Articles with Real-life Stories

Purpose of Differential Diagnoses: Rant About Quality Of Life Versus Quantity, And Differential Diagnoses

So Jasmine broke out with a third skin infection in quite a short time. This time it was a nasty bacterial folliculitis—inflammation of hair follicles—around the base of her tail. Further reading: Folliculitis in Dogs She lost a bunch of fur, which left her with bald patches. The infection seemed to have cleared up with antibiotics and topical treatment. Even…

by Jana Rade

Abscess Behind the Eye in Dogs: Lola’s Price for Chewing on Rose Bushes

How likely are you to figure that an abscess behind the eye could have anything to do with what goes into the mouth? The mouth and the eyes are different things, aren’t they? They are not in any way connected, are they? Lola’s story Lola is a Golden Retriever puppy. Like most dogs her age, she has to try chewing…

by Jana Rade

Canine Hip Dysplasia: Indy’s Struggle with Sore Hips

You might think of hip dysplasia as sore, arthritic hips. While it is true that arthritis inevitably develops, hip dysplasia means an unstable hip joint. You can learn more about hip dysplasia and how to prevent it here. Thank you, Angie Falcsik, for sharing Indy’s story. Indy’s story Indy’s story began about four years ago when Indy was just six…

by Jana Rade

Distended Abdomen in a Dog: Gretel’s Brush With Scary Bloat

Should you rush your dog to the vet at the slightest sign of not feeling well? What if their stomach is swollen and hard? There are times when things are best left to resolve on their own, and there are times when not treating is the better strategy. Particularly when treatment equals drugs, such as antibiotics, steroids, and the like.…

by Jana Rade

Canine Fecal Transplants: Fecal Transplant Saves A Puppy Dying from Parvo: Felix’s Story

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FTM) treatment is a potentially game-changing addition to traditional supportive treatment for parvo. There is some emerging evidence that this treatment can make a world of difference in the chance of survival for infected puppies. Felix’s story Felix, a sweet Yellow Lab puppy, fell ill shortly after his parents brought him home from a breeder. He was…

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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