Range of motion

Assessing Range Of Motion in Dogs: It’s A Matter Of Degree

Every joint in a dog’s body is designed for movement and has a “normal” amount of scope it moves through. This is termed as “Range of Motion”, or ROM, of a joint. There are documented values, measured in “degrees”, which are the standards optimal for each of the joints. Dogs function best when their ROM is within these normal values. …

by Susan E. Davis PT

Understanding Scar Tissue: Is it Too Much of a Good Thing?

You may think your dog is the peace-loving sort of pet, but I can assure you that its body is designed for war! Similar to the human, a dog’s body reacts to trauma or disease with an all-out fight! At the onset of any injury, the “troops” are sent in. White blood cells saturate the area, especially in cases of…

by Susan E. Davis PT

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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