Dog and owner attacked by bees in Loma Linda

A man and his dog are recovering in Loma Linda after they were attacked by a swarm of bees Sunday. Fire officials said the man was keeping the bees in his yard illegally.

It happened around noon while the man was bathing his dog outside of his Loma Linda home.

The dog had been sprayed by a skunk Saturday and his owner was trying to wash off the stench the next day, that’s when the man and dog were each stung more than a hundred times by the bees.

Fire crews responded to the scene and also got stung.

“In the meantime our crews are getting stung by bees. They were able to get the dog out, moved him to a safe area, started foaming him down,” said Tom Debellis from the East Valley Fire Dept. “He was doing pretty bad, foaming at the mouth, very lethargic.”

Crews gave the dog Benadryl, which is something they said they don’t do out in the field.

“We don’t normally treat dogs, but felt it was a life or death situation,” said Debellis.

The man was taken to Loma Linda Hospital. The pooch went to the animal hospital. Their conditions were unknown Sunday.

Officials said the drought conditions may have attracted the bees to the water.