Articles by Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and 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. Countless 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 merely 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 get a diagnosis. 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.

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

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

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

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

Bloody Stool in a Dog: Zolza’s Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE)

Blood in your dog’s poop is always a reason for concern. While the amount of blood matters, it is better to overreact than waiting too long to get help. The level of emergency depends on the amount of blood and other symptoms. Potential causes behind bloody stool in dogs include: dietary indiscretions stress allergic reactions autoimmune disease poisoning GI injuries…

by Jana Rade

Shoulder Injuries in Dogs: Is Cookie Suffering From Medial Shoulder Syndrome (MSS) or Instability (MSI)?

There isn’t much talk about front leg lameness in dogs or shoulder injuries. Unless you have an agility dog, you might have never heard of these issues; neither have I until recently. Most people are familiar with hind leg problems in dogs such as cruciate ligament tears, hip dysplasia, luxating patella, and so on. The only front leg condition that…

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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