Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Dog Fecal Transplantation: Solution for Penny’s Chronic Diarrhea and Weight Loss

Severe or chronic GI disease can be challenging to treat. Dogs with severe chronic problems without a clear cause often don’t respond to treatment. The underlying factors can be genetic, environmental, immune, or involve the state of intestinal bacteria. In fact, the disruption in intestinal microbiota appears to be the key. Probiotic therapy can prove helpful. However, there is a…

by Jana Rade

Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Dogs: Why I Dislike IBD

Diseases that require surgery to reach a definitive diagnosis are frustrating to deal with. No matter how persuasive I try to be, owners are understandably reluctant to think that biopsying some internal bit of their sick dog is a great idea. Now the shoe’s on the other foot, so to speak. I recently adopted a pup with just such a…

by Dr. Jennifer Coates, DVM

Intestinal Lymphangiectasia in Dogs: What the Heck is Intestinal Lymphangiectasia—Leroy’s Story

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get. Inflammatory bowel disease is a form of auto-immune disease in which the stomach and/or intestine become overwhelmed by inflammatory cells. The resulting chronic inflammation leads to changes in the lining of the digestive tract, messing with passage and absorption of food. At the…

by Jana Rade

Diagnosing IBD in Dogs: New Way to Diagnose Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)?

Inflammatory bowel disease in dogs is as nasty as it is difficult to diagnose conclusively. Often, the diagnosis is made by eliminating other issues. That’s because the only way to properly diagnose it is by biopsy of the gut. Which means getting in there and grabbing a chunk. That is about as far from non-invasive as it gets. And it’s…

by Jana Rade

Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Jasmine’s IBD—Undiagnosed For Five Years

Inflammatory bowel disease is a syndrome caused by an immune reaction to chronic irritation of the GI tract. The cause is poorly understood but the result is immune cells infiltrating the tissues of the gastrointestinal tissues. The common theorized causes are chronic parasites, bacterial infections, or food allergies. Symptoms can vary in severity but commonly consist of chronic vomiting, diarrhea…

by Jana Rade

Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer by day, dog health advocate, dog writer, member of the Dog Writers Association of America, and an award-winning author in my spare time. 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 into 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 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 use 20 years of hard-earned experience to save others from the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way, as I did.

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