Joint issues

CCL/ACL Injury in a Rottweiler: How The Odyssey Started—Jasmine’s ACL Injury

Rottweilers, like other large-breed dogs, have increased predisposition to CCL/ACL injuries. Morpheus: What happened, happened and couldn’t have happened any other way.Neo: How do you know?Morpheus: We are still alive. The Matrix Reloaded Jasmine’s story When Jasmine started limping that summer, we didn’t think too much of it. It wasn’t the first time it happened. Jasmine had injured her hind…

by Jana Rade

CCL Injury in Golden Retriever: Knowledge Is Your Friend—Brittni’s ACL/CCL Injury

Some breeds are more susceptible to CCL injuries and Golden Retrievers are, sadly, one of them. Thank you, Lindsay Stordahl, for sharing Brittni’s story. Brittni’s story I had never heard about knee injuries in dogs until my golden retriever Brittni tore her ACL at age 5. Now I know that anterior cruciate ligament injuries are fairly common in all dog…

by Jana Rade

Large Dog Extracapsular Repair: ACL/CCL Injuries In Dogs—Xena’s Story

Extracapsular Lateral Suture Stabilization (ELSS), or simply extracapsular repair is a surgical procedure that provides stability to a canine stifle after a cruciate ligament tear. A leg with an unstable knee is dysfunctional, painful, and arthritis follows fast. The available treatment options include surgical, regenerative and conservative solutions. The goal of any treatment for ruptured cruciate ligaments is restoring stability…

by Jana Rade

Canine Luxating Patella: Surgical Repair Options for Patellar Luxation in Dogs

Luxating patella is the dislocation of the kneecap–the small bone in front of the knee joint. Your veterinarian might recommend surgical intervention for patellar luxation grade II or higher. Kneecap anatomy At the top, the kneecap attaches to the quadriceps tendon and at the bottom to the patellar ligament. The kneecap not only protects the front of the knee. It also…

by Jana Rade edited by Dr. Joanna Paul BSc BVSc

Luxating Patella in Large Dogs: Juno’s Floating Kneecap

No, I didn’t get the photo mixed up. Juno is a 96 pound Dogue De Bordeaux, and this is her story. If a big girl like Juno starts limping on her hind leg, you’d think the prime suspects would be a torn cruciate ligament or hip dysplasia–issues that large breed dogs are most likely to get. Luxating patella is something that…

by Jana Rade

Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and 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.

View Full Profile →