Working with Veterinarians

Veterinary Medical Records: Access to Your Dog’s Medical Information–To Whom Do Your Dog’s Records Belong?

Do you have a hard time acquiring your dog’s labs and appointment notes? Or does your vet provide you a copy of everything readily? Online veterinary medical records Jasmine’s vet keeps web-based medical records. Online records are the best thing since sliced bread. I really loved having the constant full access to all medical information and discussions. Anything. Any time.…

by Jana Rade

What Makes a Good Veterinarian: Veterinarians Are People First

When I reflect on all the veterinarians we’ve worked with—and it had been quite a few, it brings up an important question. What makes a good veterinarian? Out of all the choices you need to make for your dog’s well-being, this is one of the essential decisions. A good veterinarian is worth their weight in gold. Spoiler alert: A good…

by Jana Rade

Seeking a Second Opinion for Your Dog

Choosing the right veterinarian and knowing when to seek a second opinion can be the difference between sickness and health, and sometimes the life and death of your dog. If there is a single take-home point of my blog, it is this—your dog’s health is ultimately in your hands. Making the right decisions for your dog is your responsibility, and…

by Jana Rade

Our Own Emergency Vet Horror: Jasmine’s Brush with Death—Veterinary Mistakes, Misdiagnoses, and Miscommunication

Stories of veterinary ER horrors are close to home—we had our own emergency vet horror. Jasmine’s life was nearly cut short if we went with their conclusions. If we had taken the ER vet’s word for it, we would have put Jasmine down because that was their recommendation. But that was only a small part of the whole ordeal. Story…

by Jana Rade

Vet Visit From Hell: Nudge’s Acid Reflux

When your dog gets sick, it is stressful enough. What if the veterinarian doesn’t communicate? Thank you, Kaitlin Falatovich, for sharing Nudge’s story. Nudge’s story I’m sure you, too, have days when it seems that the whole world is conspiring against you. Unfortunately, I had one of those days recently. My pup was suffering from some stomach pain. Being the…

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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