Dog care

Canine Leptospirosis Vaccination Decisions: Endemic Spread and Risk-Based Choices

Leptospirosis a zoonotic bacterial disease that affects many species, including dogs. The infection can cause mild flu-like symptoms or can turn into a life-threatening disease. Leptospirosis responds well to antibiotics—if treatment starts early. The real problem is recognizing it in time. Early symptoms often look like a mild flu—lethargy, poor appetite, vomiting—so diagnosis is frequently delayed. By then, the bacteria…

by Jana Rade

Dog First Aid Kit: What’s In Yours?

Do you have a first aid kit for your dog? Or do you think that you don’t need one? No matter how carefully you try to keep your dog safe, injuries and unlucky incidents happen. The situation doesn’t need to be life-threatening for you to benefit from having a first-aid kit on hand. I established a first-aid kit for my…

by Jana Rade edited by Dr. Joanna Paul BSc BVSc

Dog Poop Contents: What Is the Stuff in My Dog’s Poop? Should I See a Vet?

What else, other than color and consistency, should you look at when examining your dog’s stool? What does your dog’s poop contents tell you about their health? Mucus Healthy poop should not have any coating on it. Sometimes you’ll find poop covered by a slimy substance – mucus. Mucus is produced in the intestine to lubricate and protect the gut…

by Jana Rade

Dog Poop Color: Why Is My Dog’s Poop Weird Color?

Healthy dog poop is typically brown. What makes poop brown is bile—fluid from the gallbladder. Bile aids in the digestion and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. It also helps eliminate certain waste products from the body. There can be some variation in color depending on what your dog ate. You might notice that particularly when you’re feeding a variety…

by Jana Rade

Canine Fecal Analysis: What Can Your Dog’s Poop Reveal About Their Health?

Believe it or not, any wastes that come out of your dog’s body carry useful information. Gross is in the eye of the beholder. Our dogs feel about poop quite differently than we do. To a dog, poop can be a source of intel, a snack, as well as sometimes a source of missing nutrients. What can your veterinarian learn…

by Jana Rade edited by Dr. Joanna Paul BSc BVSc

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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