Working with Veterinarians

Veterinary Reasonable Expectations: The Ability to Discuss Your Internet Research With Your Vet

Does your veterinarian welcome or frown upon your internet research? This is the sixth part of an ongoing series describing how people are developing new expectations when it comes to veterinary care for their pets. Parts one through five can be found at http://www.speakingforspot.com. Please take your time with this one- I realize it is a lengthy post, but there…

by Dr. Nancy Kay

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

Searching for a Vet: Finding Dr. Wonderful And Your Mutt’s Mayo Clinic⁠—Getting Started

How do you go about finding the ideal family veterinarian who works in a great clinic? This story is an excerpt from Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life by Dr. Nancy Kay. I chose this story because it particularly touched me, as it is quite similar to a situation we’ve…

by Jana Rade

Making Tough Medical Decisions For Your Dog—Lily’s Story

Figuring out what is ailing your dog is sometimes only the first step. Often the optimal treatment is straightforward. But there are times when figuring out what is best for your dog is far from easy. This story is an excerpt from Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life by Dr.…

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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