Working with Veterinarians

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. In fact, if we went with their conclusions, Jasmine’s life was nearly cut short. If we took 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.…

by Jana Rade

Picking an Animal Vet Clinic: Are Large Clinics Better?

Are the criteria for picking an animal vet clinic identical to choosing a veterinarian? Are those one and the same? And which is more important to quality veterinary care? When looking for the highest quality veterinary care for your dog, it is important to consider both things—the animal hospital and the veterinarian. There are overlaps but you cannot substitute one…

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

Veterinary Doorknob Questions: Before You Leave the Office

Did your veterinarian answer all your questions and addressed your concerns? Are there things you forgot to ask? Don’t ever leave the vet’s office unless you’re fully satisfied that you understand what is going on with your dog. You should be walking out either with a diagnosis and a treatment plan or at least a plan of action and further…

by Jana Rade

Veterinary Visit Checklist: Before the Visit

Do you know what questions to ask your veterinarian? In the past, when I was going to a vet, whether it was for a scheduled exam or with a medical problem, I just went. What else would one need, right? Show up, bring the dog–that’s it, isn’t it? Then I came home and realized how many things I forgot to…

by Jana Rade

Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer by day, dog health advocate, dog writer, member of the Dog Writers Association of American and an award-winning author. 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 in 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 how to 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 save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners . What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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