DEAR DR. FOX: My 7-year-old Australian shepherd just had surgery to remove kidney stones, and the vet says he now has to go on a low-protein diet. Can you make some suggestions? I've been researching the special diet foods, and I'm not impressed. Sugar was the fourth ingredient in one of them. I'd be fine making his food myself. -- R.B.

DEAR R.B.: Your dog should not be on a low-protein diet for urinary calculi and bladder stones. Double-check and be sure that this is what the veterinarian actually advised. If so, I would go to another animal doctor.

There are various kinds of stones that call for different dietary preventives, and this is what the veterinarian should have focused on. In many instances, short-term antibiotic treatment for chronic bladder infection is also called for.

The most common lower urinary tract stones in dogs and cats are of a chemical composition called struvite. These begin to form when there is bladder inflammation or infection coupled with low urine acidity, caused by high cereal content kibble and by animals not drinking sufficient water.

Keep me posted as to your progress.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read with interest about a reader's 10-year-old gray tabby who was licking away its fur. We also have a cat who did the same thing and had sores on his furless tummy. After many attempts to remedy this, we eventually changed Tom Tom's food to grain-free. His fur grew back thick -- with an added bonus.

Before, his fur was a dull, coarse gray, and he had dandruff. Now it is deep gray, thick and smooth with no dandruff. If there is gluten in his food, we know shortly thereafter by the sores that reappear.

Your reader may want to go that route before contacting a vet. -- C.B., Vienna, Virginia

DEAR C.B.: Thanks for the reminder, which I so often put in my column: First, be sure to feed your pet a biologically appropriate diet. Veterinarians must ask about what the cat is fed when it is brought in with health issues.

While some cats can tolerate grains in their diet, many do not, and the problem is compounded by lack of omega-3 fatty acids, essential for a healthy coat and skin. For more details, see the book "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Food," which I co-authored with two other veterinarians.

It is a disgrace to the profession that biologically inappropriate high-cereal cat foods are still being manufactured and even sold by some veterinarians.

Canadian Pet Food Salmonella Lawsuit Settled

Costco and Diamond Pet Foods are reimbursing customers for veterinary care costs and other related expenses after feeding their pets food that was possibly contaminated with salmonella. The companies did not admit wrongdoing but agreed to settle the class-action lawsuit affecting 115,000 pet owners in Canada. Read more at FoodSafetyNews.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.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I recently read the letter in which C.H. related the condition his Belgian shepherd was in when purchased from a breeder. The dog was in poor shape -- skinny, poor coat, bad teeth and her vocal cords had been cut. The writer said he reported it to the American Kennel Club shortly after he got her, but the AKC did nothing. Your reply cited AKC being a dog registry only, not an advocacy group.

From the writer's letter, it does not appear that he contacted the police or any other animal organizations to report animal cruelty and abuse. In your reply, you did not address the animal cruelty and his failure to report it and the breeders to the proper authorities. Failure to report these people allows the perpetrators to continue their vile practices with no repercussions.

Human beings need to stand up for dogs -- and ALL animals. People need to stop buying from breeders; adopt from shelters to put breeders out of business! -- K.K., St. Louis

DEAR K.K.: I agree with you that contacting local animal protection organizations and authorities is more likely to get an immediate response. (I will be writing a column about reporting to the American Kennel Club soon.)

One problem, though, is that local agencies are often not interested or reticent to prosecute and have few resources to seize and house neglected and abused animals, especially from the commercial puppy mill breeders.

Then there is the virtually unmonitored online market for purebred pups, which I vehemently oppose. I agree with you: Adopt from your local shelter first. Anyone wishing for a particular breed or mixed-breed might well find one there or on Petfinder.com. If you go to a local breeder, insist on seeing the parents and evaluating their temperaments and how well they are being cared for.

DEAR DR. FOX: I'm following the Fox Wood Wildlife Rescue protocol for treating a wild fox with mange, and the fox is growing fur again. The protocol consists of 11 doses of ivermectin in hot dogs. I use a very small amount of horse ivermectin, which I got from my daughter, who is a veterinarian, and it's working. Thanks for your advice. -- L.L.

DEAR L.L.: Yes, this product does work well and can help rid the fox of some other parasites, too.

It is heartbreaking to see wild animals afflicted with skin-destroying, infection-spreading, fur-removing and disfiguring sarcoptic mange -- known as scabies in humans. I call it the mad itch. However, in some states, you could be arrested for interfering with wildlife. Indeed, in wildlife circles, there is a debate going on about interfering and intervention, including treating wolves for mange and releasing a healthy pack on Isle Royale National Park, where the moose population is at risk from overcrowding, or letting nature take its course.

I am opposed, on ethical and humane grounds, to an across-the-board hands-off approach. In many places, wildlife needs our help more than ever. Here in Minnesota, there is no debate about planting feed for deer on private property and putting feed out for them in bad winters -- as much for the hunters as for the deer. Yet it is taboo to treat wolves, coyotes and foxes ravaged with the mange.

For too long, wildlife species under state and federal management have been managed from a human-centered perspective in terms of value for fur trapping, sport and trophy hunting or risk to livestock. So these animals are systematically exterminated with traps, cyanide guns and poison bait. The virtual extermination of the wolf across much of the U.S. has enabled the coyote population to explode, which has reduced the red fox and other small carnivore populations.

BOOK REVIEW: "Proboscidea -- The Emotional Lives of Elephants" by Hamish John Appleby

The beauty of this book is a reflection of the author's sensibilities as an artist and empathic spirit. The layout is engaging, and the high-quality images of the Asian elephants in Sri Lanka is captivating and riveting. To be able to seize such fleeting moments with evident consistency is a quality of photography calling for prescience: knowing, through careful observation and feeling, what the subject is going to do next. Hamish John Appleby is a rare master of that.

Appleby's skill in capturing the spirit and essence of being of these ancient, distant cousins of ours was enabled by his evident affection and respect.

This book is a call for liberation and safe sanctuaries for elephants. In itself, as a green, carbon-neutral print production, it is a beautiful collectible. "Proboscidea -- The Emotional Lives of Elephants" is a tribute to their living presence and a public appeal for much-needed funding of elephant CPR (conservation, preservation and recovery).

The book price is $80 plus shipping costs. The price tag is a result of a totally recycled paper book, made in Germany with nontoxic inks, under fair conditions, with a special climate-neutral stamp. All proceeds go to the Elephant Transit home. Visit proboscidea.elze.org/en/ for more information.

(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.net.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a 3-year-old female cat that was formerly feral, and still is to everyone but me. She sleeps with me every night, and is perfectly normal except for when I return from short trips (three or four days away). My neighbor looks after her -- makes sure she has food and water, lets her in and out if she wants to stay in the house -- so it isn't as if I abandon her, but the day I get back, she takes off. The last time, she was gone for 30 days.

Is it possible that she is trying to punish me for leaving? I have had cats all my life and never had anything like this happen before. -- R.S.K., Reeds Spring, Missouri

DEAR R.S.K.: I doubt that your cat is punishing you -- more likely she is just upset by change. Unlike dogs, who are essentially open books when it comes to their emotional reactions and social relationships, cats can be enigmatic and unpredictable -- the traits of a super-predator.

When cats hide or run away, like those who stay alone in the basement and rarely come out, or stay outdoors for days on end, it is as though their "flight" behavior takes over and blocks them from coming close to anyone. The article on my website entitled "Cat Behavior: Cognitive Disassociation and Social Disruption" documents this seemingly bizarre behavior in my formerly feral cats after one, and later the other, accidentally got outdoors.

My advice is to no longer let your cat outdoors. Make life indoors as stimulating as possible with elevated perches, walkways and cat condos, and install padded window ledges looking out on bird feeders.

Also, adopt a healthy, easy-going and well-socialized cat for companionship. Two cats are generally happier and healthier than those who live alone. There are several important steps to introducing a new cat into a home with one or more existing cats, which I detail on my website, DrFoxVet.net.

DEAR DR. FOX: I currently own and care for two dogs. My question is about my 2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever and my lawn. I have an invisible fence to allow her freedom to roam with safe boundaries. Our yard backs up to woods, as well, giving her additional room. Unfortunately, every time she eliminates, she uses her rear legs and digs into the yard, removing large clumps of grass (with the dirt still attached). Even when I take her for a walk outside of our yard, she will exhibit the same behavior, kicking up leaves or whatever is near after she eliminates.

I have tried pulling on the leash and firmly telling her "no" when this occurs. What can I do to correct this behavior? -- P.W., Clifton, Virginia

DEAR P.W.: Your dog is engaging in marking behavior after urinating, an action more common in males of the canine species. She is leaving visual cues on the ground along with scent from her footpads that "point" to where she has urinated.

I would not try to correct this behavior by discipline or negative reinforcement, since that could increase her anxiety and motivate her to mark even more. Instead, try to redirect or remotivate her: Use a clicker or squeaky toy as soon as she has urinated, and then after the sound, give her a treat. If she were my dog, I would let her do her own thing and just plant some wild and hardy grasses and bushes where she likes to dog-mark. Lawns are an environmental abomination anyway!

TICK ALERT

Angell Animal Medical Center veterinarians in Massachusetts report a 220 percent increase in canine tick-borne disease cases this fall and winter compared with a year prior. Warmer winter days with less snow kept ticks, people and pets in closer proximity, and new tick species are migrating north, bringing diseases such as monocytic ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and southern tick-associated rash illness with them.

Most veterinarians recommend that owners use year-round tick prevention, check pets (and people) for ticks after spending time outside, keep yards clear of debris that attracts ticks and know the signs of disease. I advise extreme caution when using most anti-flea and tick products.

(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.net.)