DEAR DR. FOX: I have three cats -- ages 1, 2 and 3 years old. They have never had their teeth cleaned. I took my previous cats to a veterinarian who would clean their teeth while he gave them their annual shots --without putting them under. I no longer have that veterinarian. I am concerned that the new vet wants to put my cats under general anesthesia. I'm worried about the cost and the danger.

What do you think about cats and teeth cleaning? -- S.F., St. Louis

DEAR S.F.: I am receiving more and more letters like yours, and it does concern me that veterinarians are putting cats and dogs through the risks of general anesthesia. In many instances, putting the cat under is not warranted when the teeth cleaning needed is minor and the animal is amenable to gentle and effective restraint in a blanket wrap. In some instances, a mild sedative must be administered.

It is true that the older veterinarians did not routinely put cats and dogs under for minor dental work. With new equipment, rising practice costs and a new generation of graduates more aware of the high incidence of dental diseases in cats and dogs -- in part due to the kinds of manufactured pet foods these animals are consuming -- giving a general anesthetic for any and all dental procedures is becoming a standard practice. But it needs to be questioned, especially when animals die as a consequence.

Very often only some tartar and scale on the back molars need to be removed, and this can be done with a fingernail.

Applying PetzLife Oral Care spray or gel formulated for cats can help loosen scale, fight any gum inflammation and reduce infection (oral dysbiosis). It should be used, in my opinion, for three to five days (closely following the manufacturer's instructions) before any dental procedure is done on cats and dogs. This may help reduce post-anesthetic complications associated with oral dysbiosis by reducing the inflammation and bacterial infection prior to dental surgery.

Such products can also be used on a routine, short-period basis as a way to prevent dental problems in pets. Try it along with safe chewy things cats and dogs enjoy, like scalded raw chicken wing tips and thin strips of beef shank meat for cats and organic rawhide strips (processed in the U.S) and scalded raw chicken or turkey necks for dogs.

For more details visit my website, DrFoxVet.com.

LAWN CHEMICALs AND THE RISK OF CANINE MALIGNANT LYMPHOMA

Malignant lymphoma is an all-too-common cancer in dogs. After adjustment for dogs' age, weight and other factors, the use of specific lawn-care products was found to be associated with greater risk of canine malignant lymphoma (CML), according to a recent report in the journal "Environmental Research" by Dr. B.B. Takashima-Uebelhoer and associates. Specifically, the use of professionally applied pesticide was associated with a 70 percent higher risk of CML. Risks were also higher in those reporting use of self-applied insect growth regulators, but the use of flea and tick control products was found to be unrelated to risks of CML.

(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 DrFoxVet.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I have two littermate cats whom I adopted as kittens in 1997. One was diagnosed with chronic renal failure (CRF) last March when he stopped eating dry cat food. He didn't eat much at all through April until I gave him Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Diet chicken. He ate one to two medallions per day along with some Temptations treats and a little milk. He tried to eat high-quality canned food by licking the liquid, but he always went back to the raw. Now my non-CRF cat also prefers frozen raw.

Are my cats showing that frozen raw is a better cat food, especially for the CRF cat? Is it better for the kidneys? -- D.L, Maryland Heights, Mo.

DEAR D.L.: You can thank your cat for showing you what will help improve his health. He is exercising what I call his "innate nutritional wisdom," which is so often thrown off when cats become addicted to certain manufactured cat foods, especially dry kibble. Dry food has been implicated in some kinds of CRF and lower urinary tract problems. For more details, see the new paperback edition of "Not Fit for a Dog."

I have long advocated whole foods for cats and dogs, and that includes frozen raw and freeze-dried raw foods. Always give your pet probiotics, and transition him or her slowly over a seven- to 10-day period from conventional diets to the better ones, like those on my website, DrFoxVet.com.

Some believe that because of its close ties with some of the big pet food manufacturers that see the raw food movement as a threat, the American Veterinary Medical Association, of which I am an Honor Roll member, has come out in opposition to raw food diets because of alleged public health concerns over bacterial contamination. But the fact is that cooking does not kill all these potential pathogens, and most pet food recalls due to salmonella and other bacterial contamination are with dry foods and treats, and rarely with the frozen raw foods!

MANUFACTURED DOG FOODS MISLABELED

The following PetfoodIndustry.com statement was given after the industry posted findings from tests it conducted to determine the accuracy of content labeling. It calls for greater vigilance and accountability, especially when dogs need to be put on a single-protein diet or a rotational diet because of possible food allergy/sensitivity:

"As in the human food industry, this type of mislabeling is typically not intentional on the part of the manufacturer. Rather, it is most often the result of mistakes during formulation or the receipt of mislabeled product from a supplier."

Twelve formulas listed no gluten source on the label, and five were labeled either gluten-free or grain-free. However, five of the 12 -- including two labeled gluten- or grain-free -- contained gluten at greater than 80 parts per million (ppm), a level much higher than the Food and Drug Administration's limit of 20 ppm to qualify for labeling as gluten-free in human foods.

Eight formulas tested positive for an animal protein not listed on the ingredient label, with two foods containing undeclared beef or sheep, five containing pork and one containing deer.

Two foods labeled as containing venison tested negative for deer, but instead contained beef, sheep or pork.

Two foods labeled as containing "meat and bone meal" (rather than a specific protein source) tested positive for pork. Because pork can be considered meat, these formulas were not technically mislabeled.

One may wonder about the accuracy of labeling of cat foods and foods from companies without their own manufacturing plants that contract out and share facilities with others using different ingredients. For those foods, cross-contamination is another issue.

COMMERCIAL RESTRICTED DIETS MAY HAVE HIDDEN ALLERGENS Commercial diets advertised for dogs with allergies may not live up to their labels, according to a recent study by Dr. D.M. Raditic and associates. The team evaluated the content of four over-the-counter (OTC) dry venison dog foods and found each contained common food allergens, including soy and beef, despite claims to the contrary.

If these four OTC venison products are representative of OTC products in general, then OTC venison dry dog foods should not be used during elimination trials in suspected food allergy patients.

(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 DrFoxVet.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I find myself in search of a 1- or 2-year-old dog to adopt and bring into my heart. I have always had purebreds, so I thought this would be the time to help. Well, so far it's for naught. I found a dog on a rescue website and he was a thousand miles away, so I had him driven up, only to find out he had been misrepresented. He had severe separation anxiety and acted like he had never been in a house. He kept trying to get out a window, so I made the decision to send him back and lose the transport fee.

That is my problem: All the dogs advertised locally seem to be in Texas or elsewhere. Is that what it's come to -- having to choose a companion from a photo and phone call? Then the rescue groups expect you to deal with all the animal's issues, and it's your fault if it fails. Dogs in local pounds have not been tested like those in foster homes, so I don't really want to bring in a dog I cannot trust.

Please help. Is there a better solution to my wanting a mutt? This cannot be good for the poor dogs. -- L.W., Pawcatuck, Conn.

DEAR L.W: First of all, I appreciate your dedication to rescuing a dog. It sounds like your first experience was with a puppy-mill breeder's dog who spent all his or her life in a cage or pen and was never properly socialized. As I document in my book "Inhumane Society: The American Way of Exploiting Animals," these commercial puppy breeding operations are an abomination and should be outlawed. But money rules in this culture of mammon, so I advise all prospective dog owners to adopt from the shelter or visit a local, in-home breeder to see the facilities and the pups' parents. Never buy online or from a pet store.

That poor dog needed a professional behavioral therapist and a veterinary specialist who could have worked in concert and prescribed psychotropic medications such as a light dose of Valium or Xanax while gradually taking the dog out and about. A body wrap that is fairly tight around the dog might also have helped make him feel more secure.

Good luck in your search!

DEAR DR. FOX: A few years ago, I adopted a senior cat and was amazed by the number of sounds she had in her vocabulary -- about 10 or 12. Sombra looked like a petite, miniature Maine coon (she was only 5 pounds), and I have been told they can be quite vocal -- trust me, she was!

The funniest sound: She would stroll into the kitchen and grumble at me. We would then hold a conversation as follows: "What?" More grumbling. "What?" More grumbling. We'd do this several times, at which point she would turn and stroll back out of the kitchen.

The eeriest sound: In the middle of the night, she would jump off the bed, go downstairs and start howling for all she was worth. It scared me to no end the first time she did it, and she kept it up until I went to see what was wrong. Well, nothing was wrong: She was standing at the foot of the stairs, looking up. As soon as she saw me, she shut up, came back upstairs and was good the rest of the night. She would do this sporadically, and I never found out why.

When she saw birds, she had a mean growling sound. For getting me out of bed, she would sit right by my ear and scream "meow" (just once, but it was effective). She also had a deep purr when she was content.

I no longer have Sombra, but those few years with her were wonderful. I would definitely recommend senior animals to anyone. -- R.G., Weldon Spring, Mo.

DEAR R.G.: Many people with cats will enjoy your vivid account of Sombra's vocal repertoire. The loud yowling (which old cats suffering from dementia will often do) was probably to call you out for a night prowl. My friend the late professor Paul Leyhausen, a German animal behaviorist, described this calling-out vocalization and many other remarkable sounds domestic cats can make. My e-book "Understanding Your Cat" details some of his and other scientists' studies of the complex feline psyche.

One of our formerly feral cats gives a chirp-meow whenever I pass by -- his way of saying "hi." He gives a similar call every time he jumps off a chair or cat condo. Our other ex-feral cat has a loud purr when content, which is often coupled with a high note that sounds like a bird trilling -- his song of secure happiness, no doubt.

(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 DrFoxVet.com.)