Real-life Stories

Intestinal Obstructions in Dogs: Chance’s Upset Belly—The Case Of The Well-Hidden Obstruction

Gastrointestinal obstruction is the partial or full blockage of the digestive tract. It can occur in the stomach or in the intestine. It can be life-threatening. Symptoms might include vomiting diarrhea loss of appetite straining to poop pain lethargy Thank you, Dawn Munger, for sharing Chance’s story. Chance’s story Chance was a four y/o American Bulldog mix. I volunteer at…

by Jana Rade

Infected Uterus in Dogs: Congratulations, It’s a Pyometra—Miku’s Story

Pyometra is a life-threatening bacterial infection in the uterus of dogs. Miku is a female Akita, about seven years old. My friend is “babysitting” her—kind of. The exact circumstances aren’t that important. Miku’s story The whole story started with my friend asking how long a heat cycle should last. I have to admit I know very little about these things…

by Jana Rade

Intermittent Limping in a Dog: Could the Simplest Answer Be the Correct One? Suzie’s Limp

When Suzie first started limping, her foot was red and sore. This is the best-case scenario when it concerns lameness—self-evident, apparent, nonscary reason–a booboo on foot. The vet gave Suzie a shot of Convenia—an injectable antibiotic, the redness cleared up, and Suzie stopped favoring the leg. It’s not over However, a couple of weeks later, the lameness returned. Suzie started…

by Jana Rade

Managing Recovery in Multi-Dog Homes: Exercise And Injuries In A Multi-Dog Household—Rodrigo’s Limp

Controlling an active dog’s activity during recovery from injury or surgery can be difficult enough. What happens if you have more than one dog? I know how difficult it was to keep Jasmine and JD from playing after Jasmine’s knee surgeries. As well as the workarounds we invented while Jasmine was house-bound and JD still needed his exercise. Thank you,…

by Jana Rade

Anorexia in Dogs: Aspen’s Leukemia

Loss of appetite in dogs can be a sign of a life-threatening condition. When Aspen lost her appetite, it was the first visible sign of her leukemia. Here is her story. Aspen’s story We didn’t know Aspen was seriously ill. We had decided to take her to see Dr. B because she didn’t seem to be herself, and she was…

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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