Symptoms

Elevated Liver Values in Dogs: What Would You Do if It Was Your Dog? Viva’s Elevated Liver Values

What do elevated liver values in dogs mean? The liver has so many jobs–elevated liver enzymes are a common finding. Diagnosing the problem can be a challenge. Viva was adopted when she was 5 years old. She has battled with several health issues over time. In the care of her new family, she has improved remarkably. Just when her dad…

by Jana Rade

Trouble Walking in Dogs: Joey’s Fast Decline. What Would You Do if It Was Your Dog?

Joey was accident-prone so when he started walking a little stiff, his mom thought he injured himself. Finding his forever home was the best thing that happened to Joey. He needed lots of work to adjust to life in the city home but he learned amazingly well and became the best dog ever. The first thing Joey’s mom noticed was…

by Jana Rade

Collapse in Dogs: Rufus’ Collapse. What Would You Do if It Was Your Dog?

Watching your dog suddenly collapse is one of the scariest things to experience. What can cause a collapse in dogs? The causes behind your dog’s sudden collapse include anything from an electric shock, poisoning, to endocrine disease and everything in between. Your dog might collapse if any of the following fails to function: nervous system musculoskeletal system respiratory system blood…

by Jana Rade

Megaesophagus in Dogs: Jake Is In Pain After Eating

Jake was a happy, healthy boy. But then, after a meal, he was apparently in distress and pain. After he ate, Jake was pacing around, crying, looking miserable, repeatedly asking to go outside. Because Jake is a big boy, bloat was the first main concern. Even though Jake wasn’t trying to vomit, all other signs looked very scary. Bloat is…

by Jana Rade

Listlessness in Dogs: Bailey Loses Interest in Life

When your Golden Retriever loses interest in food and activities, you can bet they are very ill. With Bailey, this came on suddenly. He stopped eating, would mostly lay around and drag himself around when he had to move and looked miserable. What is going on with Bailey? Something was very wrong, but Bailey couldn’t tell either his mom or his…

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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