Articles with treatments

A Primer on Anesthesia in Dogs: What Do You Need To Know About Anesthesia?

When your dog‘s medical procedure requires anesthesia, it’s normal to be nervous. In addition to concerns about the procedure itself, dog owners usually have many questions about anesthesia: What kind of anesthesia will you use? What are the side effects? How do you administer it? Will my dog feel any pain at all? Can you perform the procedure with a…

by Dr. John A. Bukowski, DVM, and Dr. Susan E. Aiello, DVM

Dog Injuries Pain Management: Should You Say Yes To Pain Management?

Should you accept and even insist on pain management measures after your dog’s surgery or injury? It’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? Or is it? What would be your answer? A friend’s dog became lame and was diagnosed with a partial ACL tear. Their vet recommended to wait and see, even though the friend wanted to do surgery (I don’t know…

by Jana Rade

Bennett’s TPLO Surgery: Bennet Ruptured His Cruciate Ligament

Bennett was only 6-months-old when one evening, he started limping on his hind leg. Bennett’s parents were hoping his leg had just fallen asleep and he would walk out of it. But he did not. Perhaps he just sprained something? Bennett’s parents saw a vet right the next day to make sure that whatever happened gets taken care of properly.…

by Jana Rade

Antibiotics for Dogs: Did You Ever Wonder How Antibiotics Work?

Antibiotics are wonderful but narrowly specific tools in the fight against disease. An Antibiotic’s (Anti)Life Vision The goal of an antibiotic is to rid the body of disease-causing bacteria without causing harm to the animal. Not All Bacteria are Mean Bacteria are single-celled living organisms with a cell wall and without a nucleus. Most bacteria are harmless, and some are…

by Dr. Shawn Finch

Veterinary Kidney Dialysis: Can Hemodialysis Help Your Dog?

When your dog’s kidneys fail to do their job, dialysis can step in to remove toxins accumulated in the blood. In veterinary medicine, hemodialysis is used to buy time for dogs with acute kidney failure. Time is what a dog with acute kidney injury needs. Things that can cause injury to the kidneys include: over-the-counter medications medication overdose toxins (e.g.…

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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