Articles with diagnoses

Canine Iliopsoas Injuries Symptoms: Sometimes You Don’t Even Know What You’re Looking At—Cookie’s Hind Legs Transiently Fail To Work

Canine iliopsoas injuries symptoms can be anything from subtle signs that you can easily miss to profound lameness. These injuries often go undiagnosed in dogs. Things you might notice in your dog include difficulty or stiffness when getting up reluctance to jump gait changes/ outward rotation of the affected leg stance changes intermittent lameness not lifting a leg to pee…

by Jana Rade

Abnormal Lab Results: How Far To Take It When The Dog Isn’t Sick?

Does an abnormal result on your dog’s lab work automatically mean there is a problem? Not necessarily. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek an explanation and retest. Cookie’s elevated ALT ALT is short for alanine aminotransferase, which is an enzyme found primarily in the liver but also in other tissues (kidneys, heart, muscles, and pancreas). When a cell is damaged,…

by Jana Rade

Elevated ALT in Dogs: Regular Wellness Exam—Cookie’s ALT Was Elevated

Checking ALT levels is the mainstay veterinary test for liver disease in dogs. The typical reason of ALT elevation is liver and bile duct disease but there are other potential causes. Further information: Why Are My Dog’s ALT Levels Abnormal? Cookie’s wellness exam Regular wellness exams are one of the most important things you can do for your dog. Many…

by Jana Rade

Canine Seasonal Allergies: Is Your Dog Secretly Suffering? Shadow’s Story

In dogs, the main way allergies manifest is through the skin and chronic ear infections. A dog can, however, have [sometimes serious] respiratory symptoms. Thank you, Krystn Janisse, for sharing Shadow’s story. Shadow’s story Shadow was a healthy active 5-year-old Labrador Retriever. He found his forever home with my family in the fall of 2003 at the age of 4.…

by Jana Rade

Veterinary Highlights: Analysis Of Dog Hair Reveals Hormonal Imbalance – redirect

Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism) is a common endocrinological disorder in dogs. It is estimated that one to two dogs our of a thousand/per year will get it. The symptoms are often written off as signs of normal aging and the diagnosis is complicated. Recent research at the Institute of Medical Biochemistry at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has shown that…

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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