Infections

Canine Tick-Borne Diseases: The Ticking Bomb

Ticks are external parasites that attach to the skin of a dog and then proceed to feed off of the dog’s blood. Not only are ticks uncomfortable for the dog, but they can also carry a number of diseases that can be passed on to the dog. Some of these diseases can be deadly if not caught and treated early…

by Dr. Lorie Huston

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

Canine Parvovirus

Canine parvovirus is a severe, potentially fatal gastrointestinal disease that infects dogs. Puppies and young dogs are most susceptible and tend to have the most severe infections. However, dogs that didn’t acquire immunity can get the infection at any age. Symptoms of parvovirus in dogs Parvovirus attacks the intestinal tract, essentially destroying the inner lining of the intestines. Symptoms most…

by Dr. Lorie Huston

Canine Distemper Virus

Canine distemper is a life-threatening disease that most commonly affects puppies and young dogs. Distemper is caused by a virus that can spread easily through an unimmunized (unprotected) population. Fortunately, adult dogs often develop some degree of immunity with age and are less likely to develop the disease. How Does Canine Distemper Spread? Canine distemper spreads through respiratory secretions that…

by Dr. Lorie Huston

Everything You Need To Know About Parvo

Parvoviruses are a species-specific single-stranded, non-enveloped DNA virus. The canine virus appeared by a mutation in the early 1970s. Subsequent mutations brought about the epidemics of canine parvovirus disease in 1978 – 1979. Since this was a new virus, the pet population did not have immunity to it. Most exposed dogs became very ill and many died. The virus invades…

by Dr. Keith Niesenbaum, 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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