DEAR DR. FOX: I want to share an interesting story with you regarding our 10-year-old rescued husky, Blaney. Three years ago, we invited a couple from the neighborhood to join us for Thanksgiving. Two of our three children, plus our future son-in-law, were home.

When the guests arrived, Miriam (M) sat on the sofa and Blaney settled at her feet. A short while later, he snarled at her. The kids saw that and quickly moved him away. It was a little weird, but no harm. (Background: Blaney is very people-friendly. Loves mobs of kids, babies, everyone. He’s been called the neighborhood rock star. He knows M well, but this was the first time she had been in our home.)

A bit later, Blaney got up and settled once again at M’s feet. This time, with no warning, he climbed on her and bit her left breast! Needless to say, we were all shocked. Fortunately, M was unharmed, but much shaken. She told us at the time that she had had cancer in that breast. Now, three years later, calcifications were found deep in M’s left breast, and they were cancerous. Here’s what I think was going on that Thanksgiving three years ago: Blaney sensed the cancer and perceived it as a threat to his pack, and he did the only thing he could to protect us.

What do you think?

Before I sign off, I want to thank you for helping my daughter address digestive problems with her recently rescued dog about 18 months ago. It was so kind of you to take the time to help her. She was a new dog owner in a foreign country, and you were a lifeline. -- S.G., Ridgefield, Connecticut

DEAR S.G.: The theory as to why your dog reacted this way makes some sense. Animals will generally shun, but sometimes attack and drive away, one of their group if he/she is behaving erratically or looks or smells different.

As you suggest, this could be an ancient instinct to help stop the spread of contagious disease. In your dog’s case, he probably detected an abnormal scent coming from the woman, which triggered an alarm reaction. From your description of the bite, causing no harm, I would interpret this behavior as the dog issuing a warning of some disturbing sensory dissonance -- in this instance, probably olfactory. (Dogs reportedly also have infrared thermal receptors in their muzzles.)

I wonder if the dog bit at her breast to make the cancer go away from that spot (in his mind), or if he wanted her to go away. Either way, it is now well documented that dogs, with their super olfactory sense, can detect certain cancers in people. They can probably also profile people’s temperaments and emotional states by the kind of scents they produce, as well as by their body language.

I’m glad to have been of help earlier with your daughter’s rescued dog, and I trust all is well now.

DEAR DR. FOX: My Westie cross passed away in January. Despite rigorous tests, the vets were unable to diagnose his illness. His symptoms were chronic diarrhea, loss of weight and loss of appetite. They came to the conclusion that it was his liver/immune system, but they don’t know for sure. Sadly, I found Ruben dead in the kitchen. I’m interested in what you have to say.

I have gotten another dog now, exactly same cross-breed: Jack Russell with Westie. What should I feed her? She is on Hill’s Science Diet now. -- G.H., Fargo, North Dakota

DEAR G.H.: I am so sorry that you and your poor dog went through this experience, finding him dead on the floor being one of the worst imaginable shocks.

I can offer only guesses as to cause of death without any autopsy, and wonder what treatments were instigated to address the diarrhea. I might have suggested transitioning him to a diet of known ingredients, as per my home-prepared recipe posted on my website.

I would put your new dog on this diet, along with some good-quality commercial dog food. Susan Thixton (truthaboutpetfood.com) has a list of quality pet food providers.

WELL-MEANING PET TRANSPORT NETWORKS MIGHT PUT PETS AND PEOPLE AT RISK

Volunteer pet transport groups sprang to life in 2005 after shelters in Louisiana were overwhelmed by an influx of pets orphaned by Hurricane Katrina, and the networks ostensibly free up needed space in shelters and reduce euthanasia of adoptable pets. But the groups are unregulated, and pets with significant behavior or health problems have been taken in by unsuspecting volunteers. -- Source: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk)

(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: I recently started using essential oils. When I happened to mention it to my vet in an email, she told me many essential oils are toxic to cats, as there is a liver enzyme necessary to process the oils that cats do not have. I have three rescue cats that I love.

She then sent me to a website that she trusted for research, which had information about essential oils and cats. I have also found information on another website. The two sites differ somewhat in describing the types of the missing enzymes, plant chemicals in the oils, and oils that are toxic to cats.

I would venture to guess that many veterinarians and thousands of cat owners do not know about this. Essential oils are very popular in the U.S. and overseas, and are used as alternative medicine for physical ailments and emotional problems for humans.

There is even an essential oil company that has come out with a line of pet care products, including treats, that contain many of the oils toxic to cats.

I find all of this very scary. Please let your readers know what you think about this potentially deadly problem for their cats. -- J.C., Springfield, Virginia

DEAR J.C.: I appreciate you sending me the information that you have gathered about the risks of most essential oils to cats, because as you said, cats lack a liver enzyme to process these substances and neutralize possible toxic consequences.

Humans and dogs do not have this deficiency, so with cats, a weaker and safer form of various beneficial herbal extracts called hydrosols are used. Veterinarians using essential oils are quite aware of the risks to cats.

I would like to hear from other readers about their experiences with essential oils and their hydrosol alternatives, ideally under veterinary supervision, on their animal companions.

DEAR DR. FOX: Empathy is an emotion, a feeling about distress in another critter. What does the response of the hungry wolf to a distressed rabbit tell us of empathy? The wolf is more concerned about its own needs than the needs of the other.

This is in contrast to compassion, a response required of the intellect, heart and soul of the human being for the other, with no tangible benefit to the one giving compassion.

Humans are animals, of course, but much different from others, I hope you know. That’s why you and I can think and give names to things. Other animals? I’m afraid not.

As Chesterton once wrote, man finds primitive drawings by other ancient men in caves, including a depiction of a deer with a tilted head as it notices the man. Man can go as deep as he wants, but will never find a drawing by the deer of the man. Keep it rational -- thought through, not just what you want to see. -- D.W., Washington D.C.

DEAR D.W.: The French philosopher Pascal wrote, “The heart knows what reason knows not.” It is my contention that we need to integrate heart and mind, empathy and reason, to respond appropriately in any given situation.

I regard empathy not as an emotion, but as a bridge for emotional communication at a very basic level: an openness and receptivity to others’ feelings. Father Matthew Fox (no relation), in his writings, regards compassion as a verb, not a noun -- a call to action, especially with regard to our treatment of animals and the natural environment.

The cry of prey species like a gazelle fawn could well be the empathy-arousing trigger to explain those instances where a lion or leopard is seen to actually care for a helpless creature rather than killing and consuming it.

Without empathy, how can there be compassion? We may step closer to according rights to animals when chauvinism and arrogance give way to humility, and we abandon such ignorant beliefs that only humans can reason and think. Also, check out the art by captive Asian elephants.

QUICK TAKES: BANS AND LAWSUITS

-- Court upholds Chicago’s ban on sale of pets from large breeders: “The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Chicago’s ban on pet store sales of animals from large commercial breeders and dismissed a lawsuit initiated by two pet stores and a breeding operation.” -- Chicago Tribune, Sept. 26

-- Maine’s largest city bans display of wild animals: “A unanimous vote by the Portland, Maine, City Council bans the display of big cats, elephants, monkeys, crocodiles and other wild and exotic animals, joining more than 125 other municipalities and four states with similar bans. Domesticated livestock are exempt.” -- Portland (Maine) Press Herald, Sept. 18

This good news gives me hope because it is clear evidence that people who care can make a difference where there is empathy, conviction and commitment.

(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 READERS: Please take note of these words from the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association, of which I am an Honor Roll member):

“Many people are aware that turtles and other reptiles can carry salmonella bacteria, but not many know that amphibians can carry it, too. This doesn’t mean amphibian and reptile owners should get rid of their pets. What it does mean is that amphibian and reptile handlers and owners should take precautions to protect themselves and their families.”

You can read the AVMA’s tips on preventing salmonella infections from these animals by visiting AVMA.org and searching for “salmonella.”

This post is so needed because many captive-bred and indigenously -- and often illegally -- collected amphibians and reptiles are ill at the point of purchase. It is extremely difficult to recognize when they are sick because they have a way of masking illness. Many go untreated and slowly die, often from combined malnutrition and chronic stress. In their natural environments, reptiles and amphibians help control many insect-borne diseases that can infect humans with far worse consequences than salmonella.

While the tips and awareness are necessary, I wish that the AVMA would go further and practice some veterinary bioethics, and urge people to stop purchasing these animals and all non-domesticated species. This is because the worldwide wildlife market, coupled with human encroachment and pesticide poisoning, means much-documented animal suffering, countless deaths and the plunder, pollution and destruction of natural habitats and healthy ecosystems. This correlates with the rising incidence of zoonotic diseases, with drug-resistant malaria being a very serious public health concern.

My book “Animals and Nature First” is a call to accept this ecological perspective and its application. It is a way of seeing that begins with greater respect for, and less exploitation of, all life. As the Elder Brothers of the Kogi people of Colombia warn, this path of exploitation and destruction, rather than of exultation and empathy with all life, is collective suicide.

It is good that there are veterinarians, biologists and others who are dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and to the treatment and prevention of diseases and suffering of those in captivity. But their commercial breeding and extraction from the wild for sale as “pets,” which drives the market of exploitation and destruction, must end. PetSmart and Petco know what to do.

DEAR DR. FOX: Out of five cats that I have had, two had to be on prescription Hill’s Science Diet: Max for pancreatitis and Audrey for cystitis.

Max developed thyroid cancer, requiring a very expensive treatment, and now Audrey has developed diabetes. This was after a few years of eating the Hill’s. They did not like the food and ate very little. Audrey has now lost weight and nearly stopped eating. The vet suggested changing from chicken to fish Hill’s, which worked for about three weeks. My husband and I were reading the labels and we were appalled. The only meat was pork, and the only other thing close to meat was “fish FLAVOR.”

I started to research food when we found out that she had diabetes. I told the vet that Hill’s had cornstarch, corn gluten, soy and wood (cellulose), and many other unrecognizable ingredients. Audrey is now on insulin and a different diet, which she likes.

I am wondering if anyone else has had this experience with the Hill’s company. Not sure if it is the Hill’s, but my other three cats ate anything I gave them, and they never had serious issues. Makes me wonder. -- S.M., Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey

DEAR S.M.: You should not be reading the ingredient labels on manufactured pet foods, especially the expensive special prescription diet ones! Just trust your veterinarian, who in turn trusts the science and medical claims of the manufacturers!

Not really, of course. That trust is wearing so thin that there is now considerable transparency -- to the degree that my and other veterinarians’ advocacy of home-prepared diets is making a difference. I recommend whole-food, organic, biologically appropriate diets for dogs and cats, as per the recipes posted on my website.

It does not take a doctoral degree to realize that since cats are obligate carnivores relying on animal fat and protein for their nutritional requirements, corn gluten, cornstarch and soy vegetable protein have no place in the feline diet. For more insights, visit feline-nutrition.org.

The big pet food manufacturers offering higher-quality pet foods are hedging their bets as ingredient costs spiral up and quality and availability spiral down; many people either cannot afford good quality dog and cat food, or they expect to pay little for it and balk at the higher prices. “The same kibble every day is fine,” they think, and so our pets have widespread obesity, diabetes and other “nutrigenic” diseases, that in turn create a profitable market for special prescription diets.

Special diets are of benefit to both cats and dogs. Some veterinarians are now preparing their own or providing recipes, and many are using the resources of veterinarian-directed Balance IT in Davis, California. Visit secure.balanceit.com for a cornucopia of good nutrition and therapeutic diets.

(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.)