Articles with dog health advocacy

Veterinary Diagnostic Mistakes: Trust Your Gut! The Story Of Blind Maximus

Even the smallest eye injury can quickly develop into a big disaster. Never take chances with your dog’s eyes because the risk of blindness is high. Is it a better or worse scenario when you do your due diligence, but things work out poorly anyway? Thank you, Blind Maximus, for sharing your story. Maximus’ story Hello there. My story is…

by Jana Rade

Dog Health and Vaccines: Problems With Canine Over-Vaccination

First and foremost, vaccinations are an important component of health care, prevention, and wellness for your dog. I am, by no means, recommending not vaccinating your dog. It is vitally important to vaccinate appropriately. For the core vaccines of distemper, parvo, adenovirus (together called DAP), and rabies, appropriate vaccination is as young puppies not before nine weeks of age and…

by Dr. Daniel Beatty, DVM

Medication Overdose in Dogs: Trusting Your Instincts May Save Your Dog’s Life—Brandy’s Story

Thank you, Carol Bryant, for sharing Brandy’s story of serious medication overdose. I feel a connection to Jana Rade and her dog, Jasmine, although we’re yet formally meet. Dogs often bring people together, and that is certainly the case for me: Most of my friends and connections are “dog people.” A fan of Jana’s Facebook group and her blog, I…

by Jana Rade

Examine Your Dog’s Pee: What’s In The Urine? What You Can Notice On Your Own

Examining your dog’s urine can provide a great deal of information about their physical condition and health. Urine contains compounds produced by the body, and monitoring them can provide valuable diagnostic clues. Changes in urination and urine quality can not only indicate problems within the urinary tract itself. They can signify a systemic disease. Urinary habits If you notice any…

by Jana Rade

Signs of Pain in Dogs: Veterinarians Answer Whether They Often Have Difficulties Getting Clients To Believe Their Dog Is In Pain

Would you know if your dog was in pain? Would you believe if your veterinarian told you? Many people are still denial about their dog’s pain. I asked my veterinary friends how commonly they deal with denial regarding signs of pain in dogs. Question: Do you often have difficulties getting clients to believe that their dog is in pain? How…

by Jana Rade

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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