The Animal Doctor

Empathy, derived from the Greek word “empatheia,” meaning “affection," bonds with our conscience to act as compassion’s compass in our relationships. It is the foundation for ethical behavior. Without empathy, we cannot suffer with, or for, others. My simple definition of empathy is one individual being affected by the emotional state of another.

The ability to empathize is innate in all social animals. It plays a significant role in individual and group survival, and it is highly evolved in some individuals and species. Think of contagious panic, stampedes, mob rage, mass migrations, hordes of adulation, and the infectious “high” of being with others of like mind. Think of the sympathy pains of expectant husbands, and of the mothers of most species responding to the distress calls of their offspring.

The current discussion in the media of the evident lack of empathy in certain individuals, cults and regimes calls for analysis of this spreading pathology in our own species. Selective, often situational, inhibition of empathy can be a conscious or conditioned response of avoidance and denial.

Some individuals are behaving like subjects in a series of famous behavioral studies by J.B. Calhoun of the National Institute of Mental Health. In the 1960s and 1970s, Calhoun studied laboratory rats and mice. They were kept well-fed, watered and clean, and were allowed to reproduce. They were given more food as needed, but no additional living space. Eventually, the colony populations rose and then crashed as overcrowding stress caused constant aggression: males killing males, mothers killing their offspring and other harmful, abnormal behaviors. But a few subjects, the “beautiful ones,” continued to thrive but never bred or engaged in social interactions because they were unaffected by the emotional states of others. Their adaptive strategy was empathy inhibition.

I feel vindicated, after years of decrying the lack of public recognition of animals’ emotions and empathy, by the recent publication of two illustrated books by Time Inc. Special Edition: “Inside Animal Minds” and “The Animal Mind.” They give much evidence of the highly evolved empathetic sensitivity in animals. One edition concludes with the question: “As we learn more about what animals think and feel, the questions posed are as much ethical as scientific. What are we going to do with that knowledge?”

Doing a moral inventory of how we harm other beings, human and non-human, directly and indirectly, to sustain our lives and communities and how we might reduce those harms -- improving our health and well-being in the process -- is the first significant step in the development and expression of empathy. The animals can show us the way back to our authentic, emotive, naturally caring selves -- like our recently rescued dog, Kota, who now enjoys equal consideration in our home and quickly learned to respect our wishes as we embraced her basic needs. As empathy is our bridge of emotion, so ethics is our bridge of reason. Both are in dire need of repair in all our relationships, human and non-human.

DEAR DR. FOX: We have a lovely little 8-year-old Shih Tzu we adopted 7 years ago from a shelter. She seems to know her bedtime, so she retires to the laundry room, on her own, to spend the night on her pillow at 9 p.m. However, she has developed one unusual habit: Before she falls asleep, she scratches on the dryer door vigorously with her front right paw, then the left. (We are not worried about the dryer.) She continues this for about 10 to 15 minutes. Sometimes she will stop, then start again for a few more minutes. We take her for walks twice a day, about one mile each time. She lets us know when she wants to go out in the backyard. She is in good health.

What do you think of this? -- P.S., Silver Spring, Maryland

DEAR P.S.: Your dog’s ritual-like behavior may have started as a comfort-seeking activity that provides some release of anxiety before sleeping.

Dogs will instinctively turn and repeatedly paw around and around to make their lying area comfortable and clear of possibly injurious objects. My guess is that the dryer door-pawing behavior was triggered by sounds that the machine made, possibly at a high frequency that you could not hear, that upset your dog. Many devices produce such sounds, even when not operating but still plugged in.

(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: Here on the East Coast, we have been suffering through excessively high temps and stifling humidity for the last two weeks or so. Due to these weather conditions, my two 5-year-old Havanese, Birdie and Bogey, are offered much shorter, more frequent walks to compensate for the prolonged walks that aren’t currently possible. (The fact that this breed is said to originate from hot, humid Cuba, yet does not tolerate these climatic conditions, borders on the nonsensical.)

The issue I am having is related to the behavior that Bogey has been exhibiting since the onset of these extreme weather conditions: namely, a compulsive need to lick his abdomen. I am wondering if this behavior can be attributable to heat stress.

I have examined the area closely and see no evidence of a rash, fleas or bug bites. There is no loss of hair, no redness. Thinking that this licking may be heat-related stress, I have placed a cold, damp cloth on his abdomen and held Bogey in my arms, inverted, in an effort to comfort him. Regardless, he resumes licking once he is put back on the floor. I have also bathed him a couple times, using a gentle shampoo that has anti-itching properties, which seems to be beneficial but has not remedied the compulsion.

The other odd behavior that he has recently been exhibiting is exaggerated panting -- not during a walk, but hours after he has concluded a gentle walk and has been at rest in an air-conditioned house. The onset of this heavy panting is preceded by a long period of deep sleep. He wakes up in a heavy pant. These dogs live in what I would describe as a stress-free environment.

As for possible allergies, their diet has not changed. I am mindful of the harmful effects caused by lawn pesticides, and am vigilant to minimize their exposure. Neither dog is overweight. Their weight does not fluctuate. Bowls of water are always available. The dogs are free to roam the house at all times to find the most comfortable spot to rest.

Lastly, several months ago, Bogey had a medical emergency that required surgery. When his blood was tested during pre-op procedures, neither pre-diabetes nor diabetes were present. The lab work showed that he was in excellent health. -- T.R., Arlington, Virginia

DEAR T.R.: Dogs will develop compulsive disorders and behaviors when they are in chronic discomfort. Since possible allergies and skin inflammation seem out of the picture, I would have your veterinarian check your dog’s thyroid and adrenal function. He could, for instance, be developing abnormal thyroid activity, Cushing’s disease or another health problem that makes him pant because he feels hot, or because he feels some discomfort that makes him anxious, leading him to pant and lick his tummy. It may also have something to do with post-surgical complications following the medical emergency, which your veterinarian can determine.

Environmental triggers can also be involved in affecting his behavior, such as the sound of a window air conditioner starting up or the sound of you leaving the house, triggering separation anxiety. A cooling pad for him on the floor and a light dose of alprazolam or trazodone prescribed by the attending veterinarian may be the most expedient first step. Keep me posted!

CONFIRMING THE ORIGIN OF THE DOMESTIC CAT

My assertion over 40 years ago in my book “Understanding Your Cat” -- that all our house cats, with the obvious exception of recent wildcat hybrids, are descendants of the North African desert cat, Felis lybica -- has been recently confirmed and refined.

An international team of scientists recently published their analysis of DNA from cats that lived between 8000 B.C. and the 20th century in the Near East, Africa and Europe in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution (2017). Their findings indicate that the first descendants of the now renamed Felis silvestris lybica, a regional subspecies of wildcat, came from two distinct wildcat populations. The first evolved in the Middle East and spread to Europe as early as 4400 B.C. A separate lineage of the domestic cat came out of Egypt, spreading to the Middle East and Europe from the fifth century on. Sedentary agrarian communities welcomed them as natural rodent controllers and crop/harvest protectors.

(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: We purchased Seresto collars for our wirehaired pointing griffons, who were approximately 7 and 8 years old at the initial exposure. We found the collars to be effective against fleas and ticks. They wore the initial collars for the full, recommended eight months.

We purchased a second set of collars, and within the first four to six months of that second set, we noticed that our male dog had lost weight and was reluctant to eat hard kibble or hard treats. We also noticed that he had become hoarse and had started to drool on a regular basis. We took him to our vet and the exam and bloodwork were normal. We returned him to the same vet 10 days later, when the vet identified a golf ball-sized mass under his jaw.

We removed the collars from both dogs at this time. Biopsy confirmed a squamous cell cancer that had developed in an area that was not amenable to surgical intervention. We were told that this type of cancer is not typically found in lymph nodes in the neck. Our beautiful boy died eight weeks later.

Our female started to have a noticeable change in her appetite, was sleeping all the time, and was increasingly weak, which we initially thought was related to the loss of her brother. But we took her to be evaluated as well. Our same vet felt there was something significant at play; we had an ultrasound performed and were floored to learn that she had abdominal lymphoma. She passed away four weeks later.

We lost two previously healthy dogs within five months of each other. We called the breeder and could find no known history of cancer, and also reached out to the owners of a littermate of our female. They have not used the Seresto collar and their dog is fine.

We believe that the Seresto collar has caused the death of our beloved griffs. Our vet does not agree, but does feel that both dogs were exposed to something that caused their death.

We are devastated by the loss of our dogs, and felt angry when our vet totally denied that there could be any connection between the use of the collars and the cancer diagnoses. He stated that there was significant safety testing performed and that the collars were totally safe. We don’t agree. -- D.S., Ravena, New York

DEAR D.S.: I regret what happened to your beloved dogs. Skeptics will say there is no proof, that it’s all mere coincidence and most dogs do fine. I vehemently disagree. These are highly toxic chemicals (some also used on the produce we eat), so the precautionary principle should be applied.

Do the benefits outweigh the risks? People either fear fleas more than they love their dogs or else they believe the manufacturers of these products -- and the governments around the world that regulate them -- that say they are safe. There are safer alternatives, as posted on my website under “Preventing Fleas.”

Your veterinarian is professionally bound to report this possible adverse reaction in your dogs to both the government and manufacturers. He should also share appropriate websites with colleagues concerning animal health and poisoning issues with collars and similar anti-flea and -tick products that are put on animals’ skin or are slow-release from a collar or medallion.

DEAR DR. FOX: My little poodle, age 15 years, has warts and seems to get more and more as time goes on. Is this a sign of an illness, or what else could cause them? She has a heart murmur and sneezes a lot. Is this a symptom of her heart condition? -- T.G., Phoenix

DEAR T.G.: Warts are not uncommon in dogs young and old. They are caused by a papilloma virus, similar to those causing warts in humans, but are not contagious to us. Their presence can indicate a weakened immune system, but they tend to disappear eventually without treatment.

They do not turn cancerous and are best left alone, unless they start to cause the dog discomfort -- as on an eyelid, or when one or more becomes itchy from secondary infection. Some veterinarians remove them for aesthetic reasons in older dogs, often under general anesthesia, but I do not concur with such treatment considering the costs and risks.

(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.)