday, no one answered the door to the neighbor's home, but hundreds of bees could be seen buzzing about the Chinese tallow trees in the front yard.

“Those bees have been there for two years,” Miranda said. “I didn't know that. And if an exterminator has come out and taken his money, they're partly to blame.”

She also thinks local government has a role to play in situations like this, where the property owner of a dangerous colony is unable or unwilling to take care of the problem.

Leonard Mechler, a senior sanitarian with San Antonio Metro Health, the city's public health department, said his agency generally only deals with colonies on public property.

“Ultimately, it is the property owners' responsibility,” he said.

And just spraying poison on a bee colony isn't enough to take care of the problem, as Miranda's neighbor may be discovering.

Leaving the combs is like leaving a furnished home for the next swarm of bees looking for a place to live, said William Gary of Biz-ZZ Bee Farms.

“That's a prebuilt home with food in it,” said Gary, 20, who spends summers with his family's company, ridding homes of bee colonies.

Spring and summer is the busiest time of year. “On Monday, my mother got 40 calls,” he said.

Charles Gilmore, who has lived in his Northeast Bexar County home for more than 20 years, called Biz-ZZ after spraying three cans of wasp spray into a hive he just noticed in his garage wall, then doing more research and learning that wouldn't be enough.
The bees had entered a pair of one-inch holes that had been drilled for a water-softener system, Gilmore said. “I meant to seal up the holes but I didn't — and now we've got this.”
******************************************
Related
Bee advice

To prevent colonies:

    * Inspect outside walls and eaves of house and other buildings.
    * Seal openings bigger than 1/8-inch in walls, around chimneys, masonry, plumbing, etc.
    * Install 1/8-inch hardware cloth over rainspouts, vents, cavities of trees and fence posts, etc.
    * If you find bees, don't try to kill or remove them.
    * Call a professional bee-removal service or pest-control operator.

Source: Texas A&M University's Honey Bee Lab

[Nut44x4]

MUFFY!! NOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

[MuffyBee]

MUFFY!! NOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

It's really sad, isn't it? I can't imagine losing my beloved pets the way she lost hers.    Last year I noticed some bees coming in an out of the top of the limestone columns at my house, so I called the exterminator and he put in some delta dust and then came back and sealed up any openings.  This took a few times, since it seemed he would get rid of them in one area, and the bees would pop up in another.  I'm the only BEE that will be living in my house, thankyouverymuch.   

[crazybabyborg]

MUFFY!! NOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

It's really sad, isn't it? I can't imagine losing my beloved pets the way she lost hers.    Last year I noticed some bees coming in an out of the top of the limestone columns at my house, so I called the exterminator and he put in some delta dust and then came back and sealed up any openings.  This took a few times, since it seemed he would get rid of them in one area, and the bees would pop up in another.  I'm the only BEE that will be living in my house, thankyouverymuch.   

Funny you should post this tragic story, Muffy. I've been dog watching and sitting since yesterday afternoon. I've been slammed lately, and was trying to get caught up in the yard yesterday. Ku's at least 8 weeks post op and getting around pretty well so she was in the yard with me through mowing and pressure washing the deck. I went in to grab some water, and she just layed down, started trembling, and wouldn't get up. She wouldn't drink, or eat anything, and actually let me pick her up and put her on the bed (unthinkable most of the time.) Her pupils looked OK, but I didn't know what to think.

Late last night she began pawing at and in her mouth and panting. It really scared me, so I scooped her up and took her to the Emergency clinic 20 miles away at 2:30 this morning. They said her neck glands/lymph nodes were really swollen and that she was somewhat dehydrated. They suspected she had caught a bee of some sort and it had stung her. It's either that or she has a virus that is causing her throat to be sore. They gave her IV fluids, and a shot of antibiotics and pills to follow through just in case it was a virus. Whatever it is, she is one sick pup right now. She's been in bed all day...... even when I go out the door and that's just NOT KuBear!

I've seen her "chomp" to catch bugs so many times; I think it was a bee. I've tried hamburger, cheese, chicken, and eggs to try to encourage her to eat something but she won't give any of it a second look. I'm just grateful she finally drank a little one time  today. She "looks" sick and is absolutely lethargic. I wish I could get her to my own vet but it's Memorial Day week-end and when they're closed, they refer emergencies to where I took her.

That poor lady. My heart goes out to her!

[MuffyBee]

I'm so sorry Ku is sick CBB.  Would she let you squirt a little water into the side of her mouth with a syringe or an eye dropper?  Maybe even dribble some water from a sponge or rag into her mouth?   Or maybe give her some ice chips?  If she isn't really drinking, I fear she may become dehydrated  again if she isn't already.  If you can get some fluids in her, she may feel better.  As you know, dehydration can affect blood pressure and I don't recall what other health issues Ku may have. Did the vet say anything about benadryl?  I went through a similar episode with my little Yorkie "Muffy".  I called the vet on emergency call on a late Sunday night and he told  me give her some liquid benedryl and I gave her little squirts of water with the syringe.  She was like a pile of rags.  She wouldn't even raise her head.  About half an hour after giving her the benadryl, she improved somewhat.  I gave her another dose of benedryl 6 hours later and got her to the vet first thing Monday morning.  By then, there wasn't much they did for her, but check her over, and over time she got back to her old self.  It's scary when your dog is sick.  It's just like when a baby is sick and they can't really speak with you to tell you what's wrong or what happened.  I hope Ku is much better soon.     

[crazybabyborg]

I'm so sorry Ku is sick CBB.  Would she let you squirt a little water into the side of her mouth with a syringe or an eye dropper?  Maybe even dribble some water from a sponge or rag into her mouth?   Or maybe give her some ice chips?  If she isn't really drinking, I fear she may become dehydrated  again if she isn't already.  If you can get some fluids in her, she may feel better.  As you know, dehydration can affect blood pressure and I don't recall what other health issues Ku may have. Did the vet say anything about benadryl?  I went through a similar episode with my little Yorkie "Muffy".  I called the vet on emergency call on a late Sunday night and he told  me give her some liquid benedryl and I gave her little squirts of water with the syringe.  She was like a pile of rags.  She wouldn't even raise her head.  About half an hour after giving her the benadryl, she improved somewhat.  I gave her another dose of benedryl 6 hours later and got her to the vet first thing Monday morning.  By then, there wasn't much they did for her, but check her over, and over time she got back to her old self.  It's scary when your dog is sick.  It's just like when a baby is sick and they can't really speak with you to tell you what's wrong or what happened.  I hope Ku is much better soon.     

Thank you Muffy! A little while ago she ate a slice of cheese and one of those doggie "pill pockets" that was wrapping up her antibiotic so I'm encouraged! The syringe is a good idea....... I think I have an eyedropper and you're right; that should work, so I'll give it a try! Thanks for the well wishes and the advice! 

Sooooo! We finally learn where you got the inspiration for your name!! Something tells me that Yorkie Muffy is well loved! 

[MuffyBee]

CBB-would Ku let you put a bag of ice in a towel or a bag of frozen peas in a towel on her neck for maybe 5 or 10 minutes at a time to reduce the pain and swelling?

[Bearlyhere]

CBB-would Ku let you put a bag of ice in a towel or a bag of frozen peas in a towel on her neck for maybe 5 or 10 minutes at a time to reduce the pain and swelling?

I was thinking ice, too, to reduce swelling.  maybe if she can play with an ice cube?  I know that meat tenderizer made into a paste on an external sting helps quiet it down, I don't know what would happen on an internal sting.  Did you call the drug store?  They may have some suggestions.  People swallow bees, too.  If she is having trouble breathing, I don't know about Benadryl, it may make her more lethargic and it may not be a good thing, if she is not lethargic, I know dogs can take it.

Gee whiz, CBB, you and your loved ones sure have had it rough.  I am sending you all a great big hug and praying God will wrap protective arms around all of you.  Anything I can do, you know what to do.

Love you.

 

[Bearlyhere]

I cannot imagine how what that woman with the dogs is going through.   

Wood always seems to attract bees.  Our fences have to be wood, so our development is full of bees trying to make a place in the wood.  Wood piles are another place bees love to live.  Get rid of anything laying around that is wood and attractive to bees.