Emergencies

Pale Gums in a Dog: Bailey’s Story—What Would You Do if It Was Your Dog?

Do you know what it means when your dog has pale mucous membranes, such as gums? Do you think it would be an emergency? Pale, gray or white mucous membranes can be a sign of anemia, shock, blood loss or, severe dehydration, and more. The first thing that would be on my mind is anemia, an insufficient amount of red…

by Jana Rade

Laryngeal Paralysis in Dogs: Jake’s Laryngeal Paralysis

Jake is a senior Labrador Retriever, and his story starts with an emergency veterinary visit. The poor boy was rushed to the clinic blue and suffocating. Jake has laryngeal paralysis–these days recategorized as geriatric onset laryngeal paralysis polyneuropathy (GOLPP). It was thought that laryngeal paralysis was just that–paralysis of the voice box (larynx). The larynx is the organ that controls…

by Jana Rade

Are Bug Stings an Emergency?

Our guys got their share of bee stings. While painful and distressing, most bug stings indeed are not an emergency. The last time when Cookie stepped on a bee, she was very unimpressed. She was limping, shaking her foot, I could see it hurt a lot. Typically, I give Benadryl, but because Cookie was showing major signs of pain, I…

by Jana Rade

Is Head Pressing an Emergency?

Does the notion of your dog pressing their head into corners or against objects sound like not a big deal to you? Ok, I concede this sounds quite weird and more like a trick question than something that could be an emergency situation. Surely this sounds harmless enough? Not so fast. What does head pressing indicate? Head pressing indicates damage…

by Jana Rade

Is Dog Choking an Emergency?

If your dog is choking, they need help right away. There is no doubt about that. The bottom line, however, is that they need help much faster than you can get them to a vet. You need to perform first aid before seeking veterinary assistance. First aid for a choking dog You need to man up (or is it person…

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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