Our vet David Grant works his animal magic

QOVER the weekend I had to take our one-year-old crossbreed dog to the emergency vet. There was a massive swelling on his upper lip which the vet thinks was caused by a wasp sting. Is this unusual or dangerous?

ATHE swelling is the result of an allergic reaction to a sting. Inquisitive, usually young dogs can be stung on the mouth when they try to catch a wasp. I see this much less in older dogs as they have generally learnt from experience not to do this.

The swelling goes down within 24 hours after an appropriate injection. This is a steroid given intravenously.

There are several other possible reactions to wasp stings and all of them involve an allergic reaction.

Sometimes the whole face balloons up, especially round the eyes. At other times hives occur, multiple small swellings all over the body. It looks rather like nettle rash.

There are two situations where wasp stings are dangerous. The first is an anaphylactic reaction, during which there is a sudden drop in blood pressure and the dog collapses. Thankfully I have seen this only a few times.

The other more common problem is when the dog succeeds in swallowing a wasp and is stung near the larynx. If the animal is allergic to wasps, this will result in severe breathing problems requiring emergency treatment.