 By Dr. Rustebakke
One of the things I love about Veterinary Medicine is that no matter how long one is in practice, you occasionally run into something new. Yesterday I saw a horse in distress with a history of possibly being stung by a swarm of bees; he was in-coordinated, depressed, and obviously in pain. A short distance away was a small tree with a swarm of bees hanging from a branch; he had apparently wandered too close, and was paying the price! I treated him with anti inflammatory medication and heavy duty pain killers; today he is nearly back to normal. The lethal dose of bee stings in horses is 20 stings per kilogram, which would be about 9,000 stings for a 1000 pound horse. Here is a link to an article about bee stings in horses: http://www.horsedvm.com/disease/equine-bee-sting/ |
