DEAR DR. FOX: We have a German shorthaired pointer-Lab mix puppy; she is not quite 5 months old. She has had two urinary tract infections. When she developed the second one, our vet did a urinalysis and said she had crystals in her urine. He prescribed Hills Prescription c/d dog food for her as a preventative for future problems, i.e. kidney stones.

Is this the treatment you would recommend? What causes this condition? Her infections both cleared up after a course of antibiotics. -- L.D., Alexandria, Virginia

DEAR L.D.: It is not unusual for young female dogs to develop lower urinary tract infections, and they usually develop some immunity as they mature. But once a bacterial infection becomes established, inflammatory reactions in the lining of the bladder and urethra cause pain and straining, often with the passing of blood.

Cellular debris becomes the nuclei for urinary crystal formation, most usually struvite crystals associated with abnormally alkaline urine, caused in large part by a high-cereal diet. So in an emergency, adding acidifying cooked organic tomato pulp was a popular remedy, but now d-mannose (found in cranberries) is another preventive suggestion. Try a dietary change, and encourage your dog to drink lots of water, even flavored with some home-prepared low-salt beef or chicken bullion.

Give your dog probiotics with low-grain or grain-free food, a selection of which is posted on my website (DrFoxVet.com). I would finish whatever antibiotic treatment cycle your dog is on and then stop. Phase out the costly manufactured prescription diet, and transition onto a raw or freeze-dried dog food if none on my website appeals to you.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our Dice (a 14-year-old male kitty) just left us, and we're heartbroken. He was diagnosed with kidney failure. I can't help thinking it may have been what we fed him for so many years.

In the last three years, we switched to Blue Buffalo wet and crunchy food, but he favored his Fancy Feast crunchies and Gravy Lovers wet food. Dice left behind our Bella, a 2-year-old female, who does not drink water but will eat Fancy Feast Gravy Lover's canned food.

Are we doing her more harm than good? Can you suggest any other food? There are so many on your website it makes me crazy! We do not want her to go through what our beloved Dice went through ... or any other kitty for that matter. -- T.G., Fort Myers, Florida

DEAR T.G.: There are many factors that contribute to renal failure in cats, and also in humans.

So many things can trigger autoimmune diseases, including kidney disease: the nutrition of the pregnant mother, what animals are fed, what contaminants in the environment animals are exposed to (especially in water and foods) and any infections and vaccinations they may have. We have disrupted and poisoned the planet and have a lot of housekeeping and cleanup to see to. Carnivores like cats living high up on the contaminated food chain are especially at risk. Organically certified whole food ingredients, raw food and freeze-dried are the wave of the future for cats.

I get crazier than you checking all the ingredients and sources of origin of various pet foods, and the best that I have found are posted on my website and by Susan Thixton on her website, truthaboutpetfood.com. Also check with feline-nutrition.org for more leads on feeding your future cats.

(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 a 14-year-old blue point Siamese cat named Simba. He will be 15 on Valentine's Day. On May 31, his half-sister passed away suddenly on my bedroom floor. Cali was 13 years old. Simba and Cali were inseparable, and when I tell you they did everything together, I mean it! After she died, I picked up Cali and put her into a basket and then put Simba into the basket to see she was gone. Simba just jumped out of the basket as if to say, "What are you doing to me?"

I took Cali to my local vet to be cremated privately. That night, when it was time for bed, it started. Simba walked the house screaming and yowling as if he was calling out to her. I was up all night. This went on for two weeks, and the nighttime screaming turned into daytime screaming. Then he started to rip out his hair. Over time, half of his body was bald. I took him to the vet, who put him on amitriptyline. It made him very loopy and unstable. Then Simba decided not to eat -- he was described as having failure to thrive.

After several trips to the vet, six months later Simba is thriving. This was the worst grieving experience I've ever lived through when it came to an animal. -- M.A., Nolan, New Jersey

DEAR M.A.: So many animals of various species develop close emotional bonds and suffer when their loved ones die. We humans need to be reminded of this and think of how surviving family members of wolves, whales, elephants and other highly sentient species must suffer when their mates and offspring are needlessly slaughtered. Thank you for this reminder from your cats.

DEAR DR. FOX: I was amazed that an influential veterinarian such as yourself would actually recommend that dog owners avoid neutering their pets.

The facts concerning animal overpopulation are well known. There are more than 70,000 puppies born each day in the United States, and if not neutered, each dog and its non-neutered offspring will result in more than 12,000 dogs born over the next five-year period. This results in the needless euthanization of over 3.7 million dogs each year. These dogs not only include mixed breeds but purebred dogs as well. It is also well established that neutering our pets keeps them healthier by reducing mammary gland, uterine, ovarian, prostate and testicular cancers, as well as perianal tumors and pyometria (uterine infection).

Neutering male dogs improves behavior by reducing aggression, dog bites and roaming, which often leads to death by car. Surveys indicate that approximately 85 percent of dogs hit by cars were not neutered. Most people will agree that our dear pets do not spend enough time with us on this earth, but by neutering them, their life span can be increased an average of 1 to 3 years.

Finally, please consider the financial implications in support of the capture, impoundment and euthanization of unwanted pets, which costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year. I find your trivialization of this problem through its characterization as an "inconvenience" offensive. -- F.B.K., St. Louis

DEAR F.B.K.: I appreciate your passion and documented concerns.

I have been a champion of animal birth control for more than 40 years and have set up programs in Africa and India to neuter pets. I try to spread awareness across the U.S. and Europe. I think spaying and neutering should be mandatory for all animals being adopted from shelters that are not no-kill because they have too many dogs and cats coming in.

One fact to get straight: I am not advocating a ban on spay/neuter, but rather applauding the fact that it is now being recognized that for some breeds, gonadectomy (removing the ovaries or testicles) may result in several endocrine diseases and contribute to other diseases, including some cancers, later in life.

So veterinarians are doing vasectomies and hysterectomies (leaving the testicles and ovaries intact) in some dogs so they cannot reproduce but retain the hormonal benefits of their endocrine sex organs. This is acceptable for those many dogs who are not allowed to roam free and have responsible caregivers.

I have limited optimism over the development of genetically engineered birth-control/neutering vaccines, not only because of past fights over patenting and intellectual property rights, but because of the possible triggering of autoimmune diseases.

From one animal rights perspective, neutering deprives animals of a normal, healthy and balanced endocrine system, which helps ensure their physical and psychological well-being. More prospective dog owners are beginning to request that their dogs not be totally neutered -- they should retain their endocrine sex glands. But where dogs are free-roaming and breeding at will -- as in countries like India, where I have worked with my wife, Deanna Krantz -- all sex organs should be removed, primarily to prevent temporary dog packs forming around dogs in heat, and then male dogs fighting. The net result in that situation, which also included vaccinations, was a healthier village dog community with no starving and unwanted puppies.

In a few years, when we have more clinical data, we may find that the mass neutering to help prevent pet overpopulation was a mixed blessing. It is a tragedy that dogs should suffer the consequences of human irresponsibility of being allowed to breed indiscriminately and are bred deliberately for the pet trade when there are thousands waiting to be adopted in shelters around the world.

(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: We have a lovely, healthy 3-year-old cat, Rachel. She is affectionate, adaptable and a delight in every way.

My one concern is that she throws up about once a week -- sometimes after eating. Only rarely does it contain a hairball. Although she sometimes eats grass, that doesn't show up in her vomit. Because she does not drink much water, I have, on the advice of her holistic veterinarian, been feeding her wet food.

Being a cat, she has her own opinions on the matter. Despite her vet's recommendation and my valiant efforts to find a healthy, grain-free wet food that she likes, she has made it plain that she only likes two kinds: 9 Lives Prime Entree (tuna and shrimp) and 9 Lives Ocean Whitefish Dinner. So I give her a can of one of them each day, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons of healthy, grain-free dry food. If left up to her, she would eat only dry food. She accepts any of the dry foods I give her. She weighs 10.8 pounds, which seems to be a healthy weight for her.

Should I be concerned about her throwing up, or is that just something some perfectly healthy cats do? -- K.K., Portola Valley, California

DEAR K.K.: There are many reasons why cats will throw up after eating, which you can discover on my website, DrFoxVet.com, along with solutions to try out.

Your cat may enjoy drinking water if it is filtered and purified -- many cats avoid municipal tap water for good reason (a report on this is also available on my website). She may drink more if provided an electronic drinking fountain. Many cats also drink more water when it is flavored with a little low-salt chicken bullion, which you can make zero-salt by making yourself: Just boil a few chicken wings and save the broth. Or she may enjoy equal parts skim milk and water.

One of our cats eats only dry food, Orijen being his choice. He also likes Stella and Chewy's new freeze-dried raw poultry nuggets. Add some water to your cat's dry food if the above drinking remedies don't work.

REMOVING EYE AND SKIN STAINS ON YOUR DOG

The Food and Drug administration has banned products being sold over the counter to help remove the brown-red tearstains on dogs, including a restricted antibiotic, tylosin -- which is safe for larger animals, like livestock. These stains are also seen on the paws, jaws, ears and groins of dogs, especially when they are white or have a light coat color. The stains, possibly aggravated by pet food dyes and natural porphyrin secretion, are associated with bacterial and fungal proliferation where the dog's fur is kept moist by other body secretions.

Douxo chlorhexidine cleansing pads are acceptable for use, and according to some veterinarians, they are very effective in eliminating the microorganisms in the fur that create the red-brown stain. The product contains chlorhexidine 3 percent, a bactericidal and fungistatic chemical; climbazole, which controls yeast overgrowth; and phytosphingosine-salicyloyl, which restores the skin barrier and limits inflammation.

(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.)