The Animal Doctor

DEAR DR. FOX: Our 6-year-old female tortie cat is showing some disturbing behavior.

We got her three years ago from the Humane Society, and she was just fine up until recently. The first incident was while she was fast asleep; she leaped up, almost knocked the lamp over and wouldn't go back to her normal sleeping blanket for quite a while. She acted like something startled or scared her. Since then, she has had several of these sudden leaping incidents, and the vet said it might be that she is getting a shock. It has been very dry lately. Now she will leap up like this, whether on our lap or elsewhere, and there is no indication of a shock. She has done this several times, her eyes totally black, and it takes a while for her to settle down. We are very concerned about this and don't know what to do.

She is a totally indoor cat, and she has three people in our household who adore and spoil her. She eats good-quality cat food. I hope this may help you figure out what's going on with her! We are worried. -- B.F., Wahpeton, North Dakota

DEAR B.F.: This condition in cats is not unusual when they are relaxing, going into deep sleep and suddenly experience a pain impulse or abnormal brain activity.

The latter may be a kind of seizure, sometimes associated with feline hyperesthesia, which may be helped by giving your cat supplements such as melatonin, tryptophan, L-theanine and taurine. The former could arise from sudden arthritic pain and associated muscle spasms, impacted anal glands or other pain-producing conditions.

Discuss these options with your veterinarian or a feline specialist in your area, and be sure you are not applying any anti-tick and flea drugs on your cat, which can cause a host of problems, or on any dog in your home with whom the cat makes contact. Let me know how this turns out after more detective work.

INCREDIBLE CAT JOURNEY

From South Carolina to Southern California, Kevin, an orange tabby cat, traveled unnoticed until he was discovered in the trailer of a truck during a cargo inspection. Kevin, who escaped in 2013, was taken to Riverside County Animal Services' shelter in Blythe, California, where workers gave him food and water and found his microchip. The information was up to date, and Kevin has been safely reunited with his owener.

DOG MIRACLE IN MEXICO?

A truly incredible saga of street dogs coming to the funeral of Margarita Suarez in Cuernavaca, Mexico, was reported on "Good Morning America" last month. In this report, "Pack of Stray Dogs Stand Guard at Animal Lover's Funeral," the truly crazy thing is not that the funeral home operators had never seen anything like this, but that the street dogs that Margarita actually cared for during her lifetime -- along with many cats -- were not from Cuernavaca at all. They were instead from her hometown of Merida, more than 830 miles away.

Did these mourning dogs travel all the way from Merida as a group and arrive at the same time, which I consider improbable? Or were these some local dogs who knew that this animal-caring woman was someone to mourn because they had a remote-sense connection with the dogs and other animals in Merida? I call this realm of emotional connectedness the empathosphere, which linked these dogs of Cuernavaca with the dogs in Merida. My book "Animals and Nature First" gives supportive documentation of other instances of this metaphysical phenomenon.

(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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I have an 8-year-old teacup Yorkshire terrier who was diagnosed with encephalitis over four years ago.

He began walking in circles whenever he was awake. I took him to our family vet, who referred me to a neurologist. The neurologist performed a spinal tap and a CAT scan, which confirmed that my Yorkie had encephalitis. The prognosis for my dog's survival was one week. In spite of this, the neurologist prescribed cyclosporine and prednisone to be given twice daily. I took my dog home with little hope he would survive. He has been on these medications ever since. He stopped walking in circles one day after beginning the drug combination. His health and quality of life have been mainly quite good. He does what "well" dogs do: barks at the cat, plays, interacts with my other dogs, follows commands and does tricks. He has a sweet disposition.

I want to share this with your readers: Just as with humans, it is possible to shop around for reasonably priced prescription medications for companion animals. It is important to keep your dog on medications without going bankrupt. For example, prednisone is frequently given to humans, and it is inexpensive. I get a prescription for it from my family physician, and then I cut the tablet down to the correct dosage for my dog.

If I'd had to buy cyclosporine locally, the cost would have been $500 a month. I would have had to put my dog down years ago because I could not afford that. Instead, I get it for $30 a month from a mail-order place out of state that specializes in veterinary drugs. -- L.R., Montgomery Village, Maryland

DEAR L.R.: I am glad that this drug combination helped your dog overcome his inflammatory brain disease that may well have been an adverse reaction to a vaccination, which in the future would probably best be avoided.

Yes, the cost of pharmaceuticals has really gotten out of hand, and veterinarians are being wrongly blamed for this drug industry profiteering and monopolistic, cartellike business practices.

Readers will appreciate your diligence in finding less costly sources for the human medications, generally prescribed in the category of "off-label" by veterinarians when they are not specifically approved by the government for animal use.

A veterinarian friend of mine, Dr. Ron Gaskin of Shakopee, Minnesota, who has been investigating this issue, sent me the following statement, which I ask all readers to pass on to their congressional representatives:

"Pet owners of America might have noticed that the prices of medications for their pets are increasing. Many of these drug price increases are astonishing! Over the last three years, our veterinary clinic has seen an increased frequency of manufacturers backordering drugs. When -- and if -- the drug returns to the market, a huge price increase usually follows. This has happened to doxycycline, a powerful antibiotic used to treat tick-borne diseases found in Minnesota. The human generic doxycycline tablet price has increased at least 600 percent. Generic doxycycline tablets from some human drug wholesalers have gone up as much as 1,800 percent.

"Another example of stratospheric drug price increases is phenobarbital, a human anti-seizure medication used to control epileptic seizures in cats and dogs. Phenobarbital has been a frontline drug for extra-label use in my patients for over three decades. Phenobarbital tablets were on a manufacturer backorder for eight months. When the tablets finally came back into the market, we had a 600 percent price increase. Yet another example is the cost of fluoxetine, an anti-anxiety drug used for feline behavior problems, which increased 2,300 percent in one day. This is a drug that can save a cat with such issues from being surrendered to a shelter, abandoned or worse.

"If these human generic drug price increases continue at this rate, veterinarians will not be able to economically treat our nation's pets within five years! Some pets will go without treatment or have to be euthanized because their guardians cannot afford the necessary medications.

"Human doctors are seeing the same problem. Senior citizens are often unable to afford their digoxin tablets, a formerly cheap but very effective drug used to treat congestive heart failure. When a senior citizen cannot afford the digoxin and is forced to go without it, he will likely end up in urgent care struggling for his life! Only in the American health care system does it seem that it is less expensive to treat a senior with decompensated life-threatening congestive heart failure than it is to manage the disease with a previously affordable 6-cent tablet.

"Why is this happening in America today? We are seeing human generic drug manufacturers increasing their prices just because they can. The drug powder or active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) price has not gone up, nor has an API shortage been a problem. It comes down to one cause: human greed. There used to be six manufacturers of phenobarbital; now there are only two, and they set the price. Small, independent, competing generic drug manufacturers are being acquired and shut down or incorporated into larger drug manufacturing corporations, who then control the price of the generic drug.

"The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) top brass, in a private conversation, stated that the human generic drug price increases are 'free enterprise-driven,' and they claim there is nothing that the AVMA can do about it. When the price of a human generic drug gets high enough, this could entice our veterinary generic drug manufacturers to apply for and get approval to manufacture economical generic veterinary drugs. Our veterinary generic drug manufacturers appear to be holding the line on their generic drug price increases; however, the writing is on the wall. For example, a bottle of veterinary generic levothyroxine, priced at $49 just three years ago, is now double the cost at $101. One of the gold-standard brands of levothyroxine is currently on a manufacturer's back order. I hope this is not a trend. It begs the question -- why can't human generic drug manufacturers hold down the cost of their generic drugs and charge fair prices?

"What is the federal government doing about this? Stringent Food and Drug Administration regulations and an aging drug manufacturing infrastructure have resulted in many small generic drug manufacturers being shut down or becoming more easily acquired by larger, predatory generic drug manufacturers. The Federal Trade Commission is allowing this monopolistic process to happen. Why is this happening? Money. There is a huge amount of money involved. A recent Senate oversight committee investigation has become silent about the exorbitant generic drug price increases. Pet owners should be aware it is not usually your veterinarian making the 'big money.' Our veterinary practice has started to write a lot more pet prescriptions to be filled at local pharmacies because the drugs are too expensive for us to inventory, or we just want to help the pet's owner find the most affordable option they can. Sadly, almost always our pet owners find out what the real, and unanticipated, costs of human generic drugs are -- for them and their pets."

I urge readers to send this statement to their Congressional representatives to address this serous issue affecting both human and animal patients in need of prescription medications.

(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.)

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a sweet, slightly elderly cat who has starting crying incessantly lately. Our boy is about 15 years old -- but could even be a bit older -- and is in relatively good health for his age. He does have thyroid issues and receives methimazole every day.

Over the past week or so, he's started crying quite a lot, especially at night. He's always been very affectionate, and the crying seems like he wants attention, but sometimes he continues to cry even when he's in the same room with the family. The crying has become an issue because it's keeping us awake at night, and we're worried that there is something wrong with him other than simply feeling needy. Nothing in his food or routine has changed. Any thoughts? -- J.B., Washington, D.C.

DEAR J.B.: This is a common problem with older cats, and I have addressed it many times over the years in this column. Generally, the following measures help, keeping in mind the possibility of dementia/brain degeneration, like Alzheimer's disease, and chronic pain from arthritis.

With the latter, a few drops of fish oil in the food daily may help; you can also try a good chondroitin and glucosamine supplement, which you should discuss with your veterinarian first. My book on massage therapy, "The Healing Touch for Cats," should help overall.

A warm place to sleep would be beneficial. Have the vet check for dental problems, another source of chronic pain and inflammation in cats.

To help with anxiety and chronic pain, there are other medications that may help your cat. Your vet can tell you about selegiline for possible dementia. If your cat likes catnip, I would advise a pinch or two later in the evening and giving some melatonin before you go to bed. I take it myself; it is a super antioxidant as well as a natural sleep aid.

DEAR Dr. FOX: I just reread your book "Understanding Your Cat." In it, you talked about domestic cats not swimming. Yes, most domestic cats do not like water, but I was truly blessed to experience a swimmer.

Several years ago, my neighbors had an above-ground pool with a nice deck around it. Their cat, Samantha, would sleep on the deck -- if no one was splashing her. I swam alone often, so I saw her there a lot.

One day, she got up, walked over to the pool ladder, put her feet in the water, jumped into the pool, swam a lap, got out of the pool, shook herself and laid back down. I was so stunned! I got out of the pool, banged on my neighbors' door and said, "I just saw Samantha swim across the pool!"

They told me that she does that every once in a while. Wow! -- D.B., St Louis

DEAR D.B.: Thanks for your swimming cat story. This is indeed rare, but some cats do take to the water. However, I do not advise people throwing their cats into the pool this summer!

Cats sometimes amaze us. My journalist friend in St. Louis was shocked when she told her cat to straighten up the pages of her manuscript that the cat had pushed off her desk and onto the floor -- and the cat did just that, pawing around the pages to try to put them together!

Only yesterday, one of our cats, Pinto Bean, used the litter box in the bathroom, and I saw that his urine had not been covered with litter. I called out to my wife, "Pinto has not covered his pee." No sooner had I said that than Pinto Bean came running in and fastidiously covered his deposit!

HORSES DO BETTER HOUSED TOGETHER

Horses may do better with access to others of their kind, according to a study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior that found higher levels of corticosterone, a stress hormone, in horses housed in individual stalls than those housed in communal situations.

The greater the isolation, the higher the stress, the study found, which the team noted could lead to illness. "Group housing provides horses with an environment where they are able to display natural behavior and allows contact, improving overall welfare," said Kelly Yarnell, a Nottingham Trent University (U.K.) equine welfare expert.

(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.)