The Morning Blend
Welcome
Complete Media Kit
SIERRA VISTA — A huge swarm of Africanized killer bees attacked three horses in Hereford Tuesday evening, nearly killing a valuable colt.
Cynthia Chesnutt’s yearling Arabian stallion, Alex, was stung so severely that his tongue, lips, nostrils, eyelids and throat were swollen.
“His larynx was so badly swollen, it was nearly closed and he could hardly breathe,” Chesnutt said, describing what her horse looked like immediately after the attack. “His neck was stretched out really stiff, with his mouth gaped open and his tongue hanging out. He couldn’t see or move normally, and would lurch or lunge forward and flail around.”
Veterinarian J Phelps, who treated the horse at his veterinary hospital in Sonoita, also suspected brain swelling because of the temporary blindness and neurological problems Alex exhibited.
  
|
With her horse covered by the swarm, Chesnutt said the bees were stinging him relentlessly, no matter how hard she tried to get them off. Alarmed by the seriousness of his condition, Chesnutt called her neighbors Vicki and Jeff Whittaker, owners of Equi-Sands Training Center, for help.
“She called me, really hysterical,” Vicki Whittaker said. “It was frightening to see what that poor horse looked like. The only time I’ve ever seen anything worse, was a horse that had been bitten in the face by a rattlesnake.”
The colt was out of his mind, Whittaker added.
“He was covered with sweat and in a state of shock,” she said. “It was obvious he was in serious systemic distress and on the verge of shutting down. Until we could talk to a vet to find out what to do for him, we ran cool water over him to cool him off.”
Fortunately, Vicki Whittaker had injectable medications, which she grabbed on her way out the door. After contacting veterinarian Gary Thrasher by phone for advice, she gave Alex a shot of Banamine, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and dexamethasone, a cortisone. In addition, another neighbor raced home for children’s Benadryl, which they administered orally, hoping to help calm an allergic reaction.
“This was a team effort, with everyone pitching in,” Whittaker said. “Because of our barn, we formulated a plan and were mobilized. We had both Dr. Phelps and Dr. Thrasher on cell phones so we could get treatment advice until the colt could be transported to an animal hospital. And our neighbor (Phyllis Gerben) gave us the children’s Benadryl.”
Getting the swarming bees off Alex was another challenge. Chesnutt started spraying them with fly spray, then reverted to a water hose. The bees were stubborn and kept returning, stinging people, as well.
Reed Booth, who owns the “Killer Bee Guy,” a Bisbee-based bee removal service, was called to remove the swarm and hive.
“They stung that poor horse almost to death,” Booth said. “This was a really mean, nasty, tenacious swarm. They attacked three horses on that property, totally unprovoked.”
The bees, he added, set up shop right out in the open on a bush.
“Normally, bees would never do that. They generally place their hives in more secluded places,” he said.
Booth estimates there were between 40,000 and 60,000 bees.
Chesnutt had no idea a bee hive was on her property, as it was not in an area where people or horses venture regularly.
All wild honey bees in Arizona are Africanized, Booth said. And he believes they’re getting more aggressive every year.
Loading the blind, frightened, neurologically compromised horse into the trailer was no easy task. Alex had transformed from a docile, manageable horse to one that was striking at and lunging into the people who were trying to help him, while slamming his head against the sides of the horse trailer. It made hauling and handling him dangerous. With the help of neighbors, the frantic, thrashing colt was finally loaded. By the time they arrived at Sonoita Veterinary Center where Phelps was waiting, the horse trailer was smeared with blood from scrapes that Alex sustained during the trip.
In his 18 years of practice, with five of those years in this area, Phelps said this was his first bee swarm case.
“The symptoms were very unusual and dangerous to everyone,” Phelps said. “I actually had to give him tranquilizers because he was such a danger to himself and to others. I really don’t think he could see at all. He couldn’t move in normal steps. He was staggering, lurching and lunging.”
Alex’s condition was so bad, Phelps is convinced there is no way he could have been treated successful in the field, as in a typical farm call. “He needed to be on intravenous fluids with fast acting medications and he needed to be hospitalized,” the veterinarian asserted. “As soon as they contacted me and described his symptoms, I told them to get him loaded and over here.”
Phelps has a full-scale veterinary hospital with state-of-the-art surgical and diagnostic equipment for treating dogs, cats and horses. With two ultrasound machines, three endoscopes, bone-plating equipment, an equine gas anesthesia machine and hydraulic surgical tables, Phelps is able to handle a wide range of equine emergencies, as well as extensive treatments.
Alex was given multiple bags of intravenous fluids, fast-acting steroids, an anti-histamine specifically for horses, tranquilizers and a medication to reduce brain swelling to prevent permanent neurological damage.
“He had tons of little bee stingers all over his nose, eyelids and face” Phelps said. “I think he literally had thousands of bee stings. The swelling around his face was severe and he had bumps all over his body.”
Once he started responding to the medications, Alex slowly became conscious of his surroundings, Phelps said. His quiet demeanor returned, and he literally collapsed in the stall, exhausted from the ordeal. He spent Tuesday night and most of Wednesday at Phelp’s hospital, and was transported back to his home late Wednesday afternoon.
“It was such a relief to have my horse back,” said Chesnutt, who plans to show Alex in upcoming Arabian horse shows. “That whole experience was absolutely horrific.”
Chesnutt credits the quick action of her neighbors, Vicki and Jeff Whittaker, JoAnna Toomber and Phyllis Gerben, for Alex’s survival. Without their help, she’s convinced his outcome would have been much worse.
“I have them to thank,” she said. “Dr. Phelps was awesome, and my neighbors were just amazing. My horse is alive because of all those people.”
REPORTER Dana Cole can be reached at 515-4618 or by e-mail at dana.cole@svherald.com.
BEING READY FOR EMERGENCIES
Large animal veterinarian Gary Thrasher, whose practice is geared primarily toward ranchers, offers the following recommendations for his clients when bee-related and other emergencies happen.
“Because my practice is mostly ranches, I like my clients to keep some basic medications on hand in case of emergencies,” Thrasher said. “For ranches with multiple animals and large herds, I suggest they keep a bottle of Banamine. It’s a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, and sometimes just enough to get a horse over the hump in an allergic reaction. It’s also good for other problems, like colic in horses.”
Dexamethasone is another injectable medication Thrasher has some of his clients keep on hand.
“Horses can die pretty quick, just like people, if they’re allergic to bites,” Thrasher said. “When my clients, especially those living in remote areas of the county, have what they need to treat their horses quickly, it can save the animal’s life.”
Always stay in contact with a veterinarian when medical emergencies occur, Thrasher said. In the case of Alex’s bee attack, Vicki Whittaker was on the phone with Thrasher, who advised her on doses of dexamethasone and Banamine until the horse could be seen by J Phelps at his animal hospital in Sonoita.
In a situation where the horse is having a severe allergic reaction with swelling, Thrasher doesn’t recommend administering medications orally. It’s because swelling of the tongue and throat can close off the throat enough to make it difficult for the horse to swallow, and it could cause the animal to choke while oral medications are being administered.
The children’s liquid Benadryl, however, is beneficial in allergic reactions where the horse is able to swallow without difficulty.
— Dana Cole•Herald/Review
DEALING WITH BEES
What should you do when a bee swarm is attacking animals or people? Reed Booth, owner of a bee removal service called Killer Bee Guy, offers the following advice.
When a horse is being attacked by a bee swarm, Booth says the best thing an owner can do is turn the animal loose in an open area where it can run from the swarm.
Spraying bees with water just doesn’t work, Booth added.
When bees are attacking small pets, such as cats and dogs, get them into cover. “Grab your pets and throw them in the house or a shed,” Booth said. “For humans, cover your head and run for shelter. Get into a building or a car.” Never jump in a pool to escape bees. Booth has heard stories where the bees will swarm over the pool, attacking every time the person comes up for air.
To remove stingers, gently scrape them with a finger nail, credit card or flat knife. Never pinch the stinger out or use tweezers to remove it, Booth advises. Pinching the stinger or using tweezers will squeeze any residual venom from the stinger into the body, thus making the sting site worse.
In cases where people know they have a bee swarm on their property, contact a bee removal service immediately. A swarm of bees hanging in a tree, or bees flying in and out of cracks in buildings are the sign of a problem. Swarming bees moving from one point to another are not anything to worry about, Booth said.
— Dana Cole•Herald/Review
Debbie Moloznik wrote on Sep 9, 2008 10:03 AM: