DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 5-year-old pug. He has several black spots that look like warts on his stomach.

The veterinarian I took him to retired, so a young vet has taken over. The previous vet put him on steroids, but the new vet said she could remove them with surgery. She tells me the warts are caused by a virus.

What could be causing these growths? What options do I have besides surgery? Can I be infected by this virus? -- D.J.W., Uniontown, Pa.

DEAR D.J.W.: Yes, your dog's warts are caused by a virus. But since it's different from the viruses that cause warts in humans, you have nothing to worry about. You can't get an infection from handling your dog.

I am glad that the veterinarian who prescribed steroids has been replaced. Steroids could make the problem worse and have other side effects.

Try "painting" the warts two to three times a day with apple cider vinegar -- you'll have to stop your dog from licking it off for about 30 minutes. If you see no improvement in a few weeks, I would consider surgery. Have the surgery done soon if any of the warts seem infected or ulcerated and are causing your dog discomfort.

Several other home remedies for warts are in the archives section on my website, www.twobitdog.com/DrFox. Some readers have found success by applying vitamin E squeezed out of the gelatin capsules.

DEAR DR. FOX: My ferret, Sparky, is 6 years old, and he has halitosis. When I am playing with him, my hands sometimes smell bad from his saliva. Sometimes he drools a lot.

He won't chew bones to keep his teeth clean. What do you advise? -- S.K.L., Springfield, Mo.

DEAR S.K.L.: Ferrets, especially older ones like yours, are prone to developing gingivitis, an inflammation and infection of the gums; tartar, especially on the upper back teeth; and periodontal disease.

Have your ferret examined by a veterinarian, especially because any of these dental problems can lead to complications, including heart, kidney and pancreatic diseases due to bacteria, toxins and inflammatory substances that build up in the ferret's diseased oral cavity.

After professional dental care, maintain oral hygiene by providing your ferret with thin strips of raw beef or slices of raw turkey gizzard to chew. Applying PetzLife Oral Care gel or spray will help keep the teeth free of tartar and maintain healthy gums.

DEAR DR. FOX: I had a cat named Samantha who lived to be 22 years old. The vet said he could have lived until he was 23 years old. (He had only nine months to go.) I had to have him put to sleep as he had throat cancer. The vet said he lived a good life and was well taken care of.

He ate all types of dry and moist cat food, plus tuna, chicken, turkey, salmon, ham, sweet potatoes and flaxseed oil. He was an indoor cat who never got fleas and who walked on a leash like a puppy. He was more like a kid than a cat.

He slept in my arms like a baby at night. He would use his litter box one time, then come to me and meow to let me know he wanted the litter changed. When company would come, he would go down the steps to greet them. (I live in an upstairs apartment.) He loved to go for walks, and he loved to have his hair combed like a person.

I could write more, but I should stop. I'm thinking about writing a book about that cat. -- N.K., Romney, W.Va.

DEAR N.K.: Cat owners and lovers will enjoy your brief story about life with Samantha.

Some of the ways to help cats enjoy a long and healthy life are confirmed in your letter -- love and understanding, a nutritious diet, and keeping your cat indoors unless walking on a leash.

Flaxseed oil is good for dogs and most humans, but it is inadequate for cats, who need fish oil as a source of essential fatty acids.

My book "Supercat" details other ways to enrich the lives of indoor cats and includes interactive games that can be applied to test cats' IQs. Some cats are brighter than others; they have greater insight, reasoning, focus and dexterity.

I wish more people would have more than one cat. Adopting littermates or a mother and her kitten(s) is an easy way to have multiple cats. Check my website for details about introducing a new cat.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox's website at www.twobitdog.com/DrFox.)

DEAR DR. FOX: My daughter found Mulligan the kitten on a golf course in Richmond, Va. Mulligan had partial paralysis in her hind legs, but quickly regained use of them. She had extreme difficulty with bowel movements, probably as a result of the same injury that created the partial paralysis in her legs. No amount of Cat Lax, the natural laxative, helped.

About two months after we got her, she developed a prolapsed rectum from straining to defecate. After an emergency visit to our vet to repair the damage and take X-rays, we took her to a specialist at an animal hospital. The doctor confirmed that she had a megacolon, and surgery was performed that day to remove all but an inch and a half of her colon.

The vet prescribed mixing Metamucil with her food to provide near-normal bowel movements. For 15 years, we did this with generally successful results. Mulligan ate a 5.5-ounce can of wet food each day, and although she struggled at times in the litter box, she was able to lead a fairly normal life as an indoor cat. She was a joy to my wife, who took care of her for all those years. -- J.B., Potomac, Md.

DEAR J.B.: Thank you for sharing the encouraging success story about your injured cat who, after appropriate diagnosis and treatment, enjoyed a long and happy life.

Many people in your situation would have elected to have the cat euthanized. Costs notwithstanding, and with never a guarantee of total recovery, cats and dogs have amazing recuperative abilities when coupled with the expertise of a veterinarian. Above all, animals need the commitment and patient support of their in-home caregivers, without whom the possibility of even partial recovery may never become a reality.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have never told this to anyone before, but I think it may help some readers.

I had a cat who slept and died at the foot of my bed. About a year later, when I went to bed at night, I felt it walking around at the foot of the bed. I had a dog who would jump up and run next to my head, trembling, when it happened. Eventually the dog refused to sleep on the bed. It scared me so much I would say the Lord's Prayer, and the walking would stop.

I miss the cat and dog so much. The little dog died from kidney failure at about 4 years of age. The cat was an indoor-outdoor, and someone poisoned it. It dragged itself home after it had been missing for two days. I laid it on my bed. It had a few seizures, lifted its tail up and down as if in farewell and died.

The walking was a constant foot padding I felt on my feet and lower legs. I'm glad it stopped. -- T.L., Chesapeake, Va.

DEAR T.L.: Some people with experiences such as yours think they are going crazy, or share your fear over some disembodied presence that they can feel but not see. Such presences can affect senses other than touch -- some people hear the claws on the floor, purring or whimpering, or see a visual image, often fleeting or mist-like. For details, visit my website, www.twobitdog.com/DrFox.

The logical argument that all of these manifestations are like holographic projections of our own conditioned memories is defeated when other household members -- human and, in your case, a companion animal -- also sense and respond to the disembodied presence.

Apart from your cat's traumatic and tragic death, your experience, if not an affirmation of your cat's devotion and attachment to being close to you on the bed, is at least a phenomenal one that was affirmed by your dog. And it opens us to the great mystery of life and spirit, if not to feelings of reverence and awe.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox's website at www.twobitdog.com/DrFox.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I'm concerned about the recent experience I had with a sick cat. There doesn't seem to be any palliative care for pets the way there is for humans who are suffering, and I don't understand why that is.

Jingles, my lovely little buddy, was about 16 years old. I'd had her for 12 years. In early December 2011, she started to have upper respiratory problems. I took her to my vet on Dec. 5, and she was given a shot of what I believe was an antibiotic for a possible sinus infection.

She continued to get worse, so I took her back on Dec. 12. She was given a blood test -- she had high white blood cell counts, but otherwise normal liver and kidney values -- and Pepcid and dexamethasone injections.

As a last-ditch effort on Dec. 13, I brought her back to the vet, and she was given a Convenia injection.

Jingles only got worse. My vet doesn't do in-home euthanasia. The people the vet's office recommended didn't want to do the euthanasia unless I had taken her to an animal hospital -- which I did on Dec. 14. I was there for hours. I knew she was dying, but I made her go through all these tests in her weakened state because they wanted to make sure she was sick. Four hundred dollars later, the diagnosis was that she probably had lymphoma. She had lost half her weight, was no longer eating and was the sickest I've ever seen any living thing. Because of her age, I opted for euthanasia rather than chemo. Before I left the hospital, they gave her mirtazapine, a famotidine injection and subcutaneous fluids.

She found peace on Dec. 16 with the help of the in-home vet.

What I've left out of this narrative is the emotional wreck I was. I carted her all over town in her final days, made her get shot after shot, missed work, cried at work, etc. I'm still so sad just writing this. I understand that animals get old and sick. What I don't understand is why there doesn't seem to be any type of hospice mentality in the veterinary profession. I'm no doctor, but I think all those injections were a futile attempt to save her, and none was to ease her suffering -- except the final one. I knew she was dying; surely these professionals did too.

Please help me understand why there is no kitty morphine or even kitty aspirin. Why did my sweet old girl have to toss and turn in pain in her final days, waiting for the in-home vet, when she could have had some of her discomfort ameliorated with a little palliative care? -- M.T., Oakton, Va.

DEAR M.T.: Your detailed, tragic account of the last days of your poor cat raises serious ethical questions for companion animal veterinarians to address.

I have discussed these in my new, controversial book, "Healing Animals and the Vision of One Health" (CreateSpace), where we see similar parallels in the extended, costly care and suffering of the terminally ill victims of the human health-care industry. Providing security and relief from fear and pain when there is no chance of recovery is the best medicine.

In-home hospice care for humans (which we provided for my late father-in-law) is a blessing that is becoming more widely practiced across the U.S. It is just a matter of time before such services are provided for companion animals like yours -- who already had the unquestioned benefit of in-home euthanasia. There are a few veterinarians where I live (in Minneapolis) who operate an exclusively in-home hospice care practice. I hope your letter encourages more veterinarians to follow this compassionate path.

DEAR DR. FOX: In late August, we adopted a very handsome, neutered, longhaired German shepherd, Bear. He is about 5 years old and as sweet and gentle as can be.

A month or so after we got Bear, he began to whine loudly whenever we went anywhere in the truck. He willingly jumps into the truck when we are ready to go, but the whining starts before we've left the driveway. There appears to be nothing in particular that causes Bear to do this.

Since we were driving to see my mother on Christmas Eve, we got a prescription of alprazolam from his vet to try to calm him while on the road.

At 7:30 that morning, we gave him a half tablet. We left at 9. We had not gone a block before he started howling. It continued to get worse and worse until we stopped 10 minutes later and gave him the other half. We opened the window and let him hang his head outside for a few minutes -- when his head is out the window, he is 90 percent better -- but it was cold. After our experience with his behavior while under the influence of the prescription drug, we probably will not drug him again.

Today we took him to the dog park about 25 minutes away. Loud howling started immediately. For the few minutes I allowed him to have his head out the window, he was OK; when the window was closed he howled until I filled his Kong toy with treats to keep him quiet and occupied. Sometimes even when the window is open, he whines.

It appears to be an anxiety attack, but what would have brought on such behavior? Do you have any suggestions as to how we can change it? His Bark Buster trainer has no ideas. At his suggestion, we tried the Thundershirt, but it made no difference. -- C.B., Springfield, Va.

DEAR C.B.: Your dog is probably suffering from a combination of anxiety and excitement.

Alprazolam is a potent anti-anxiety drug, effective for many dogs who are afraid of fireworks or have developed specific phobias. But the effective dose for many dogs can make them groggy and uncoordinated, which can have the effect of making the dog more fearful, possibly because they feel more vulnerable.

Many dogs benefit from wearing a bandanna imbued with a few drops of lavender oil around the neck.

Since getting treats out of his Kong works briefly, fill it with peanut butter and freeze it so it will last longer. Get two or three for a longer drive, and store them in a cooler. Try giving him a Nylabone. For motion sickness, a big piece of ginger candy can provide relief.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox's website at www.twobitdog.com/DrFox.)