Joint issues

Canine Hip And Elbow Dysplasia: Are They The Same Thing?

Hip and elbow dysplasia are a common cause of lameness in dogs. They sound like they should be the same thing, just involving different legs. Are they, though? Definition The word dysplasia has a rather broad meaning. It is from Greek, and it stands for malformation. In the context of veterinary medicine, dysplasia means abnormal development or growth. Both hip…

by Jana Rade

CCL Injury Conservative Management: Tucker’s Story

Is surgery the only option to treat your dog’s cruciate ligament tear? Are there non-surgical solutions to your dog’s knee injury? Thank you, Mandie, for sharing your conservative management experience and success the second time around. Tucker’s story Tucker is my (almost) 6-year-old American Bulldog. From our first meeting in the shelter, I should have known it would be a…

by Jana Rade

Small Dog CCL Injuries: Small Breeds Can Hurt Their CCL Too—Star’s Naughty Knee

CCL injuries are common in large breed dogs. However, the number of small breed dogs that tear their cruciate ligament is on a rise. It makes me stop and wonder how that might relate to how we’re breeding and what we’re feeding our dogs. As well as our dogs’ lifestyle and the environment are far from what it used…

by Jana Rade

Surviving The Post-Op: After Your Dog’s ACL/CCL Surgery

How to make it through your dog’s surgery recovery —tips for surviving the post-op time. You’re probably all worried; I was too. Let me start with the good news. Based on my experience with Jasmine’s bi-lateral ACL surgeries, I truly believe that the post-op recovery is actually going to be much easier for your dog than it will be for…

by Jana Rade

TightRope® CCL Fixation System: Dorie’s Knee Surgery

The TightRope surgery was developed as an upgrade to the lateral suture stabilization (LSS) for cruciate injuries in dogs. Is it a better technique with better results? Both techniques have their risks to reward ratio. While stronger than surgical suture, the perception is that the patented braided TightRope material is the main reason for potential complications. It has, however, worked…

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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