Catherine Stecyk

Biography

Veterinary surgeon at a New England referral practice

Questions Answered by Catherine Stecyk

My dog was stung by a bee. What should I do?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to PetCoach. I'm sorry to hear that Chloe got stung by a bee! What you do will depend on how Chloe reacts to the bee sting. Some dogs have no problems at all! If she only develops a small pink bump, but is otherwise fine, there is nothing you need to do. If she seems to bother this bump, either by chewing it or licking at it, you may need to have her wear a cone collar to stop her from being able to lick at it. Some dogs react to bee stings by getting a swollen or puffy face. If you notice this, and/or if Chloe develops hives (raised round areas on the skin), you can give her Benadryl. The dose of Benadryl for dogs is 1 mg per 1 pound. So for example, if she weighs 10 pounds, she can get 10 mg. This may make her a little sleepy. I hope this information is helpful!

My friend's dog has underwent a uterus removal surgery and during which she lost 50 percent of her blood. The vet said she might not live for long. I hope that's not true because hearing this news, my friend is being so devastated right now and is crying a lot. Please tell me there's something that can be done to save his dog after this much blood lost. Thanks in advance

Hello and thank you for reaching out to PetCoach. I'm so sorry to hear that your friend's dog lost so much blood during her surgery. While it is a routine surgery, complications like bleeding can occur. There is a chance that your friend's pet will be OK, she may require a blood transfusion if her anemia (level of red blood cells) is low enough. She may also just need time for her own body to make more red blood cells. There are lots of patients in critical care units that have lost a lot of blood that are able to be nursed back to health. I hope this is helpful!

my fixed male cat is spraying inside the house?and not using his litter box much anymore hes 13 years old

Hello and thank you for reaching out to PetCoach. I’m sorry to hear that Gizmo is urinating outside of the litter box. Inappropriate urinations could be a sign of stress, a urinary tract infection, or other systemic illness. I recommend ensuring that he has access to plenty of water, and try adding a fresh clean litter box to his household to see if this helps. Otherwise I recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian to see if there is any medical reason for his spraying in the house. I hope this is helpful!

So my cat has been throwing up randomly for quite some time. And in recent months she’s been acting out by pottying where she isn’t supposed to. She has always been very good at using her litter box, why could this be? As for the throwing up she cannot seem to keep food down very long most of the time so we limit the amount we feed her in hopes some way still down but it’s not always successful. Should I be concerned she’s dying or just sick?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to PetCoach. It sounds like Nibbles is very sick and should be evaluated by a veterinarian. If she is vomiting so frequently, she may have an issue with her stomach or intestines. This could be something as simple as a dietary intolerance, or could be as scary as cancer. I recommend contacting your veterinarian and making an appointment for her to be seen. I hope this is helpful.

My 3 and a half month old mini dachshund lunged at my burger to ight and ate a piece of lettuce. I has chopped onions on my burger and I'm not certain if she got any in her mouth. If she did, how much would she need to consume to become sick? And when would I know if the onions effected her? She is 5 pounds. Thank you

Hello and thank you for reaching out to PetCoach. Hazel would have to eat a large amount of onion to become sick, so definitely more than little pieces that would be on a burger. The toxic dose is approximately 30 g per kilogram, so if she weighs 2kg, she would have had to eat at least 60g of onion to become sick. I recommend watching for any signs of pale gums, difficulty breathing, or GI signs such as vomiting or diarrhea. If you don't notice any signs in the next couple hours, Hazel will likely be just fine. I hope this is helpful!