DEAR DR. FOX: I am a huge fan of your work and advice. I have had a heck of a year since March: I've lost five cats. I lost three cats within three months of each other and two to kidney failure.

Now, another cat is diagnosed with severe kidney failure (9.9 creatine levels). We've gotten a grim prognosis from the vet. I am giving him fluids every other day, but he is losing weight and not eating much. I have many questions.

Why this is happening? And how? And what can I do? These cats are not old. They are 11 to 13 years old.

Sadly, by the time you see them heavily drinking water, it is too late. This has been my experience. They say that by this point, 70 percent of kidney function is gone. Is it the water, the litter, the food? Should I have been giving them raw food?

I rescue, trap, spay and neuter strays. I see the crap food they get from volunteers. I coddle, make their food and give them herbs and nutrients. I am frustrated and need to talk to a professional natural doctor of veterinary medicine.

My regular vet has no answers, just a diagnosis and blood work results. A statistic says it is the No. 1 reason for cat illness and death. I am an herbalist. I try to do things right, but I must be doing things wrong.

I know my cat with kidney failure now will die, and I will agonize over his decline and weight loss and ultimately have to put him to sleep when all hope is gone, just like the others.

UPDATE: Blue passed away a week before Christmas -- he was not eating and was suffering. Noted herbalist Juliette de Bairacli Levy suggested giving cats sea kelp, coconut oil, a raw diet and lots of sun and "wildness" in their life, along with limited vaccines, chemicals, flea treatments, etc.

I put nettle and cleavers in my cats' food, which are supportive kidney herbs. I am on hyperalert now for any cat that I see drinking water, because when I see this, that is usually the next one to go.

What should I be doing now? I am overwhelmed with the finality of this kidney disease. Is there any research being done? Thank you so much. -- J.M., Washington, D.C.

DEAR J.M.: I'm sorry for your losses. My short article on caring for cats with kidney disease and renal failure (on DrFoxVet.com) may help.

Dandelion root tea and subcutaneous fluids may help -- give them to your cat by dropper -- they act as a cheap form of dialysis. Blood potassium and phosphate levels must be monitored, as well as blood pressure. Vitamin D supplements may also help. Cats with a poor appetite can be helped with highly palatable meaty varieties of Gerber's baby foods.

Good luck. There are many theories as to possible causes: some related to the noncarnivore dietary formulations, high in cereals and poor-quality protein, still being widely marketed, and other to a possible vaccination-linked autoimmune disease.

HOPE FOR CATS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE

Veterinarian Jessica Quimby and colleagues at Colorado State University's James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital are analyzing the effects of stem cell treatment on chronic kidney disease in cats. Half of cats older than age 10 develop chronic kidney disease, and there is no cure for the progressive condition. Prior studies by the group found some improvements in renal function among cats who received intravenous stem cells collected from the fat of donor cats. The current study will evaluate the effect of stem cells injected near the target organ. For more information, visit PhysOrg.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: I sent my original email to you on Nov. 7, 2013, and I want to share the benefits of your good advice about changing my dog's diet.

My female Lab mix has been on Authority Grain-Free Dry Dog Food for 10 to 11 weeks. In this time, she has not had a single bout of diarrhea or loose stool, and her anal glands have not leaked constantly like they were doing. She was at the groomer's one time in this time period, and the groomer said her anal glands were pretty full and emptied them. I went back and checked all the ingredients in the dry dog foods I tried before -- Science Diet Adult, Purina One Smart Blend, Authority and Science Diet ID -- and the one common ingredient found in all those foods was CORN.

Additionally, all of those foods had some form of soy (meal, flakes or oil) except Authority. Therefore, I'm thinking she has sensitivity to corn. Feeding her the grain-free food has resolved the problem. She had few symptoms of an allergy: She never vomited and she did not have dark stools or other symptoms, except the repetitive bouts of diarrhea and stinky breath. Could the corn have been "fermenting" in her gut, causing all these problems, including the stinky breath?

I'm writing this so you can let others know that their dogs may very well have this sort of sensitivity to dry dog foods with corn and that trying a grain-free food might help.

Would you please give your thoughts on this matter and whether you think this may have been causing the regular, repetitive bouts of diarrhea and stinky breath for my girl? Thank you for a great column and your assistance and continual advice. -- T.D., St. Louis

DEAR T.D.: Corn and soybean farmers get huge subsidies that benefit the livestock feed industry as well as the human food and beverage industries. These are cheap ingredients that the pet food industry has used for decades. At first, according to informed opinion I drew from letters received from dog owners, these ingredients were not a significant problem for most dogs.

But, as I have documented in my writings about GMOs -- genetically modified corn and soy -- these are also widely used by the human food industry. The more that GMO corn and soy were being grown and used in pet foods, the more digestive, skin and other health problems were reported to me by concerned pet owners. The proverbial penny dropped when many of their animals recovered to full health when corn and soy were removed from their diets.

The companies selling GMO seeds deny that there are any health or environmental concerns and falsely claim that this is the most efficient way to produce affordable food and feed a hungry world. Their denial is palpable. They have spent millions of dollars to defeat civil society initiatives in California and Washington state to label all products that contain GMO ingredients.

Many readers will appreciate your success with changing your dog's diet and see the GMO issue as a red flag for their own health as well as for their animal companions.

Some imported rice is GMO, as are products from canola, sugar beet, cotton and alfalfa. Soon, if this biotech industry has its way, wheat may become GMO. Informed consumers must stop this insanity in the marketplace.

PET FOOD SAFETY CONCERNS

According to reporter Kim Campbell Thornton, writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer, there were 33 pet food recalls in 2013. The Food and Drug Administration received more than 2,500 consumer complaints regarding pet food and livestock feed from 2008 to 2012. Contamination with pathogens such as salmonella, physical contaminants including plastic and glass and issues with improper levels of nutrient supplements were among the top pet food problems in 2013.

In order to rectify these problems, the FDA is proposing that pet food manufacturers be required to lay out food safety plans, including record-keeping provisions and protocols for responding to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, as well as having to instigate effective controls for probable hazards and establish and maintain standards of cleanliness. Inspectors would have more power to act before contaminated products reach store shelves and to restrict imports from suppliers who don't meet the new standards.

These proposals, long overdue in my estimation, are likely to see considerable opposition from the industry. The question remains: Who is paying our government to prevent such improved regulatory oversight of a now-multinational industry that is a subsidiary of agribusiness?

Fortunately, there are several good brands of cat and dog food available, some of which, on the grounds of safety and quality, I have endorsed on DrFoxVet.com. Consumers can find specific recall information on the site as well.

(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 girlfriend gives my little Yorkie a large spoonful of sour cream every night. She says it's no problem, but I'm not sure. What do you say? -- H.L., St. Louis

DEAR H.L.: I appreciate your concern for your girlfriend's indulgence of your little dog. Yorkies can have a lot of genetic and other health problems, especially when it comes to their teeth. A better evening ritual would be a teeth cleaning with a doggie dental brush or finger cot designed for this purpose. Doggy-friendly toothpaste is available in pet stores.

Organic sour cream would be preferable to conventional because the latter will probably be lower in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, and is likely from cows injected with genetically engineered bovine growth hormone, which is prohibited in Europe for consumer health reasons.

A tablespoon of organic kefir or plain yogurt might be a healthier choice for this little dog; you could also try a thimble of organic butter from free-range dairy cows plus a few drops of organic flax seed oil mixed in with the dog's food. Check my website, DrFoxVet.com, for some good dog food brands and my home-prepared dog food diet.

DEAR DR. FOX: I had the same problem with carsickness with my beautiful Aussie when I adopted him a couple years ago. There was a simple solution -- peppermint oil on the bottom of his feet before getting into car! I have given lots of bottles to friends with the same issues, and it always works! -- J.N., St Louis

DEAR J.N.: Thanks for the photo of your very beautiful dog you included with your letter. I do find animals generally far more attractive in many ways than most people, which is not my bias, I believe, but what is so self-evident in the demeanor and eyes of our animal relations than in so many of our own species!

I am not surprised at the peppermint oil cure for car sickness because peppermint is a calmative, like ginger, really subduing nausea. Applying the essential oil of peppermint on the paws/foot pads is an easy way to accomplish rapid and possibly long-term dermal absorption. Many dogs settle quickly after being given a treat of candied ginger 10 to 15 minutes before getting into the car.

I would try adding a few drops of calming lavender oil, which has been shown to benefit many dogs who are fearful rather than simply nauseated when riding in a vehicle. Because peppermint oil can be irritating, it should be diluted to a ratio of 1 drop to 5 to 10 drops of a carrier oil such as almond or olive oil before being placed between the toes.

DENTAL IMPLANTS FOR DOGS AND CATS?

Veterinary dentistry has made some great and very necessary strides for the benefit of thousands of dogs and cats and has become a specialty service providing many of the skilled diagnostic, treatment and surgical procedures provided by human dentists and oral surgeons.

A recent review on the costly procedure of dental implants in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association concludes that, at best, the benefits are purely aesthetic and for the owner, and unlike implants in humans, they fail to offer any significant benefits to the animals themselves. In addition to the cost, the surgical procedures -- including general anesthesia -- for dental implants can put animals at unwarranted risk.

The authors of this article note that the AVMA declared as official policy that it "opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done for solely cosmetic purposes," and should similarly oppose dental implants for dogs and cats. Opposing the routine declawing of cats would be another ethical decision, one that's long overdue but delayed for reasons financial and pandering to naive cat owner demands.

(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.)