May 21, 2010, 12:56 PM by Clark Pest Control in San Diego

By Diane Bell, UNION-TRIBUNE COLUMNIST

Do dogs get hives? A Santee family discovered that their Labrador retriever does.

One-year-old Ellie found and ate an entire beehive - honeycombs, bees and all

The story began in April when Martha Coe noticed honeybees entering the cover of an ottoman with a storage compartment that had been placed next to the house. We Got Ya! Pest Control quickly dispatched a man with a pesticide sprayer, who warned the family to steer clear of the doused ottoman for a couple of days. But no one told Ellie.

The next night, she began throwing up bees by the hundreds. When the Coes investigated, they discovered that the beehive had disappeared and rushed Ellie to the nearest veterinary hospital.

It appeared the honeybees she devoured were already dead, and the poison used wasn't considered toxic to dogs. After being treated with anti-nausea medication and returning home after observation, the lethargic lab was put on a bland diet of antacid tablets, white rice and chicken.

Now Ellie is getting some notoriety, too. Her case just earned the distinction of most unusual veterinary claim submitted in April to Brea-based Veterinary Pet Insurance. Honorable mentions went to two dogs that ate light bulbs, a bulldog that ran into (and dented) a car, a bull mastiff that was attacked by a woodchuck, a dachshund that swallowed a hearing aid and a golden retriever that skinned its front paws while skateboarding.

Originally published: https://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/20/beehive-eating-retriever-earns-dubious-distinction/

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Clark Pest Control can remove bees and beehives so you don't get stung! Need a beehive removed? Call Clark Pest!