Scorpion Sting in Puppies

Scorpion Sting in Puppies, WHY ME? This web page was developed 9/15/22 to help people understand what a Bark Scorpion sting can do to puppies and how to help them recover. There's a lot here yet if you read through and follow the recommendations, you most certainly SHOULD get a recovering pup. My two puppies recovered when the first vet said there was nothing more to do after we did what knowledge was available at the time. I truly believed I would have two dead puppies within the week, slowly deteriorating from "something."

It was observing everything that had unfolded over the years, the 2022 hot Texas Summer, and collaboration in learning the following with Tes Ingebritson (TI) Standard Poodle breeder and Sue D'Antonio (SD) scientist with Agilent Technology. As we took a look at all the variables with Scorpion Sting in Puppies, then applied what we believed to be a recovering method. Please read through the points to understand the story, and what may be happening with your small puppy, puppies, dog to learn what to do with scorpion sting in puppies ASAP!

last updated 10/17/22

The above scorpion was killed in my TX bedroom by the door. I've had 3 scorpions in my bedroom within a 3 week period of the scorpion sting in puppies. If that's just my bedroom, imagine what is going on outside the house. 20 were killed in the Blue Bonnet Park in a week while building a new block wall for the spoos safety! :o((( I ONLY have cement floors, NO CARPET! I place cedar chips and Diatomaceous Earth (DE) around the house and in the parks constantly during the warm months. I fog my home with cedar oil, spray the floor bases with cedar oil, and use DE in areas that are bug hiding places like around the stove and garbage cans.

To learn more about scorpions here's are several great websites among many out there > https://www.verywellhealth.com/scorpion-allergy-83014 and  https://www.animalspot.net/scorpion

The Texas Bark Scorpion is most prevalent here. All scorpions have venom, some humans, older/larger dogs may not be as affected, BUT smaller dogs and scorpion stings in puppies are highly susceptible to the venom which can, and does, lead neurologic toxins entering causing visual lameness, lack of limb/s usage, and allergic reactions!

Now, could it be something other than a scorpion like a black widow spider, wasp, or bee sting? I have deducted the scorpion:

• A Black Widow Spider "bite" would MORE then likely cause the death of a small puppy. Puppies breathing was okay, no diarrhea...they did cry a lot the first day.
• A wasp and bee sting releases venom yes. A wasp stinger can easily be repeated multiple times repetitively and is VERY PAINFUL, I know that one! The Scorpion will generally sting once, but can sting multiple times with venom decreasing each time and not as painful as the wasp, but one knows they've been stung. The puppies never cried from pain that I heard. The semi-paralysis was observed after dark that they started sitting, acting as they couldn't walk, and by morning couldn't walk, lethargic. Wasps are day insects, scorpions nocturnal.
• The wasp venom is a chemical cocktail breaking down cell membranes, constricting blood vessels to reduce blood flow which increases blood pressure, and stimulates pain nerves as well as the histamine response. The scorpion sting venom is capable of producing systemic symptoms, including hemolysis (rupture or destruction of red blood cells), hemorrhage, and neuromuscular dysfunction - THIS IS WHAT I saw HAPPENING in my puppies, especially neuromuscular dysfunction in the hind legs!
• A bee sting comes from confusion or protection on their part at which they die afterwards as their barbed stinger sticks into the creature or human it stings and then self mutilates as they can't pull the barb out. Wasps’ stingers remain attached to their bodies after they sting. The stinger looks like a small needle, and the wasp uses it to inject venom into their victim. The venom is designed to paralyze small insects so that they can bring them back to their nest, but also to convince large predators not to mess with them. A scorpion uses their venom to paralyze a prey in order to kill it.

The ramifications in our observation to pups being stung are found below which lead to semi-paralysis and an allergic reaction to the venom. That has become the conclusion from the following observations. 

We start with:

A human friend EZ was more than likely stung by a scorpion at night on his foot wearing sandals:

Day One Sunday night 9/4/22. EZ shared he felt a sting and quickly lifted his foot to sweep whatever it was off. Within the next several days his foot swelled tremendously, went numb, couldn't feel anything in that foot, went to ER, CAT scan, CT scan to find nothing. It was not in his blood stream, it was in his localized tissue where the venom was injected. His allergic reaction to the venom was localized to his foot. It could take up to two months to come out of if a scorpion sting the doctor shared. I am using EZ to be a comparison Human to Puppy.

Two days later 9/6/22 one of my puppies started to show the neuromuscular dysfunction symptoms in the evening. I had killed two scorpions in the house within a week before. I immediately thought it was a scorpion sting and took her, giving her a steeping hot Epsom Salts bath to help pull the toxins out. If you're not familiar with Epsom Salts, it should be one of those staple items you have in your cupboard for healing. 

Third day 9/7/22 I took puppy to the vet on Wednesday the next day, sharing my variables of what might be the reason, with a scorpion sting my true concern. Doctor did blood tests, x-rays for any lung infection, thoroughly checked over and shared puppy tests out like any normal puppy, but had lost motor ability in hind legs, lost appetite, eyes were not seeing correctly, and was whimpering and crying. He shared neurological situation, and I'm thinking paralyzed? Would she come out of it...in time? Doctor would not consider scorpion sting. I took puppy home with frustration on a possible dyeing pup in the coming week. The next several days, very little ability to get up, seemed like walking on eggs when did get up and move, then drop down, she was losing weight fast. I gave her another Epsom Salts bath.

Fourth day 9/8/22: a pup from a totally different litter started showing the exact same conditions later that evening. The next morning he wasn't able to walk either and lethargic not wanting to eat. All I thought I could do was watch them deteriorate, which they were now. Epsom Salts bath!

Sixth day 9/10/22: THEN, Saturday! SD texted me she was going to the vet with her boys. I jumped on riding along with the second pup believing emergency would get him in with her's. YES! Doctor shared why take all the same tests. Would not listen to the scorpion bite theory. Thus, we took to another vet down the road who works on emergency conditions on Saturdays. 

SD and I went in and I gave it to the vet assigned to us straight on all that had unfolded and that we wanted a shot for the two pups to counter a scorpion sting. If it wasn't a scorpion sting the shot wouldn't have any medical ramifications, yet if it was, it would certainly help! Explaining all the tests and x-rays had already been done on first pup who was now with us (another story getting her to us). Doctor evaluated all I'd shared, asked questions and gave the two pups a shot of Recover/Pyrilamine. She stated it could take up to 3 days to see any results.

On the ride home SD started comparing EZ's STILL numb and swollen foot (day 6) to the puppies having the similar conditions. EZ was NOT spinally paralyzed or in pain, but foot totally numb and unable to keep toes straight out when putting socks on. The scorpion sting in puppies was causing them to have nerve damage to be walking on back legs because they're numb and can't feel them was what I then compared it to. They cry and whimper where one could believe they're in pain, they couldn't get up to go potty or eat :o(. I see more frustration in not being able to get up and play or get around. SO, with the vet's shot, it only made sense to start getting them into my swimming pool (THANK GOODNESS I have a swimming pool due to my back) to start exercising their back legs to regain strength. There would be no sensation to feel on stepping on solid ground, only seeing that the legs were working and getting strength in them again! They were definitely losing muscle strength from not being able to walk and use them. 

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Scorpion Sting in Puppies

OBSERVATIONS: if you observe your puppy

• starting to become lethargic
• not getting up to walk
• can get the front legs up but not the back legs, or reverse 
• whimpering, crying, all within a 12 hour timeframe, and live in areas where scorpions are known to dwell
• Scorpions are nocturnal, like the night so keep your pups in at night! 
• If by morning you see these symptoms coming on ...
• Give them a steeping hot EPSOM SALTS BATH ASAP! A second and third is just as important to continue to help pull the toxins out!
• GET INTO your vet for a reversal shot! Mine were given Recovr/Pyrilamine. 

TELL YOUR VET what you have observed as a Scorpion Sting in Puppies - FRANKLY - KNOW in your communication to them! Scorpions around the house, in the house. What your observing in your puppy as listed above. DON'T let them say to wait or do this or that. Getting the shot is NOT going to create any problems, and can get them turning around faster! ONE MUST do the Epsom Salts bath to help pull the toxins out and get them swimming to STRENGTHEN their legs. If the shot doesn't work, no problem, move onto the next part of the equation to find out why. 

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These puppies have a doggy door with access in and out whenever they liked. And being we've had a hot 100+ Texas dry summer, evenings were cooler they wanted to be outside in the evening as much as they could. Again, scorpions are nocturnal and out at night! The hot dry summer has brought them out even MORE so!

TI started to add wet canned dog food to a higher protein kibble to entice them to eat more and put weight back on...THEY REALLY LIKED THAT! Still unable to stand to eat.

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GET THEM SWIMMING! SO IMPORTANT!!!

Saturday afternoon 9/10/22: Sue started swimming them. DEFINITELY can see they're NOT paralyzed. Back legs DEFINITELY kicking and stretching to swim, tail wagging!

I, TI, thought they were becoming paralyzed. In the pool you could see they were semi-paralyzed and working their best to pull out of it.

Seventh day 9/11/22: NEXT DAY Sue swam late morning and late afternoon. GREAT SUCCESS! They're both strengthening and stretching their back legs just a little bit more each time. First Female pup by evening is walking A LOT MORE! Second Male pup is still weaker, whimpering, yet getting up a bit more and walking with encouragement. He's actually 4 days younger then female. I certainly see a turn around not feeling their dyeing from some unknown phenomena now...truly a Scorpion Sting in Puppies.

Ninth day 9/11/22: DEFINITE strength coming back! TI decided to take it to their next level by taking off the vests so they weren't reliant on them.

I need help to not sink...can't kick to get the rump up.

Tenth day 9/12/22: OBSERVING male now having more energy and working to pull himself up more often.

Thirteenth day 9/15/22: We've been swam twice a day now all week. Our rumps are staying up now because we're getting our nerves going and rebuilding our muscle strength - YAY! The Epsom Salts helped pull the toxins out and the swimming helps our muscle rebuild.

Fifteenth day 9/17/22: We're MUCH happier, sitting better. Tes wants to NOTE the Kuranda beds in the background are EXCELLENT for keeping us off the ground indoors and out where bugs and scorpions crawl which could lead to Scorpion Sting in Puppies. Use the Cedar Oil in the house, spraying around the base boards.

To our helpers - Thank You!

Scotty 11 wks old - wt 17 lbs

* 9/19/22 *

Halley 12 wks old - wt 15 lbs

Now one might say, "I don't have a pool :o(" If the pet is small enough, the bathtub filled quite high would work, if on a farm the watering tank, or purchase one for your use, later storage of some things? A neighbor kind enough to let you use their pool if you promise to pay for a set of new filters when done? One can be quite creative if we look around.

EZ as of 9/30/22 still does not have feelings in his foot. My neighbor and husband have been stung by scorpions and only had swelling, no neuron toxicity allergic reaction or anything. Everyone's body is different that we know!

NEXT!

Taking care of property to minimize scorpions!

• Get yourself Cedar Oil to spray around your house AND yard!
• Get Cedar Chips to spread in your yard!
• Get Diatamaceous Earth (DE) and spread around doorways, inside of house edges/cracks where scorpions can get in!
• Seal OFF any cracks by doors that they could get in!

To be continued...