Conditions

Iliopsoas Injury Recovery Medications: What We Used to Facilitate Cookie’s Iliopsoas Injury Healing

Injured iliopsoas can be a bear to treat. During the orthopedic specialist’s exam, it turned out there was more pain going on than Cookie was letting on. We already had the experience with this injury from the past. With Jasmine, it took a very long time for her iliopsoas to heal. Besides strict rest, it was important to manage pain…

by Jana Rade

Dog Iliopsoas Injury Diagnosis: Figuring out What Might Be Going on with Cookie’s Legs

Diagnosis is a process. Sometimes, figuring out the reason for your dog’s mobility issues can be quite a journey. Most of the sinister reasons why Cookie’s legs weren’t working the way they should were more or less ruled out. We were awaiting the appointment with an orthopedic specialist hoping that we’ll get some definite answer(s). Appointment with an orthopedic specialist…

by Jana Rade

Bilious Vomiting Syndrome in Dogs: Stomach Unhappy from Too Much Bile?

Bilious vomiting syndrome in dogs is vomiting in response to bile-induced inflammation of the stomach. Too much stomach juices with nothing to absorb them irritates the stomach. The only thing the body knows to do is to dump it–vomit. The question is, however, what is really behind it other than simply absence of food in the stomach. Cookie’s stomach gets…

by Jana Rade

Transient Dog Mobility Issues: Figuring out What Might Be Going on with Cookie’s Legs—The Process

There are common causes behind dog mobility issues, and then there are mysteries. Cookie’s case started as a mystery. Cookie’s legs transiently not working as if they were partially paralyzed was a mystery. It was nothing I have seen before. I have put a lot of time and work into taking care of Cookie and figuring out what’s is going…

by Jana Rade

Ticks on Your Dog: It’s a Conversation if You’re Listening

It is well-known that ticks can harm your dog by the disease they carry. But can a tick bite itself hurt your dog? It might depend on where the tick attaches. It seemed to be the case with Sam whose foot became severely painful when a tick attached. Listening to your dog The only way to ever learn anything is…

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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