The Brandy Bee Story: How My Worst Nightmare Launched My Career Supporting Veterinary Medicine

Karlene Belyea, MBA, Chief Culture Officer of MVP

When I was interviewing for the position of CEO of the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA), I was asked a question about what experience I had in working with veterinarians. Over the years and many beloved pets, I’d had the opportunity to work with veterinarians and their teams who were caring for my animals. Oddly enough, on Labor Day, just a few short days before my interview, I had a very frightening experience with my dog and had the opportunity to see first-hand how veterinary teams function in an emergency.

At about 4 P.M. I let our dog Brandy – a 9-pound, 15-year-old schnoodle – outside. After a few minutes I heard some noise and a thud. I thought she might have fallen down the deck stairs, so I went to check.

When I looked out the door, I realized that she was completely covered in bees with a huge swarm surrounding her. I called to Brandy and she ran in the bedroom door which I slammed quickly shutting more bees outside. There were 100+ bees on and around Brandy that I began swatting. My husband, Allen, came running in the bedroom, picked up Brandy and ran out the front door. By this time, both Allen and I had bees in our clothing, hair, and on our arms and legs. These were ground bees which can sting over and over again. I am allergic to bee venom and was unsure just how many stings my system could take before I reached a point where I might not be able to breathe or help with the situation.

As I tried to remove some of the bees, I ran out the front door and saw Allen jogging back down the street toward me carrying the dog. He had left the house running, hoping to get rid of the swarm. He held Brandy with one arm, pulling fistfuls of bees from her fur with the other hand as he ran. By the time he got back to our yard, he thought he’d gotten most of them off. Brandy was wheezing heavily. I suggested we get the hose and wet her down to get the remaining bees off. While Allen proceeded to do that, I ran inside to try to call the MSU Veterinary Hospital since our regular veterinary hospital was closed for the holiday.

By this time, there were bees all over our house and yard, so Allen ran into the garage which was the only place there were no bees. He pulled what he thought were the last of the bees from Brandy’s fur. By this time, she was completely limp with her eyes open and fixed straight ahead in a stare. He yelled to me because he was sure she was going to leave us. I called out to my daughter, so that she could say “goodbye” to our beloved Brandy. We were all in tears.

At that moment, I got someone at the MSU Veterinary Hospital on the phone who said to get Brandy to the clinic immediately. We ran out the door with no shoes, purses or credit cards. Brandy was in a blanket on my lap and was completely limp. When we pulled into the hospital we ran her inside and a veterinary technician was waiting to take her. The bee stings that I received were swelling rapidly on my legs, arms, stomach, and head. The entire team at MSU was incredibly kind, letting us use ice packs for our bee stings, making sure we were OK and keeping us updated on Brandy’s condition.

After a while, a veterinarian came out and said Brandy had been put on an I.V. catheter and given steroids, pain medication, and Benadryl. They said she was in a lot of pain.

Considering how painful the stings that Allen and I had received were, Brandy’s pain must have been enormous. The veterinarian who spoke to us said that Brandy was “stable” and that there was nothing more we could do but wait. After we felt fairly sure we weren’t going to lose her at that point, I headed for an emergency clinic to deal with my own bee allergy.

By the time I got to the clinic, I was completely covered in hives and my stings were very swollen and inflamed. They gave me a shot of steroids and Benadryl. They sent me away with lots of drugs to take throughout the night. MSU kept us updated on Brandy’s condition.

To make a long story a little shorter, I spoke with the veterinary team frequently over the next two days about Brandy. Miraculously, we were able to take her home and as I saw her walk toward me down an MSU corridor, tears ran down my face. Whether she would survive three more days, three months, or three years, each additional day we had with her was a gift.

It was at that moment that I knew how incredibly special and wonderful veterinarians, veterinary technicians and their teams were. I knew I wanted to work with them and support them in any way I could. I am grateful for each person in this profession and in awe of your skill and professionalism on all levels. Each and every team member we dealt with spoke to us with compassion and understanding and all of them were extremely helpful. I was so grateful to be selected as the MVMA’s CEO and am even more grateful to be a part of MVP, doing everything I can to help veterinarians and their teams who make such a difference in all of our lives every single day.