DEAR DR. FOX: Recently, I adopted a stray dog from the Humane Society. He is 8 years old, and part Lhasa apso, part poodle. He's a very sweet and bright animal.

He has the strange habit of licking the sofa cushion and barking constantly. I am sure this is not healthy, but according to the veterinarian, it's just a habit. I don't agree. Is there something that can be done to cure him? -- D.M.W., Naples, Fla.

DEAR DR. FOX: Two months ago, I took in a 12-year-old female shih tzu. She had a yeast infection. I changed her dog food, and she seems to be over the infection. But she is constantly licking her face, her dog bed and the rugs.

Can you tell me why she is doing this? -- G.S., Mt. Airy, N.C.

DEAR D.M.W. and G.S.: This excessive licking is an obsessive-compulsive behavior, and it is quite common in toy and miniature breeds. As one of the founding fathers of applied animal ethology/veterinary behavioral therapy, I caution against immediately jumping to a psychological diagnosis before ruling out possible physical causes.

A thorough veterinary evaluation is called for to check for a possible source of chronic inflammation: conjunctivitis, gingivitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, contact dermatitis, possible food allergy/hypersensitivity and even impacted anal glands.

You should also consider boredom, lack of physical and mental activities and anxiety as a cause for this behavior. When physical and rectifiable psychological causes are ruled out, a trial with a psychotropic medication such as Prozac may prove beneficial. But the best cure may lie in adopting another dog of similar size and friendly temperament.

DEAR DR. FOX: Some time ago, I lost my diabetic cat. He had a stroke and became blind and confused. I took him to the vet, and the vet had to put my cat down. I was in such a state that I failed to ask what caused the stroke.

For more than 12 years, I kept my cat alive by giving him his insulin shots and taking him to the vet for blood tests. Is there something I didn't do right, or did I do something to cause the stroke? I have not gotten over this feeling that maybe I did something that caused the stroke. I still miss him very much. -- P.D., Washington, Mo.

DEAR P.D.: I sympathize with you over the loss of your poor cat who was afflicted by diabetes.

Many diabetic cats develop various complications, just as human sufferers of this disease do. These complications are often compounded by liver and kidney problems.

Blood clots and burst blood vessels from high blood pressure can cause strokes, partial paralysis and blindness. These complications are no fault of yours, and you could have done nothing to prevent them -- it's just the luck of the draw. The only consolation is that your cat did not suffer long, and he enjoyed the security and pleasure of your loving care.

CANINE POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS RECOGNIZED AS DISORDER

Veterinarians and dog handlers who work with and train combat canines at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas believe dogs are susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder. Veterinarian Walter Burghardt Jr. estimates that at least 10 percent of dogs returning from active duty have the disorder, which is characterized by sudden attitude changes and the inability to perform tasks that were previously routine. Many of the dogs can be rehabilitated with treatment ranging from behavioral training to medication, but some must be retired from military work.

(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: You should retract your advice you gave to a reader regarding suggestions for taming a parakeet. All interactions with this bird should be positive in nature, not aversive, like using the glove. I'm horrified at this advice. Picture a glove from a little bird's perspective. It's terrifying.

Much good information is available for the new bird owner without cost. I was a volunteer with Cleveland's Parrot Education and Adoption Center before I moved to Florida. The organization has online behavior courses that the reader could take. Barbara Heidenreich of Good Bird Inc. has tons of good information.

I assure you, no one with real parrot behavior knowledge would ever suggest using a glove. In the meantime, a much better approach would be to sit quietly by the bird's cage and place its favorite treat in a cup. Don't force interaction. In time, the owner can offer the treat by hand. Take small steps to keep the bird comfortable. The idea is to positively reinforce it stepping onto the hand. A glove does not breed trust.

Please retract your advice before more harm is done. -- J.M., Naples, Fla.

DEAR J.M.: I stand by using the glove to protect birds and small animals, such as hamsters, from the avoidance reflex of children and adults who are not experienced handlers and when the animal is not yet used to being in contact.

I recall one veterinarian who was examining a hamster who bit him and evoked the avoidance jerk response, which flipped the poor animal onto the floor with a fatal concussion.

A light protective glove -- not a huge leather gauntlet -- gives self-confidence to the wearer and can be left inside the bird's cage for short periods to facilitate habituation/desensitization.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have an older tabby cat -- she's about 13 or 14 -- who loves cat snacks so much that she pesters me every time I enter the room where she stays ... my bedroom! She likes both the soft and the hard kind, and I've noticed she always drinks water after eating them.

I started giving her a couple every once in a while about a month ago. Now she expects them several times a day. She still eats her food. Her stools are generally hard, and I worry she sometimes becomes constipated.

Is it harmful for her to be eating so much of these snacks? Thank you for any help you can give me. -- B.G., Blakely, Pa.

DEAR B.G.: All things in moderation! We give our two cats three or four small crunchy treats on a regular schedule, three times a day. They come for them when called, but it took no time at all for them to know the time and start meowing for their snacks.

The best treats are freeze-dried, organic chicken, turkey, beef or wild salmon. Some highly processed manufactured cat treats are full of questionable byproducts, "flavorings," coloring agents and preservatives, including sugar and salt, which are all unhealthy and should be avoided. I would avoid treats containing seaweed, including kelp. I have dropped that ingredient from my home-prepared dog and cat food recipes because the iodine content and heavy metal contamination may have harmful effects on animals' thyroid glands.

The constipation issue could get serious, especially in older cats. Add a little water or salt-free chicken or beef bouillon to the dry food, which may help. Be sure to include a few drops of fish, flaxseed or hemp oil, beginning with just a drop so your cat gets used to it.

MULTIPLE PET FOOD AND TREAT RECALLS

February brought small- and large-scale recalls: Salmonella contamination probability lead to a small recall for The Honest Kitchen, and larger ones for Nutri-Vet and Kasel Associates Industries. Hy-Vee recalled its dog food because of aflatoxin mold. For details regarding product names and lot numbers, see postings at DrFoxVet.com or visit the companies' websites.

(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: In the paper a couple of months ago, you answered a letter from someone inquiring about black spots on her dog's skin. You said they were probably warts and to spray the spots with apple cider vinegar.

My cocker spaniel, Max, not only had black spots on his back and neck, but also on his stomach. The spots on his back were large and crusty, and the skin flaked off around them. His groomer thought he had allergies and dry spots and bathed him with oatmeal shampoo.

I thought your idea was worth a try, so I sprayed apple cider vinegar on his back a couple times a day -- when I remembered -- for a week or two. The spots not only reduced in size, but soon they were all gone -- even the spots I didn't put vinegar on disappeared. My vet had never heard of such a thing and was amazed. -- L.J., Rogue River, Ore.

DEAR L.J.: Yes, we have much to relearn from tried-and-true folk remedies for a variety of health problems. So many of the medications on the market today can have harmful side effects and are far more expensive than folk remedies. Remedies like apple cider vinegar and baking soda paste for skin conditions; peppermint or spearmint and ginger for nausea and an upset stomach; cramp bark or licorice for gut-ache; and valerian or catnip for anxiety are all great alternatives to expensive prescription medication.

While I do not advocate people making their own diagnoses, I urge more human and animal doctors to adopt a more integrative approach in their treatments. As an added bonus, unlike many prescribed drugs, these products are not an environmental health hazard when excreted.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have had a terrible problem with my 14-year-old male cat's eating habits. He will eat something for a while and then just stop. I try different foods with no luck. He also throws up just about every time he eats.

I've started giving him Gerber baby food -- turkey with turkey gravy. He gets a spoonful in the morning and another spoonful an hour or two later. After that, he gets cooked ground turkey, which I cook for him in salt-free chicken bouillon. I mix that with Science Diet kitten food (the minced liver and chicken entree). I add probiotics, psyllium and Be Well supplements to the mix. He seems to like it and does not throw up after eating. I've also tried Nature's Variety Instinct Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet -- he ate that for about two days and now won't touch it, no matter what I mix it with.

Any suggestions on how to get him to eat and what he should be eating? -- M.L., Ft Myers, Fla.

DEAR M.L.: You are feeding your old cat just what I would recommend, but I would add a few drops of fish oil and encourage him to drink plenty of water. He may accept this via a dropper.

Most likely he is suffering from chronic kidney failure and needs a full veterinary checkup. Hydration and quality protein nutrition is important. Medication to help correct the kidney malfunction and to lower blood pressure if that is also an issue may be called for. Check my website for more details to help cats with this condition -- provided that is the veterinarian's diagnosis. Various cancers in older cats can produce similar symptoms, and this I cannot diagnose without seeing your cat and running various tests.

KRILL OIL SUPPLEMENTS

One aspect of veterinary bioethics is the source of various therapeutic products and nutrient supplements and their environmental impact/costs, which must be weighed against their effectiveness and availability of alternatives. A point in question is the current mass marketing of krill oil as a superior nutrient supplement to health-conscious consumers and pet owners, and which some veterinarians are now advocating and selling.

Krill is the food staple for several whale species and other marine creatures. The justification for krill harvesting is based primarily on profits and is a tie-in with the factory farming of corn-fed livestock and poultry notoriously deficient in omega-3s and with excess inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids.

There is now hope on the omega-3 supplement horizon -- and relief for krill and other marine resources -- with confirmation that cultures of algae could lead to the wholesale bioproduction of omega-3 fatty acids. Some of these are already being marketed and embraced by vegans and other heath- and environment-conscious consumers. For more details on why I am opposed to the shrimplike krill being taken from the oceans, see my entry at DrFoxVet.com.

(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.)