My Dog's Symptoms : Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.

Vaccinosis in Dogs: A Vexing Conundrum. Can Physical Therapy Help?

Can physical therapy help treat vaccinosis in dogs? The familiar phrase “I’m dammed if I do and dammed if I don’t” describes the feeling a dog-owner has when making a decision about vaccinations. If an adverse reaction occurs it is already too late to prevent the negative effects on the dog. Vaccinosis is not a true official diagnosis. The term…

by Susan E. Davis PT

Sudden Deafness in a Dog: Tora Loses Her Hearing

A change in behavior can alert you to important changes in your dog’s health. Tora’s story makes two essential points about the significance of behavioral changes and avoiding the assumption trap when deciphering the situation. Why did Tora suddenly stop responding to her mom? Was she being stubborn? What if the reason your dog doesn’t respond to your requests is…

by Jana Rade

Regenerative Medicine and CCL Tears: My Two Cents on Regenerative Approach to Treating Cruciate Ligament Tears in Dogs

Are surgery or conservative management the only options for the treatment of CCL tears in dogs? Your dog has injured their cruciate ligament; now what? Invasive surgery is scary and conservative management can be daunting and has a questionable chance of success. Are there any other treatment possibilities? Could regenerative medicine work? Maybe. What is veterinary regenerative medicine? Regenerative medicine…

by Jana Rade

Canine Diet-Induced DCM Revisited: Results of the Research Review Looking at the Recent Rise in Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Dogs

Did you stop feeding your dog grain-free diet in response to warnings from the FDA and veterinarians about the potential of diet-induced DCM? In the summer of 2018 FDA responded to a red flag raised by veterinary cardiologists suspecting a correlation between new grain-free diets and the rise in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs. Alerts and warnings were published everywhere;…

by Jana Rade

Acute Ear Pain in a Dog: What Caused Obi’s Severely Painful Ear?

What do you think can cause acute severe ear pain in your dog? The severity, speed of onset, and circumstances are some of the key criteria to consider when assessing the big picture. Would you expect an ear infection to go without any signs and then suddenly have your dog screaming in pain? Maybe. The typical signs of an ear…

by Jana Rade

Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer by day, dog health advocate, dog writer, member of the Dog Writers Association of American and an award-winning author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Endless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that simply seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to finally get a diagnosis for her initial issue. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners . What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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