Infections

Red Skin and Hair Loss in a Dog: Magnolia’s Demodex Infection and Excessive Self-Licking

If your dog pays excessive attention to parts of their body, so should you. While there are exceptions, a dog will lick themselves excessively when something itches or hurts. That is a clue to you to look for a cause. There are two reasons for that: catching a problem early excessive licking leads to further harm Even though licking might…

by Jana Rade

Your Dog And Infections: Alien Invasion

As long as your dog lives in this world, they can sucumb to an infection. Pathogens are always looking out for an opportunity. The critical distinction to make is between the presence of a pathogen—exposure and active infection. The formula for disease consists of two variables: presence of pathogen failure of immune response The world is full of pathogens—they are everywhere.…

by Jana Rade edited by Dr. Joanna Paul BSc BVSc

A Primer On Skin Fold Infections

Skin-fold infections are very common in dogs. The role of breed and body condition score Folds in the skin create a moist environment that favors the growth of bacteria. As a result, they are vulnerable to infections, especially in wrinkly breeds such as: Bulldog Shar Pei Pug Obese dogs are also at greater risk of pyoderma because of the folds…

by Dr. John A. Bukowski, DVM, and Dr. Susan E. Aiello, DVM

Angry Vet On Leptospirosis: Sandy’s Untimely Death

As a sad reminder of leptospirosis’s reality, we had two cases of acute renal failure in otherwise healthy young dogs. One of these dog’s kidneys completely shut down and would not respond to treatment. Consequently, we had to euthanize her. The other dog has responded and is now home and expected to make a full recovery. I dedicate this post…

by Dr. Robert Foley

Canine Heartworm Infection: Don’t Let Heartworm Become A Heartbreak!

Keeping your dog healthy includes regular preventive health care. Timely administration of heartworm preventive medication is one of the preventive measures that all dog owners should be practicing. What are heartworms? Heartworms are mosquito-borne parasites that live in the heart and blood vessels of an infected dog. These worms cause damage, often significant, to the cardiovascular structures and can lead…

by Dr. Lorie Huston

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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