Dog health advocacy

Smelly Diarrhea in Dogs: Max’s Stinky Runny Poop

Doesn’t all diarrhea smell bad? There is no such thing as poop smelling like roses. When your dog’s runny diarrhea smells worse than you’d expect, does it have a meaning? Parvovirus diarrhea is one with distinct foul smell. However, what if you’re dog is a vaccinated adult? Other potential conditions that can lead to diarrhea with particularly foul odor include:…

by Jana Rade

Veterinary Urinalysis: What Can a Veterinarian Learn from Your Dog’s Pee

In part one we discussed what important information you can get by paying attention to your dog’s pee. In the end, all you need to assess is whether your dog needs to see a vet and how soon. Your vet is much better at reading your dog’s urine—after all, they’ve got the tools! Urinalysis is the technical term for a…

by Jana Rade

Dog Health and Vaccines: Problems With Canine Over-Vaccination

First and foremost, vaccinations are an important component of health care, prevention, and wellness for your dog. I am, by no means, recommending not vaccinating your dog. It is vitally important to vaccinate appropriately. For the core vaccines of distemper, parvo, adenovirus (together called DAP), and rabies, appropriate vaccination is as young puppies not before nine weeks of age and…

by Dr. Daniel Beatty, DVM

Assessing Lameness in Dogs: Measuring Leg Circumference—Cookie’s PRP Treatment for Partial Cruciate (CCL/ACL) Tear and Leg Circumference

Muscle mass measurements are a useful tool to evaluate the use of limbs. The following methods can estimate muscle mass: limb circumference measurements ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) Measuring leg circumference is an option that is readily available and affordable. Further information: Assessing and Measuring Rehabilitation Outcomes Jasmine’s vet always said that…

by Jana Rade

Dog Recovery Chemical Restraint: Our Use of Trazodone during Cookie’s Iliopsoas Injury Recovery

Strict rest at first, and limited activity thereafter are essential to successful recovery from injury or surgery. Keeping an active dog for re-injuring themselves during the recovery period is easier said than done. Cookie’s recovery from iliopsoas injury Poor Cookie was under house arrest to get her iliopsoas muscles to heal. Naturally, strict rest was the mainstay of her treatment.…

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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