Dog health advocacy

Don’t Wait to Aspirate: JD Grows New Bumps

Nobody likes to find new bumps on their dog, particularly since one was a mast cell tumor already. Since having his bumps aspirated and a mast cell tumor removed last October, JD decided to grow a couple of new ones. Again, they were quite small and there was the possibility that he might have run into a branch and that’s…

by Jana Rade

Controlling Activity Post-Injury: Cookie’s Iliopsoas Injury—Battling the Zoomies

What to do when you need to restrict activity of your active dog post injury or surgery? Crate rest is fine very short-term but eventually, the dog needs to get moving. The same goes for chemical restraint such as Trazodone. Explaining that they need to curb their enthusiasm to your wild dog doesn’t always get through. Plans are great as…

by Jana Rade

Should Diagnostics Hurt? Invasive Diagnostics and Painful Examinations—When What You Should Do Might Not Be What You Should Do for Your Dog

Is pain a fair price to pay to obtain a diagnosis? I like when things are clear and simple. I wish there was a book that contained the best way to make difficult decisions. You follow the advice. All is well. Unfortunately, very few things are that simple. And it’s not just about medical procedures alone. Sometimes it’s just as…

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

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

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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