Articles with diagnoses

Really Angry Vet on Seizures: Winston’s First Seizure

A wonderful client of mine brought her 12-year-old Boxer to see me. Last night, Winston had his first seizure. Because it was after hours, the owners found themselves at a local 24-hour veterinary facility. They came in today to discuss what had happened last night. They wanted me to examine their dog and get my opinion about the next step…

by Dr. Robert Foley

Canine Lyme Disease: Treating Lab Results Versus Treating The Dog

What does a positive test result mean and what should you do? In certain parts of the United States, this is a scenario that happens relatively often. Your dog has a routine test performed for Lyme disease, which comes back positive. But your dog is not ill and is showing absolutely no sign of disease. In my part of the…

by Dr. Lorie Huston

Canine Blood Tests: What’s In The Blood—Blood Testing And Interpretation

Blood work is a standard, non-invasive evaluation tool in veterinary medicine. The results can shed light on your dog’s general health and organ function. Blood testing is used for the following: wellness evaluation pre-surgical screening illness diagnosis Introduction Every day, all day, cells within the body are being constantly replaced. You lose a layer of skin, and a new layer…

by Dr. Lorie Huston

Gastric Dilatation And Volvulus (GDV): What Causes It?

Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV) is a life-threatening emergency condition that affects predominantly deep-chested large breed dogs. Gastric dila-what? You’re probably more familiar with the term bloat. And if you don’t know that one either, and own a large, deep-chested breed, you better do your homework quick. Introduction Gastric dilatation and volvulus is as deadly as cancer, except it kills…

by Jana Rade

Veterinary Diagnosis The Whole Picture: When The Test Results Don’t Match What’s In Front Of You

As is true for all healthcare professionals, veterinarians sometimes develop tunnel vision. Now and then, they become so focused on test results that they fail to consider whether or not these results actually make sense in relation to the animal sitting atop their exam room table. When the patient’s appearance says one thing and test results indicate something different, astute…

by Dr. Nancy Kay

Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer by day, dog health advocate, dog writer, member of the Dog Writers Association of American and an award-winning 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.

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