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.

Canine IVDD Surgery: Best Money I Ever Spent—Lincoln’s Disc Injuries

Spinal surgery—laminectomy—is a costly but life-changing treatment for dogs with disc injuries. Many dogs recover with conservative treatment but for some, surgery is the best way to give them their lives back. Laminectomy is a surgical procedure that relieves compression on the spinal cord. Thank you, Laura Potts, for sharing Lincoln’s story. Lincoln’s story The first few years of Lincoln’s…

by Jana Rade

Urinary Incontinence in Puppies: Puppies Pee, Huh? Koda’s Story

Urinary incontinence describes involuntary pee leakage. Common causes of urinary incontinence include: urinary tract infections (UTIs) excessive drinking weak bladder sphincter spinal cord disease The above issues are those your veterinarian should look at first. But what happens when they are ruled out and a solution is lacking? Then it is time to investigate less common causes, such as ectopic…

by Jana Rade

Purpose of Differential Diagnoses: Rant About Quality Of Life Versus Quantity, And Differential Diagnoses

So Jasmine recently broke out with a third skin infection in quite a short time. This time it was a nasty bacterial folliculitis (inflammation of hair follicles) around the base of her tail. She lost a bunch of fur which left her with bald patches. The infection now seems to have cleared up with antibiotics and topical treatment, and even…

by Jana Rade

Elbow Dysplasia in a Dog: Running With The Wind—Trago’s Elbow Dysplasia Surgery And Stem Cell Treatment

The canine elbow quite a complicated joint. Various problems in the elbow are all categorized as elbow dysplasia. Unlike the hip, the elbow joint is made up of three bones. Not unlike with hip dysplasia, when the bones don’t fit together perfectly, it leads to pain, lameness, and arthritis. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease but usually involves…

by Jana Rade

Canine Vaccination Boosters: To Booster Or Not To Booster—Jasmine’s Parvo and Distemper Titer Results Are Back

Vaccinations save lives. But how much is too much? What vaccines does a dog need? And how many boosters should they receive? Is there a way of measuring immunity? For a long time, having a long list of Jasmine’s health challenges we were dealing with, the vaccination issue ended up on the back burner. As it wasn’t the most pressing…

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.

View Full Profile →