Articles with wellness exams

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

Regular Wellness Exam: Cookie’s ALT Was Elevated

Regular wellness exams are one of the most important things you can do for your dog. Many problems can be caught long before they cause clinical signs. Things you missed can be discovered. A regular health evaluation can address early dental disease, weight issues, orthopedic issues and catch a systemic disease or organ damage early. JD’s results didn’t show any…

by Jana Rade

Practicing What I Preach: Jasmine’s Semi-Annual Wellness Exam

Taking care of your best friend, there are few things that are really way more important than people recognize. Regular wellness exams are definitely one of them. A healthy young dog should be seen by a veterinarian at least once a year. Senior dogs should have their checkups at least twice a year. Why take your dog to the vet…

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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