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

CCL Tears Conservative Management: My Two Cents on Non-Surgical Treatment of Cruciate Ligament Tears

Is there a way to treat your dog’s torn cruciate ligament without surgery? The best treatment option for your dog’s CCL injury depends on several factors such as: size/weight age/activity level overall health/other medical conditions degree of damage I always give serious consideration to non-invasive options before making any treatment decision for my dog. Why put your dog through surgery…

by Jana Rade

Contradictions to Canine Physical Therapy

Physical therapy has been my beloved profession for the past 37 years. I think it’s pretty great, except when it isn’t…! Does that make sense? You’ve seen me tout the benefits of PT in many blog articles and book pages. It’s time I discuss areas of caution when PT should be avoided or stopped. Growth plates Growth plates are located…

by Susan E. Davis PT

Loss of Balance in a Dog: Timmy Develops a Head Tilt and Starts Falling into His Side

When your dog cannot stand up or walk, it is one of the scariest things to witness. I have been there. There are some terrifying diseases that can cause such symptoms including: infections poisoning IVDD immune-mediated conditions inflammatory conditions vascular conditions tumors Further information: Drunken Gait/Ataxia in Dogs: Why Is My Dog Stumbling Around? The most common cause of loss…

by Jana Rade

Head Tilt in Dogs: Why Is My Dog Walking Strange?

There is the adorable heat tilt that dogs do when you talk to them. And then there is the head tilt that is a sign of a problem. How do you tell the difference? The head tilt we all love can vary from side to side, in response to an interesting stimuli. The dog is looking at the source of…

by Jana Rade edited by Dr. Joanna Paul BSc BVSc

Canine DLE Alternative Treatments: Alternative Treatments For Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) in Dogs

Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) in dogs is an autoimmune disease. The dog’s immune system attacks the skin in the area of the face and specifically nose. Our dear friend Jana has written about this before in the article Collie Nose: Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) In Dogs She explained it well and provides the symptoms here The first signs typically are…

by Dr. Daniel Beatty, DVM

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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