DEAR DR. FOX: I'm writing to you about my mother's 5-year-old shih tzu, Molly. She is very attached to the both of us. My mother bought her from a pet store as soon as she was able to be away from her mother. I have been with them both, on and off, over the past five years. Both of us spoil Molly.

However, since December, when I moved back to Florida from my hometown of New York City, she has become very aggressive. When I stayed at my mom's, Molly slept with me in the guest room on the bed. When my mother would come into the guest room to take her out for her first walk of the day, Molly would go berserk and start barking and growling at my mother. She would even go so far as to try to bite my mother. I would have to either get up and take her out myself or pick her up and put her down on the floor. Once on the floor, my mother could take her out for the walk.

However, if Molly slept with my mother in my mother's house and I happened to wake up first and went to get her for a walk, she would do the same barking and growling at me.

I think she is either protecting the person who's sleeping or is possibly bipolar. I know it sounds funny, but who knows nowadays? Maybe she needs mood stabilizers?

Lately she has not been eating her moist food that my mother has been giving her every morning for years. My mother has resorted to spoon-feeding her -- sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Any help with these two matters would be greatly appreciated. -- K.H., Naples, Fla.

DEAR K.H.: A bipolar dog who is being spoon-fed -- I've heard everything! You and your mother have a problem child. But the monster is not entirely of your own overindulgent and permissive making, because Molly is a responding and triggering player in this crazy triad of confused signals and conditioned reactions and expectations.

First, I would have her taken to the vet for a full physical exam. Dogs with a malfunctioning thyroid gland or a physical problem causing pain can become unpredictably aggressive or emotionally stable.

Molly's more predictable, situation-associated, possibly territorial aggression may be cognitive in origin, and calls for behavior modification and remotivation. This means changing how you and your mother react. I would advise you to practice consistent "tough love," consulting with a canine behavior specialist who can help you and your mother turn Molly into a gentle lamb, or at least a happier and better adjusted canine companion.

Prozac may be the last resort.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have three schnauzers who have about half an acre of land on which to run and play. One is a rescued female giant schnauzer who barks so loud when she is outside that I can let her out only to relieve herself, then bring her right back in. We also have a male giant schnauzer and a miniature schnauzer.

I was an obedience instructor, and I've had two other professionals work with the problem dog. I have purchased and used every type of anti-bark collar I can find. They may work for a couple of days, but then she barks through them all. The citronella collar worked for almost two weeks, but is no longer effective.

This dog and her brother were abandoned in an outside run with no food or water until they were rescued. I believe this plays a big part in her barking behavior, but how can I reprogram her? I do not believe in debarking a dog, but I just don't know what to do to stop her from barking so much. -- J.H., Swansea, Ill.

DEAR J.H.: As an experienced canine obedience instructor, you have known other dogs like this and found remedies, but this giant schnauzer is your nemesis! I agree, she may have a post-traumatic stress disorder issue playing a role in her obsessive barking, considering her trauma history.

Is she barking out of fear, anxiety or excitement? Can she be remotivated or distracted with a loud squeaky toy to catch? Is she afraid to be outside without you being there with her? Figure out her motivation, and work with it.

(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: OK, we need help here... We have a 13 1/2-year-old female black lab. Eight weeks ago, she went to the vet for blood work -- she's in perfect health. Six weeks ago, she walked away from her Eukanuba food for the first time ever. Since then, she's been eating less and less. Her last meal was Wednesday, some ground pork. She's thrown up every day, especially after she drinks water, though she is still drinking. She's lost 10 lbs. Yesterday, she sat in the yard all day, drooling; she ate a lot of grass.

We almost put her down last night, but couldn't. She still follows me from room to room. It is hard to let her go as she is still alert and can move fine, but she's no longer playful.

She is now on mirtazapine and prednisone. Her spine sticks out in the back due to weight loss. It clearly hurts her. I just want her to eat, but it seems spinal pain causes a gag reflex. I use an oral injector on the side of her mouth to administer medications. What now? Better pain medications?

Vets here want $1,500 for an endoscopy -- mine was $1,200! How can they charge such high prices? Give me some ideas, please. -- P.G.

DEAR P.G.: I'm so sorry to hear about your old dog. You could spend a small fortune on diagnostics. My response following all of those tests: "Then what?"

I would first suspect and check her blood for renal failure and have an X-ray done to check out her vertebrae. Spondylosis and other degenerative diseases of the spinal cord can cause dogs pain, fear and lack of appetite. Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs can provide temporary relief, but can cause nausea and disinterest in food, and affect kidney and liver functions.

Massage therapy -- as found in my book, "The Healing Touch for Dogs" -- acupuncture and laser therapy may give some relief. Give her a heated pad to sleep on. Injections of vitamin B-complex are old-school remedies for poor appetite. She may eat Gerber's baby food or something similar made at home in a blender.

You need to consider a third-party evaluation of your dog's quality of life if you are undecided about the final hard decision of euthanasia, which, considering your dog's age and breed, may be the kindest step to take. In-home hospice care is catching on, with veterinarians and trained veterinary nurses coming into the home.

The bottom line here, considering your dog's age and symptoms, is palliative or comfort care. You and your dog are victims of the kind of veterinary practice which mirrors the human health care industry's costly diagnostics and treatments of terminally ill patients, focusing on organ functions rather than on the whole patient. It may be good business, but is it ethical and humane?

(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: My husband and I adopted a golden retriever about nine months ago from a rescue organization. The dog was estimated to be between 18 months and 2 years old at time of adoption. He had an initial check with a vet through the organization and was neutered as well. Right after the adoption, we took him to a local vet and established a record for him there. Our vet agreed that he was in good shape. We were thrilled to have a young, beautiful, exuberant golden who was full of life and still had a lot of puppy in him. He loved his big yard and many toys.

All was good until mid-December, when he developed several ear infections over a few weeks. He was examined by the vet and given medicine. One of the infections bothered him a great deal, as he developed a hot spot, which was also treated by the vet. None of that was too substantial, but in mid-January, he had a grand mal seizure out of the blue. We immediately took him to the vet, who examined him and performed blood tests. Upon her recommendation, he was put on a Phenobarbital regimen -- three tabs per day. We began the medication and within a couple of days, our dog was so groggy he could barely keep awake. I went online and saw that Phenobarbital can cause sedation, lethargy, weakness in hind legs and potential liver damage. We spoke to the vet about how lethargic and sedated he seemed. Over the course of several weeks, the dosage was reduced until it was at just 1/2 tab daily.

There have been no further seizures, but our wonderful, peppy dog has morphed into a dog who seems like a senior citizen. He once bounded up and down stairs and on and off the bed, but now he acts like he can barely navigate. He no longer plays with his toys, and his interest level for everything around him, including visitors and other dogs, is minimal. His appetite is still good, although we have reduced his intake of dry food and added veggies in order to reduce his weight. A friend who saw our dog when we first adopted him said he seems depressed. There have been no other seizures past the initial episode.

We have since changed vets, and the new vet ran a thyroid panel, as our dog is exhibiting many symptoms that can be attributed to thyroid problems -- including weight gain even though intake is reduced, lethargy and heavy shedding. The tests revealed that the dog is not hypothyroidic. The new vet has further reduced the Phenobarbital dosage to 1/2 tab every other day until the original prescription is gone, which should be in two weeks. The vet said his feeling is that the dog has been extremely reactive to the Phenobarbital and that once he is weaned from the drug, he will regain his previous demeanor.

Have you ever seen a situation like this? If so, is there something else we should be doing? We desperately want to get our happy young dog back to his previous self. Any help or advice you can give us will be appreciated. --C.T., St. Louis

DEAR C.T.: Try putting your dog on a corn- and grain-free diet and see how that helps. Dietary change can be a miracle because corn and wheat cause seizures in some dogs.

Zymox is an excellent ear medication. Ear problems and hot spots can also be diet-related. Fish oil may also be of great help.

Let me know how your dog fares after you try my suggestions.

C.T. RESPONDS:

DEAR DR. FOX: I had to get back to you and let you know that your recommendations were spot-on! We weaned Nicky from the Phenobarbital and changed him from Pro-Plan to Blue Buffalo Freedom.

We have been amazed how quickly he is returning to his previous wonderful, peppy self. He is playing with his toys, has much more energy and is now engaged in his surroundings and excited to play, explore and go for walks. Thank you for such great advice!

A NEW CANINE DISEASE: DOG CIRCOVIRUS INFECTION.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in the online Emerging Disease Journal that pathologists at the University of California, Davis discovered the virus, normally associated with pigs, in dogs in April. The report, titled "Circovirus in Tissues of Dogs with Vasculitis and Hemorrhage," which details the study, can be found at wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/4/12-1390_article.htm.

Symptoms included vasculitis (a destruction of the body's blood vessels), severe vomiting, bloody diarrhea, fluid buildup around the lungs and rapid heart rate and weakness. Without emergency veterinary treatment, dogs can die within 48 hours. This newly emerging disease has also been reported in Ohio. The disease can be transmitted from dog to dog via infective feces. Some dogs' stools have tested positive but with no symptoms of disease, indicating possible immunity in some dogs. As a precaution, pick up after your dog and keep your dog parks clean!

(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.)