The Animal Doctor

DEAR DR. FOX: This question may not be appropriate for your column, but you have been so helpful advising about how to cope with the loss of a family pet, I thought I'd ask.

I wanted my husband, a Korean War veteran, buried at Arlington National Cemetery with the ashes of his beloved German shepherd, Samantha. Two of her littermates served in combat. She did not serve in any war, but she served after by helping my husband better than anyone or anything else deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder. She helped him through his depression, anxiety and panic attacks, and helped him get exercise and a good night's sleep. Even if she was not a serving military dog, it distresses me that the military authorities won't even allow me to scatter Samantha's ashes over my husband's grave. What should I do? -- Alexandria, Va.

DEAR ALEXANDRIA: I greatly sympathize with your concerns over the insensitive rules of military officialdom that make no sense unless one believes that dogs and other beloved animals have no significant place in our lives or death.

Yet the ritual of co-burial goes back in different civilizations for millennia. It is an indicator of deep respect and affection for the remains and memories of particular animals whose lives the deceased had shared.

While the U.S. military has used all kinds of species in various wars and military insurgencies for centuries, it is telling that there is no national monument for such service animals in our nation's capital. There is such a memorial in the heart of London, close to a major war memorial to fallen soldiers.

The U.S. military has a dubious record when it comes to facilitating the transport home of local dogs from war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. These animals are often adopted as camp mascots and serve as camp guards. Most importantly, they give emotional support to troops.

It will take an act of Congress to get these burial rules changed. It's a shame that reflects the even greater shame of a dysfunctional government and authorities who have no feeling or respect for the close bond that so many citizens enjoy with their animal companions.

As for today's soldiers suffering from PTSD, many become heroin addicts or suicidal after being prescribed analgesic drugs such as hydrocodone and hydromorphone rather than having a good dog co-therapist.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have enjoyed your columns over the past several years, and they were helpful with my dog, Daisy.

I thought of you when I was burying her, wrapped in her favorite "bankie." I followed your advice and gave her a small blanket some years ago, and she was never without it. It was her comforter and often she played games under it. Thank you. -- J.V., Washington, D.C.

DEAR J.V.: I am glad that my advice was helpful in your care of Daisy. Thanks for reminding me to tell readers how much dogs, and many cats, enjoy having a small blanket or towel to have put over them. It can help them feel secure. Some will make a nest out of the blanket and even learn to cover themselves with it.

Some of our dogs liked to have their blanket tossed over them for a game of hide-and-seek. One of our dogs liked to wear his blanket as he paraded around, which our other dogs found exciting, seeing a shape-shifter in their midst!

MYSTERY POISON IN PET TREATS FROM CHINA

To date, the Food and Drug Administration has received reports of illnesses in 3,600 dogs and 10 cats in the U.S. since 2007. Some 580 dogs have died. The culprit is pet treats sold as jerky tenders or strips made of chicken, duck, sweet potatoes or dried fruit. They are all imported from China and sold under a wide variety of brand names.

Veterinarians have seen decreased appetite, lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea within hours of dogs eating these treats and have had repeated cases of kidney failure and gastrointestinal bleeding.

The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine has not yet discovered the cause of illness, even after conducting more than 1,200 tests, visiting pet treat manufacturing plants in China and collaborating with toxicology researchers.

Small dogs eating a large amount of treats seem especially vulnerable, which I theorize may point to possible high abnormal protein consumption.

A number of jerky products imported from China were removed from the market in January 2013 after a New York state lab reported contamination with antibiotics banned for use in the U.S., including Milo's Kitchen Chicken Jerky Treats, Del Monte Chicken Grillers and Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch dog treats, both made by Nestle Purina. These drug contaminants are not considered to be responsible for the poisoning and death of dogs and cats consuming these treats.

My advice is to READ THE LABEL on whatever pet treats you intend to purchase and decide accordingly. Several brands indicating "Made in China" also bear a food irradiation symbol. For dogs, try my buckwheat Good Dog Treats recipe on my website, 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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: In May, my dog, a dachshund, became very hungry and thirsty. We've had her tested for thyroid issues, diabetes and Cushing's disease, along with other blood and urine tests; everything is normal. We feed her 1/4 cup dog food morning and night, plus a handful of green beans for lunch. She gets one Teeny Greenie and a few small treats during the day.

Her behavior has also changed. She does not chase her squeaky toys now. She just brings them to us and squeaks them when she wants to be fed. She used to jump on the couch when we asked her to come up, but she now refuses and just lies flat, even though we know she can jump. When we pick her up and put her on the sofa, she jumps down.

She used to weigh 20 pounds, and now she weighs 24 pounds. Even 20 is too much for her. I know she doesn't get enough exercise. When we walk her, all she wants to do is smell. She has never walked at a consistent pace, and I don't want to pull and drag her. My vet doesn't know what to do and suggested that I see a specialist. I don't know what else to do. I don't believe that she is just begging for food, but is really hungry. We always tell her no, but it is such a constant thing. Any ideas, comments or suggestions? -- D.B.

DEAR D.B.: You don't say how old your dog is. I would advise repeating blood tests for possible diabetes and kidney disease. With this breed, it is not wise to encourage jumping up onto furniture because their backs are prone to injury and degenerative disease, conditions aggravated by becoming overweight.

Check some of the better brands of dog food on my website, DrFoxVet.com, and also my home-prepared recipe. Give her three small meals daily, and weigh her as soon as you begin the transition onto a new diet. Then weigh her every two weeks and reduce the amount fed if she is putting on weight.

My educated guess is that she may be developing arthritis or spondylosis of the back. Cosequin or other good supplements containing chondroitin, MSM and glucosamine may help.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have two cats, and we're having a problem with one of them. To give a quick background, we got a brother and sister from the same litter, and they were a happy pair.

After a year, the male got sick and passed away. We got another female kitten, and the older female didn't like her, so she preferred to be in the basement. Not a big deal; we kept a litter box, food and water down there for her and for a few months she was good there. She would come up daily to visit us and go outside, then back to the basement.

We noticed that she started getting lethargic and drinking a lot of water. She stopped using the litter box, totally ruined the basement carpet, and continued to slow down to the point that we took her to the vet. He said that she seems to have been poisoned, and she might not make it. That was two years ago, and since then she has continued to urinate on the floor beside the box, or on top of the box (there are two boxes, both covered because of the dogs) or outside. She defecates in the box, or outside, so that isn't a problem.

We don't know what to do. Punishment or coaxing doesn't seem to help, and we don't know what else to do. Please help! -- B.C.

DEAR B.C.: This is a very sad story. This poor cat, banished by her own fear of the newcomer to spend most of her time in your basement. It could well have been this emotional stress that brought on her illness, which could be diabetes or cystitis, diseases that make cats want to drink more water. You might have avoided all of this if you had followed my advice of never letting a cat outdoors to roam free, which could result in exposure to disease or poison, and if you had known the steps to be taken to introduce a new cat, which you can find on my website, DrFoxVet.com.

I would take her for a full veterinary checkup to rule out any stress-induced chronic health issue. Use enzyme cleaners on soiled areas on the basement floor and take the covers off the litter boxes. Many cats detest them because the covers trap excrement odors. Keep the dogs out of the basement with a barrier gate set with enough space for the cat to crawl under.

(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 am a retired high school biology teacher, and I do student career counseling now. I am a longtime reader of your column, and if you think it appropriate, please share what motivated you to take the career path you have taken to help animals. -- Y.S., Washington, D.C.

DEAR Y.S.: I think many readers will already guess my reasons, but I'm happy to answer. It may help young people find a path for their lives if they are inspired by passion, directed by reason and enriched by their education and life experiences. I started "seeing practice" in my early teens, helping out at a veterinary hospital and later doing farm work. Young people can also gain experience as animal shelter and wildlife rehabilitation volunteers.

My childhood curiosity, love of nature and animals and concern for the harms and suffering caused by my own kind became my lifetime's avocation. I always questioned consensus values and attitudes, as well as the conventions of what I was told were of a "civilized" society, but that I saw as barbaric when it came to accepted cruel treatments of animals. These include wild animals trapped for their fur, purebred dogs kept in small cages by puppy mill breeders and the billions of animals raised for human consumption on factory farms.

I am heartened by the fact that humane and environmental education courses are available, and animal rights and environmental ethics have become mainstream in college curriculums. Infusing the next generation with the sensitivities of reason and compassion will help restore civilization!

DEAR DR. FOX: I am at a veterinary college after graduating from a small college during which time my mother sent me your columns. They motivated me to become a vet!

One of my professors said he thinks you are against the profession, and I told him he's wrong. What do you have to say to that? -- Vet Student, Fort Myers, Fla.

DEAR VET STUDENT: During the 1970s through the early '90s, I was frustrated by what I interpreted as inertia by my colleagues when I appealed to them to assert their professional authority in the sectors of laboratory and farmed animal care and welfare. In hindsight, I realize that reason and ethics alone cannot bring change when money and vested interests rule and the sound advice of concerned veterinarians is ignored. Until recently, I was lambasted by some veterinarians for my concerns over many manufactured cat and dog foods -- some of which they were selling -- and giving animals too many vaccinations. These and other concerns are documented in my book, "Healing Animals and the Vision of One Health." This is free for vet students with a student membership with the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

Today I see the veterinary profession as being essential to the advancement and functional integrity of every community and nation, playing an increasingly important role from the One Health perspective. As I see it, a world without animals is unthinkable, and a world without veterinarians is dysfunctional. Good luck in your career!

ONLINE PET SALES TO BE REGULATED

There's not much good news for commercially exploited animals in these times, but one ray of hope comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Welfare Act enforcement division that has closed an inspection loophole for Internet-based dog breeders. A reported 80 percent of breeders investigated who sell via the Internet were not being inspected to ensure the animals' health and humane treatment. I have long urged prospective puppy purchasers to never take this route when considering getting a purebred or "designer" pup, even if it comes with American Kennel Club papers. Never buy a dog sight unseen, and try to see the parents, too! Traditional brick and mortar pet stores will continue to be exempt from federal licensing and inspection, which is regrettable. For details, visit http://goo.gl/dgcPXd.

(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.)