Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Biography

I graduated veterinary school at Texas A&M University in 2011 and finished my MBA in 2012. After working in several different types of practice, I found that my passion for veterinary medicine lies in emergency medicine and client communication and education. The reason I went to vet school was to be able to help people help their pets! I have a special interest in pain management and geriatrics, and I am a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. I am a pet parent to 2 dogs, Alli and Ruby, and one very grouchy cat, Stan.

Questions Answered by Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

What can be wrong with my cat? She passed a bit bigger hairball during the night. She was very stressed about it. When she was regurgitating - liquid even came out of her nose. For a while she continued to make regurgitating attempts, was distressed and looked tired. Now 5 hours later : her eyes are watery and a bit closed, runny nose, she intensively rubs her nose and sneeze from time to time, looks fatigue and mostly sleeps. Thank you!

Hello there, thanks for choosing PetCoach. Goodness! That certainly does sound like a scary experience for Persyk. Hairballs shouldn't cause this much trouble coming up, though I can't be certain why it was such an issue this time. However, based on your description of Persyk after the event, it sounds like she has some vomitus in her nasal passages. A small amount of liquid should resolve on it's own within a day or two, but if there was any solid material, it could have become trapped and would continue to cause the nasal pain, sneezing, running nose, etc. I would say that if she isn't back to normal in a day or so, she needs to be checked out by a vet. After physical examination, the vet may recommend sedation to flush the nasal passage and do a more thorough exam.

My dog has some swelling in his lower pectoral muscles. No tenderness, no behavioral changes. He has white fur there so it is slightly pink from swelling or maybe irritation. No signs of trauma. He has history of environmental and dietary allergies so is on a strict diet, occasional ear drops, apoquel for flares only, cytopoint (on his second injection) and simparico trio. Just don’t want to dismiss something but I rather wait for his regular vet to open next week than take to ED

I can see the mild swelling or edema and redness. At this point, I would wait and see what happens. If it appears to spread, if the swelling becomes more pronounced, if Ronin develops hives, lethargy, poor appetite, or any other symptoms, I would get him check out sooner. Since he is prone to allergies, make sure he hasn’t been laying anywhere new or on something that may have used a new detergent or cleaner. The bottom of the chest wall is a common areas for contact allergies to occur.

My dog has been itching and biting at a couple spots on his body since he was groomed a week ago. There seems to be smalls cuts where he’s bitting, not sure if they have been caused by him or not. He has just started taking simparica trio and got his rabies shot on September 25. Today is October 4. Not sure if it’s environmental allergies or something else going on. His food hasn’t been changed recently but new treats have been introduced. He’s never had any skin issues and I’ve had him a year.

You’re right that it can be hard to tell if the cuts came first or after the licking started. It’s possible that the skin was irritated (we call it clipper burn) after grooming, and since dogs lick areas that are uncomfortable, it makes the whole situation worse. The best thing to do is to prevent Pepper from licking anymore. He can wear an e-collar/come for a few days. If the skin isn’t looking better 24 hours after wearing the cone, it may need medications so Pepper should get checked out by his vet.

My puppy has a bump on his belly that I’m not sure what it is.

In the picture, it appears that the affected skin is bumpy and then there is quite a bit of redness around the edge. It’s possible that it could be a wart-like growth, but because of the amount of inflammation (causing the redness) going on, I would recommend taking Mac to the vet for a closer look. The vet will also look closely at all of Mac’s other skin (and mouth and other mucous membranes) to see if there are any other affected areas. They may be able to diagnose or have a better guess as to what’s going on, and discuss treatment options if any need to happen. Until he sees the vet, it would be helpful to have him wear an e-collar/cone so he can’t lick the area anymore. Licking will increase the inflammation and can skew how the vet evaluates the area. Thanks for selecting PetCoach!

Hi My dog has had a pimple on his left paw for a few months now. Dog Is very active like always and feels no pain. Is there anything to worry about?

This isn’t a pimple. It is a small mass in the top layer of the skin. It could be a cyst, a wart, or a benign or cancerous growth. The only way to know for sure is to have your vet collect a sample with a needle to examine under a slide or to remove the whole mass and send it to the lab for evaluation. Until that happens, you can watch it for changes in size, color, texture, etc. If you notice any changes, I would call your vet to see if they can get you in sooner.