Symptoms

Severe Vomiting in Dogs: What Happens in a Dog’s Body with Severe Vomiting?

We all know that vomiting is bad, but many dog owners don’t understand exactly how much damage severe or prolonged vomiting can do to a dog’s body. Dehydration Severe vomiting causes direct loss of water from the body but equally important is the fact that it prevents dogs from holding down and absorbing water that they try to drink to…

by Dr. Jennifer Coates, DVM

Canine Flea Allergy Dermatitis: Fionna’s Itchiness and Skin Lesions

Do you believe that if you don’t find fleas on your dog, they can’t have a flea problem? You’d be wrong. If your dog is allergic, all it takes is a single flea bite to trigger flea allergy dermatitis. The flea might be long gone, and the problem lingers. How common is this? Skin inflammation due to flea bite allergy…

by Jana Rade

Nasal Foreign Body in a Dog: Foster’s Sneezing and Bloody Nose

Allergies in dogs typically manifest through itchy skin rather than sneezing. Infections or foreign bodies are a much more likely culprit. Consider the season, your dog’s environment, and lifestyle as part of the bigger picture. When your dog’s violent sneezing combines with a nose bleed, the symptoms start to paint a picture. Common causes of excessive sneezing in dogs foreign…

by Jana Rade

Head-Shaking and Swollen Lymph Nodes: Murphy’s Indolent T Cell Lymphoma

Sometimes, when you hear hooves, zebras show up. The most common cause of excessive head-shaking is discomfort in the ears. The causes might include: allergies foreign bodies inflammation infections parasites polyps Infections, on the other hand, are typically secondary to another problem, such as allergies. Further reading: Excessive Head Shaking in Dogs Lymph nodes are part of the lymphatic system;…

by Jana Rade

Causes of Vomiting in Dogs: Why Is My Dog Throwing Up?

Vomiting is only a symptom, not a disease in itself. There are many different diseases and disease processes that can cause vomiting in dogs. When your dog is vomiting persistently or severely, successful treatment relies on finding the cause. Gastrointestinal causes of vomiting in dogs Many diseases affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can cause your dog to vomit. These diseases…

by Dr. Lorie Huston

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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