DEAR DR. FOX: I need some advice about our aging cat's health care: We adopted her when she was 4 years old, and she had dental problems. She had three teeth extracted, and the vet suggested Hill's Prescription t/d Feline Dental Health to prevent further tooth loss. She has always had a nasal wheeze but has not seemed bothered by it. In the last two or three years, she has developed more heavy breathing, particularly when she sleeps -- in other words, she snores. Sometimes she sits just staring into space like she is in a trance.

The vet has not found lung or cardiac problems. She has some arthritis, and the vet suggested glucosamine injections instead of steroids/cortisone. We have not proceeded with the injections.

Can I change her diet to help with the breathing/snoring problem and the arthritis? I have read a little about raw diets, but I've not attempted one. Would it be a good idea to get some raw meat from the grocery store?

We would welcome any advice you may have, despite the fact that we can't bring her to see you. -- F. & R.G., Leesburg, Va.

DEAR F. & R.G.: The tooth loss problem, so prevalent in cats, may be due to excessive amounts of vitamin D3, added by pet food manufacturers to cat foods. I will be writing more about this in a future column.

Your cat's breathing problems could be caused by several factors, considering her age. Her trancelike staring could be associated with age-related dementia and Alzheimer's disease. What may really help her, even at this late stage in life, is a grain- and soy-free diet, especially avoiding corn meal, corn gluten and other corn ingredients. Good-quality fish oil, canned sardines and organic butter are sources of omega-3 fatty acids that should benefit your cat significantly. Give her just a drop or two of fish oil initially, working up to 1/2 teaspoon daily, along with the same amount of either sardines or butter.

DEAR DR. FOX: This is an update to a question I sent you about my "granddog." She was about to have a biopsy because she was thought to have osteosarcoma in one of her hind legs. As it turned out, her biopsy showed that she has chondrosarcoma rather than osteosarcoma. Apparently, there was no evidence of metastasis. Her amputation is scheduled for tomorrow.

My question remains the same, but I wanted you to be able to take the new diagnosis into account: Are there supplements or treatments to suppress any possible metastatic tumors if there are undetected ones and increase her chances of survival? I guess I should also ask if you have any special dietary recommendations for a cancer patient. I know you recommend home-cooked food in general. My son and his wife have two children and very demanding jobs, so I don't see this happening, but maybe you could still make some suggestions. -- J.S., Rockville, Md.

DEAR J.S.: With no evident spread of the cancer to other parts of the body, the dog's cancer prognosis is not without some degree of hope. But there could still be one or more undetected metastases, so I share your concerns.

There are some special diets (including grain-free, raw food and fruit and vegetable formulations) that do seem to make a difference and which I have detailed in earlier columns. These are archived on my website, DrFoxVet.com, and can be accessed by entering appropriate words like "dog, cancer, diet" in the Question Box.

I am impressed by some reports about the cancer-fighting benefits of various mushrooms and herbs, such as turmeric. One of our beloved dogs had the same hind leg amputation for chondrosarcoma. She was only 6 years old and with our post-surgical assistance and devotion, coupled with daily massage therapy, quickly adapted to enjoying life on three legs.

(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 four dogs who are all seniors. On the advice of my vet, I started using Seresto flea collars about 1 1/2 months ago. My smallest dog, a 5-pound Chihuahua, started having strange seizures out of the blue. What I mean by strange is he'd come out of them immediately, not at all groggy, with a ready-to-play attitude.

After the second one, I rushed him to the emergency vet -- he had a physical and blood work done; all came out well. The vet said his blood work was better than most dogs his age (he's now 11). The only thing new is the flea collar. He had another seizure this morning. This time he peed, and he's appearing tired and not walking great. I looked into the side effects of this collar and was shocked to see that seizures have been reported.

My other dogs are well, with no problems at all. But Pancho is so small it may be a factor. I have taken that collar off him and will watch him closely the rest of the day. I washed his neck and head with mild dish soap, as I did for his brothers and sisters.

Have seizures been reported often with this flea collar? -- C.W., Houston

DEAR C.W.: I am glad your dog is recovering. Thank him for being a warning sentinel.

Check my website, DrFoxVet.com, for my documented concerns about the product that you used on your dogs. The drug companies selling these flea collars and others selling spot-on chemicals to kill fleas are an abomination. Many environmental health experts link these kinds of pesticidal products to cancer, and a host of other products from the big pharma multinationals cause more harm than the fleas themselves.

DEAR DR. FOX: About three months ago, as a favor to my daughter, I let her bring one of her cats to our house, but I didn't realize it was infested with fleas. I soon found out -- my cat, who didn't have fleas previously, started scratching constantly.

I finally got rid of that cat and then tried to get rid of the fleas; it was almost impossible. I tried every suggestion before finally resorting to two local pest exterminators. The first one didn't succeed and returned my money; the second one is still trying bombs and spraying. The upstairs is now flea-free, but the basement remains contaminated.

Before calling in the professionals, one of my friends said he had luck with eliminating fleas by sprinkling salt on the carpets. We tried that one day, and it didn't work, so we vacuumed it up the next day. Shortly after that, our cat refused to walk on the carpet anymore and got around by jumping from one piece of furniture to another. I had to bring its litter box, food, water, etc. into the living room where has stayed since. Just now, six weeks later, it will occasionally walk quickly across the carpet.

Did the salt on the carpet cause this behavior in our poor cat? -- C.V., Granite City, Ill.

DEAR C.V.: I am sorry to hear about your flea plague. My article on an integrative program of effective flea control, posted on my website under "Dr. Fox's Library," could have made life easier for you. Check it out to help rid your home of fleas forever.

The salt on the carpet, which is useless in flea control, would have gotten on your cat's paws even after you vacuumed. The taste of the salt on her paws and possible irritation if she has been declawed and has some chronic sores would quickly trigger aversive behavior.

SOME GOOD BOOKS AND GIFT IDEAS

With the holiday season upon us, there are some good animal books you may wish to check out that would make excellent gifts and you might enjoy yourself. Here's a list: "Beautiful Old Dogs," edited by David Tabatsky, St. Martin's Press; "Devoted: 38 Extraordinary Tales of Love, Loyalty And Life With Dogs," edited by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh, National Geographic press; "A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life," by James Bowen, St. Martin's Press. Some of my own books may also appeal to you. Another gift idea is a subscription to a good pet care journal, such as Animal Wellness. Finally, consider a donation to your local animal shelter or wildlife rehabilitation center.

(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.)

Fear and hatred of wolves goes back in European history for centuries. Such lupophobia is still evident today in purportedly advanced civilizations like the United States. Websites posted by "Sportsmen Against Wolves" are especially revealing, combining graphic photographs of slaughtered wolves with supportive comments by hunters. They see wolf protectors and wildlife conservationists as representing the kind of society they abhor: one of tree-hugging Bambi-lovers that threaten their way of life and right to shoot wolves.

But this phobia is certainly not shared by indigenous Native Americans or by a growing majority of non-Native American citizens who oppose wolf hunting and trapping. The wolf is a species symbolic of a bipolar society that has yet to find unity of vision and values, ethics and spirit.

Wolf hunting advocates disclose a disturbing degree of ignorance about the balance of nature, wolf-deer and predator-prey relationships. They perpetuate the erroneous belief that exterminating competing hunters such as the wolf is an act of conservation, a "management tool" to help preserve the balance of nature. They also view it as a sporting challenge to kill a "worthy adversary" as a trophy, a testament to one's own hunting skills. The notion of co-existence -- involving conciliation within and between cultures and with other species -- is anathema to this community.

Wolf hunters, feeling threatened by wolf protectors and conservationists, are now joining across wolf-inhabiting states to justify and protect their rights. But if they were to connect their imagined fate with the fate of the wolf and every tree in the forest, hen in the prairie and frog in the swamp, they might realize, as Henry David Thoreau advised over a century ago, "in wildness is the preservation of the world." That does not mean the preservation of their way of life, but their evolution into an effective, nongovernmental community of wildlife monitors and conservators.

Many deer hunters, for instance, having discovered the wisdom of biophilia, see themselves and wolves and other predators as essential components of healthy ecosystems. With such an ecological perspective, they can begin to articulate a hunting ethic, which begins by separating any desire to kill from morally justified need. It also involves acknowledging the vital importance of wolves, humans and other predators in helping prevent deer overpopulation and loss of biodiversity, and joining with other voices for habitat conservation and restoration.

This is especially germane considering that across much of the U.S., the white-tailed deer population has risen over the past century from some 300,000 to an estimated 25 to 30 million. Animal protectors must also evolve and not reflexively condemn all deer hunters as Bambi eaters. However, one Minnesota deer hunter and landowner told me that he used every part of the deer he shot, and that he and his neighbors plant corn and soybeans just for "their" deer. Not making any connection with his deer feeding, he went on to say he had "shot two wolves on (his) property this season because there are too many."

So long as lupophobia and the trophy mentality persist, wolves and other essential predators will continue to be killed by some hunters as well as by cattle and sheep ranchers whose subsidized grazing rights on public lands should come with a caveat prohibiting lethal methods of predator control. Without a unified sensibility, like those deer hunters who also abhor the killing of wolves as sporting trophies along with the majority of nonhunters, we will surely continue to fall short of becoming a truly civilized society.

Within every culture there are subcultures and cults defined by demographics, economics, religious beliefs, education and values. Good governance accommodates such diversity to maximize the good of the nation-state, including proper management of natural resources and public lands. But the record of the U.S. federal and most state governments is lamentable, pandering to vested minority interests. These include sanctioning and funding ranchers' war on wolves and other predators, and permitting hunters and trappers to kill wolves for sport and fur pelts. This amounts to a violation of public trust and calls for full accountability and a return to good governance.

The public conflict over the fate of the gray wolf has made this species an icon of opposing values and cultural discord. Resolution is called for through conciliation, legal protection of wolves and effective enforcement, as well as through education of the sanctity, rights and inherent value of all indigenous species. The fate of the wolf in North America will be a measure of the success or failure of civil society to put compassion, reason, justice and respect to bear on all our relationships.

(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.)

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