Joint issues

Cruciate Tear Conservative Management: Sandy’s Story

Can conservative, non-surgical solution work for canine cruciate ligament tears in large dogs? The best answer to the above question is that it depends. It depends on the type and degree of the tear overall health, and condition of the dog the solution used and the ability to get your dog to cooperate Is there any harm in trying? The…

by Jana Rade

Triple Tibial Osteotomy: My Two Cents on TTO Cruciate Repair

Don’t let your veterinarian present you with a single option for surgical repair of your dog’s torn cruciate ligament. It does matter whether your surgeon is comfortable with any particular procedure. However, it is also important to discuss or research all available options. Figuring out how you want to treat your dog injured knee is an important decision. Surgery is…

by Jana Rade

ACL/CCL Injuries in Dogs: Non-Surgical Alternatives? – redirect

Did your dog suffer an ACL injury? If you are anything like I was, you are searching high and low for a non-surgical solution. Your options will depend on the severity of the injury. There is a chance that partial tears can respond to non-surgical treatment. Once the ligament is fully torn, I believe that surgery is the only effective…

by Jana Rade

Extracapsular Repair Healing Time – redirect

The convalescence time after an extracapsular repair is six months. When researching the TPLO surgery option, we were also told the recovery time was going to be six months. During that time it is important to follow strict post-operative care. We combined the extracapsular repair with a stem cell therapy treatment. Three months after the surgery, when Jasmine’s other knee…

by Jana Rade

ACL Injuries in Dogs and Stem Cell Regenerative Therapy – redirect

Jasmine, our female Rottweiler, was five and a half years old when, after persistent lameness, she was diagnosed with bilateral ACL injuries. It was found that she had a partial ACL tear in her left knee and a partial tear or a stretched ligament in her right knee. The suggested solution, a TPLO to repair her lame leg, with a…

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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