DEAR DR. FOX: I have a young dog with diagnosed gastritis. He is currently taking the following medications: Medrol, Spasmex, Efloran, Acipan, Ranital and omega-3 acid pill supplements. I feed him wet Hill's Prescription Diet i/D, but he rejects it; instead of the prescribed 2 1/2 cans per day, he eats only one can per day. No nematodes were found in his body.

At the moment, he has no diarrhea, but his stomach is still upset, and he munches a lot, especially during the nights. He also has swollen tonsils from the stomach acid.

His status is not improving. He's losing weight by the day, and I am wondering if you have any suggestions. -- M.S., Slovenia, Europe

DEAR M.S.: Many special prescription diets are unpalatable, may actually bring on other health problems and are often a profit-making scam, as documented by Meg Smart in her contribution to my book "Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Cat and Dog Foods."

First, your dog may have acid reflux aggravated by a high-cereal-content diet. Some dogs improve when given a human antacid tablet like Tums before each meal. Others do better when their food bowl is elevated so they do not have to reach down low to eat and swallow.

While there may be other health issues with your dog that have not yet been diagnosed, I would wean him off the prescription diet and all the various medications (other than giving an antacid for a few days) and feed him my home-prepared diet, as posted on my website (DrFoxVet.net). Give him no treats or snacks other than a tablespoon of live plain organic yogurt or kefir, half a canned-in-water sardine with a half-teaspoon of chia seeds and a half-teaspoon of unsweetened canned pineapple. Also try Dr. Fox's Good Dog Cookie Recipe, posted on my website.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a 13-year-old male Maine coon cat, who is, of course, quite special.

Last week, he apparently had a blood clot. After some delay and an adamantly pessimistic ER vet, he finally got some heparin, fluids, etc. He is now home and much improved, though he has some significant compromised function in his back legs, one worse than the other.

I was wondering if there is some therapy that might help, or if time is our only option. -- J.B., Springfield, Missouri

DEAR J.B.: The pessimism of the emergency veterinarian is well founded. This is a common malady in cats, and the blood clots can result in a fatal stroke or partial paralysis wherever the clot or clots are blocking major blood vessels.

One reason why this condition may be so prevalent may well be diet-related -- blood cells are more likely to clot when there is a deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids, as in fish oil and vitamin E. Many of these essential nutrients are destroyed by the heat processing of manufactured cat foods. Before surgery, people are advised not to take such supplements because they may bleed more, since they are natural anti-coagulants, as is aspirin.

For your cat, I would advise a few drops of fish oil in his food daily and giving him half a sardine (canned, in water). As I say for cats, a sardine a day keeps the vet away -- though some cats are allergic to fish, so try a quarter teaspoon of spirulina as an alternative.

A daily full-body massage, as per my book "The Healing Touch for Cats," will also help the impaired circulation.

MORE REVELATIONS ABOUT PENTOBARBITOL-CONTAMINATED MEAT

Pet food watchdog group the Truth About Pet Food has posted: “Evanger's Pet Food Company files a $20 million lawsuit against its meat supplier that had supplied them with meat contaminated with pentobarbitol, but in the court documents, the pet food company discloses they directly lied to consumers. The meat used by Evanger’s was labeled 'inedible'; it was not ‘human grade’ as the company told consumers and retailers.”

See more at truthaboutpetfood.com/evangers-sues-meat-supplier-but-makes-a-big-disclosure/.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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: Why would my cat eat dirt from a potted plant? I moved the plant, put rocks in it, and the cat still goes to where the plant was (in front of fireplace) and licks the bricks. -- J.K., Virginia Beach, Virginia

DEAR J.K.: Your cat’s behavior -- called "pica" -- is not necessarily abnormal; cats, dogs and other animals (including humans) often crave dirt. This geophagia (eating of earthy matter), which can include licking rocks and bricks, may be an instinctual desire to compensate for a dietary deficiency. Pets suffering from anemia, for example, often eat dirt; they may do the same when they have an internal aliment or other discomfort that could mean lymphatic cancer. A full veterinary checkup is advisable, since cats with certain chronic diseases and inflammatory conditions will engage in this kind of behavior.

If your cat is otherwise healthy, I would give him one-quarter of a daily dose of a human multivitamin or multimineral capsule or tablet crushed in his food every other day. For good measure, supplement his diet to include one probiotic tablet or capsule and some chopped wheat grass and parsley (totaling 1 teaspoon), plus gradually working up to 1/2 teaspoon daily of brewer’s yeast and fish oil in his food.

DEAR DR. FOX: I just read your column in The Washington Post, and I went to your website to read the review on animal grieving you mentioned, but can't find it. Can you refer me to it? -- D.Z.R., Falls Church, Virginia

DEAR D.Z.R.: Please accept my apologies to you and other readers who went to my website to read my article on how animals grieve and how to help them through the mourning process after I mentioned it in my column. I had forgotten that article was removed from my old website and incorporated into two of my books, "Cat Body, Cat Mind" and "Dog Body, Dog Mind." You will find some reference to how animals grieve, elephants in particular, on my new website, DrFoxVet.net in two articles, "Animal Altruism and Ability to Empathize" and "The Empathosphere: Animal Prescience, Remote Sensing & Life After Life."

There are two books addressing this issue that are worth reading for the perspectives they offer from scientific objectification to empathic subjective impression: "How Animals Grieve" by anthropology professor Barbara J. King (The University of Chicago Press, 2013), and less academic and visually graphic "Animal Grief: How Animals Mourn" by David Alderton (Hubble & Hattie, 2009).

PRE- AND POSTNATAL PET EXPOSURE MIGHT BOOST BABIES' GUT FLORA

Babies exposed to furry pets prenatally and up to three months after birth had twice the levels of ruminococcus and oscillospira gut bacteria as babies not exposed to pets, according to a study published in the journal Microbiome. The bacteria are associated with reduced risks of allergies and obesity.

AMERICA AND ENGLAND’S MOST POPULAR DOG BREEDS

The American Kennel Club's most popular dog breed rankings have been released, and Labradors snagged the top spot again, thanks to their friendly nature and trainability. After Labs, the rankings include: German shepherds, golden retrievers, bulldogs, beagles, French bulldogs, poodles, Rottweilers, Yorkshire terriers and boxers.

The British Kennel Club reports that the French bulldog is set to overtake the Labrador, still the most popular of registered breeds, with the cocker spaniel in second place and French bulldog in third.

There may be many more French bulldogs that are owned but not registered. Both the British Veterinary Association and one U.K. Kennel Club spokesperson have expressed concerns that such rising popularity of this breed could create a welfare crisis already afflicting other breeds such as pugs and bulldogs, who can suffer from extreme facial compression (brachycephaly), which will mean a reduced quality of life from being barely able to breathe when physically active and result in other related health problems.

Labradors, whom I call "Labradorables," are energetic dogs for active people and young families, who should get the all-clear on the hip dysplasia problem common in this breed, and monitor diet with the veterinarian because they are prone to obesity. Some poor German shepherds have been bred to have such sloping hindquarters that they can hardly walk.

All breeds can now be DNA tested for potential inherited diseases, and I would never buy a pure breed from untested, unhealthy parent stock.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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: Our 8-month-old, 50-pound springer spaniel pup had severe reactions to both Frontline Plus and Frontline Gold (for puppies). He got diarrhea and looked like he was nearing a seizure, with a quivering jaw, all within 24 hours of application. I even gave him a low dose -- one for dogs weighing 25 to 44 pounds.

What do you recommend? Ticks are fierce here, and we walk every day. I have Cedar Spray from Dogs Natually, but I think I will need a variety of products for full coverage.

Our older springer rescue doesn't seem to suffer adverse effects from Fipronil. -- S.B., Branson, Missouri

DEAR S.B.: I am so sorry to hear about the adverse reaction of your young dog to the Frontline products. These, along with other similar products, are widely advertised this time of year, and I receive many reports of dogs becoming suddenly ill -- and in some instances dying -- after application. Year after year I advise against the use of most of these products except as a last resort.

But that is how the manufacturers and suppliers make their money; they essentially either deny receiving adverse reaction reports, or claim they are rare and that the benefits outweigh the risks of an occasional dog or cat getting ill and possibly being killed. Your veterinarian should report this adverse reaction to the manufacturers and to the government regulators.

Visit my website, DrFoxVet.net, for my flea and tick prevention and treatment advice, under the title "Preventing Fleas." Also visit petzlife.com to learn about herbal products that have proven safe and effective in dealing with these noxious ectoparasites.

But as I emphasize in my review article, no single product can give 100 percent protection without the animal also having good nutrition and daily monitoring of body surfaces to check for fleas and ticks -- especially after a run with the dog in the woods. And of course all cats should be indoor cats, otherwise they could infest the home with fleas and ticks and even infect family members with the plague and other flea- and tick-borne diseases if they are allowed to come and go as they please.

DEAR DR. FOX: After having my old dog Sam euthanized in our home, I wonder why authorities are using some weird drug combinations to kill death-row convicts instead of what my vet used: Acepromazine sedative and then pentobarbital into a vein.

Sam passed away in my arms with no fear -- his eyes told me. He gave a big sigh, and he was gone. It was so humane; death with dignity. -- M.S., Washington, D.C.

DEAR M.S.: Our justice system has yet to learn and practice compassion and mercy, and the legal system and government to embrace science-based reason and bioethics. The recovery of our humanity from the insanity of our inhumanity is a societal and evolutionary challenge. Veterinarians are at the forefront of this evolution; our relationships with and treatment of animals telling us much about our states of mind and the realities we create therewith.

EUTHANASIA DRUG IN DOG FOOD: ANOTHER PET FOOD RECALL

Party Animal, Inc. of West Hollywood, California, has announced that it is voluntarily recalling specific lots of its canned dog foods because they tested positive for the euthanasia drug pentobarbital. To learn which products are affected, visit dogfoodadvisor.com.

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating this issue, and in my opinion it may be because the meat processors and suppliers have been lax in insuring that euthanized cats and dogs, as well as horses, ponies, pot-bellied pigs and other companion animals who have been humanely euthanized with pentobarbital, are separated from processing into meat meal and other ingredients that end up in pet food.

Concentrations of this euthanasia drug have been so high in some dog foods that dogs have developed acute neurological problems, including seizures and death.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 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.)