Amber the Vizsla was playing at home in Stratford-upon-Avon when a bee flew through an open window and stung her. Within minutes, the dog began barking unusually, then broke out in hives and started vomiting. Her condition spiraled so quickly that her owners, Claire and Matthew Preece, rushed her to the veterinarian as an emergency patient. It was July 2021, and Amber nearly died.
The Preeces were left with constant worry afterward. Any warm afternoon or outdoor walk during summer months felt dangerous. But two years later, they found hope at the University of Glasgow Small Animal Hospital, where Amber became the first dog in the United Kingdom to receive a treatment called Hymenoptera Venom Immunotherapy, or VIT for short. This new approach trains a dog's immune system to handle bee and wasp stings without a dangerous allergic reaction.
Amber's story is not unique. Veterinarians at Glasgow say that almost two-thirds of dogs who have one severe reaction to a bee or wasp sting will have the same reaction — or worse — the next time they get stung. For some dogs, the reactions can progress from hives and vomiting to collapse and breathing problems within minutes, and in rare cases, they can be fatal. Insect venom allergy is one of the most serious acute allergic conditions seen in dogs, according to the medical team there.
The treatment works by giving the dog gradually larger, controlled doses of bee or wasp venom over time. This trains the immune system to recognize the sting as harmless rather than attacking it. The process starts with allergy testing, followed by a closely watched induction period and then ongoing maintenance therapy that may last several years.
Professor Ana Rostaher leads the treatment program at the Small Animal Hospital. She is a leading expert in veterinary venom immunotherapy and has helped produce research showing encouraging results, with most treated dogs gaining strong protection against future severe reactions. The Glasgow hospital is now one of only a few specialist centers worldwide equipped to offer this type of disease-modifying treatment.
"For affected animals, a single sting can make them very ill and even cause death," Rostaher said. "This treatment offers a proactive way to change that risk profile and provides owners with an option for further peace of mind for those animals who are severely allergic to insect stings."
The approach is not brand new — it was first developed for humans — but adapting it for dogs required specialist knowledge and careful monitoring. Clinical experience so far suggests the treatment has a good safety record when delivered under veterinary supervision.
For the Preeces, the decision to pursue VIT was about taking back control. "We simply wanted to do everything possible to protect Amber," Claire Preece said. Amber's case, the team says, shows exactly why this treatment matters: a single insect sting that most dogs would barely notice can be life-threatening for others, and now there is a way to prevent that emergency before it happens again.