DEAR READERS: I have raised the issue of using remote-controlled, bark-activated or fence-line triggering shock collars on dogs, voicing my disapproval of such devices -- with rare exceptions, such as their use by sensitive and experienced dog handlers, including many veterinarians.

British veterinarian Dr. Mike Smith, from my natal county of Lancashire, had fence-line triggering collars on his two Labradors, and by the age of 12, they both developed laryngeal paralysis. He wonders if there is a connection between this malady and the electrical field created by the capacitor in the collars. The collars were rarely triggered once the dogs were conditioned to keep away from the electrical fence line.

Any experiences from readers whose dogs have developed laryngeal paralysis, and had been wearing these kinds of collars, would be appreciated.

Apparently, laryngeal paralysis has recently become quite a common condition in dogs in the U.K. Genetics may be involved, as well as the dogs’ environments. Many, left alone all day, bark and howl for hours. Could this, and the use of various shock-collar systems, be contributing factors? And if addressed, might this condition be preventable?

We should also consider possible damage caused by dogs pulling hard when on a leash, and wearing narrow collars and choke-chains. Tracheal collapse, especially in small breeds, can be avoided by putting them in a harness instead.

DEAR DR. FOX: My wife and I are retirees with a young dog. We have two off-leash dog parks near where we live, but our dog will not go and run or play with the other dogs. She just stays close to us, but we want her to get some exercise. She’s a rescued 2-year-old Australian heeler, and has no interest in chasing balls or Frisbees. What would you advise? -- R.M., Minneapolis, Minnesota

DEAR R.M.: My wife and I have the same problem with our dog, also a rescue and mainly Australian red heeler. On rare occasions, she will have a game of chase with a friendly dog, but that is the exception for her.

You might try what gets our Kota running: On walks, my wife holds her leash while I walk way ahead, and then she lets Kota go, who runs like the wind to me. Then I walk with the dog and eventually let her run back when my wife calls her. In the off-leash enclosed dog area nearby, we stand about 50 yards apart, and Kota is happy to run from one of us to the other. She has never been a “runaway” kind of dog -- truly a heeler. She knows she has a forever home, and her attachment to us is probably in part due to some PTSD and fear of abandonment.

(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: Andrew Jacobs, in his July 9 New York Times article “Opposition to Breast-feeding Resolution by U.S. Stuns World Health Officials,” reports that “the U.S. delegation, embracing the interests of infant formula manufacturers, upended deliberations” at a United Nations-affiliated World Health Assembly of hundreds of global government delegates.

The topic was a resolution, based on decades of research, ”that mother’s milk is healthiest for children, and countries should strive to limit the inaccurate or misleading marketing of breast milk substitutes.” Countries such as Ecuador were threatened with punishing trade measures and withdrawal of U.S. military aid if they did not withdraw the resolution.

So can ”we the people” in the United States trust government regulatory agencies when it comes to other matters? These include the safety and efficacy of vaccines for our children and pets; the risks of pesticides on the crops that we and farmed animals consume; and the quality and safety of manufactured pet foods and baby foods. Trust, transparency and accountability are the hallmarks of democracy and corporate responsibility.

Such an exhibition of U.S. pandering to, and bullying for, corporate interests at this international world health gathering gives new credence to the term “ugly American.” It is up to us, the people, to make America first in ethics, honesty, justice and compassion -- rather than a nation of corporate hegemony and corruption.

DEAR DR. FOX: Our 11-year-old female Yorkie has been diagnosed with glomerulonephritis (GN). We have started her on benazepril and fish oil. I have increased the oatmeal and reduced the protein in the homemade patties I make for her, using an adaptation of your recipe. She also gets a small amount of Organix dry kibble for small dogs mixed in.

What is your advice for this condition? Are there other things we can do to prevent further progress of this condition?

As a side note, she has had urinary problems all of her life. After bringing her to multiple vets, it was determined that she needed added estrogen to help control incontinence. She received the hormone until two years ago, when she became very ill for a reason that was never discovered and she had to come off of everything. There were no problems after taking her off the hormone, so it was discontinued permanently. The illness and her refusal of commercial prescription dog food resulted in my starting her on the homemade dog food mixed with natural kibble, which has resulted in better health aside from the kidney problem. -- M.W., Naples, Florida

DEAR M.W.: You are on the right track with your dog, and I must say that good nutrition from the start could possibly have prevented her chronic renal health problem. You also confirm an all-too-common problem with manufactured prescription diets: Many dogs and cats refuse to eat them.

Do not give her much kibble, because there is evidence that kibble can upset the immune system and trigger inflammatory responses. I like some of the freeze-dried dog foods like Stella and Chewy’s, Sojo’s and The Honest Kitchen. Cornucopia (cornucopiapetfoods.com) is one of the top-rated canned foods for dogs and cats.

On my website, you will find steps to take for dogs with chronic kidney issues, which will help you keep your dog as healthy as possible with this condition.

DEAR DR. FOX: I wrote you in 2014 that I adopted two feral kittens by throwing treats to them and gaining their trust. Now the white one has tested positive for FLV/FIV: feline leukemia and the other immunodeficiency virus.

He was eating fine up until two weeks ago. When he skipped a meal entirely on June 21, after eating many unenthusiastically, I took him in. They gave me three options: euthanasia, chemotherapy and prednisolone. I took the latter. He is declining fast, and I’m taking him in tomorrow for an ultrasound. My regular vet thinks he has cancer and will look into cancer drugs, depending on what the ultrasound shows.

Right now, he’s in extreme pain often, and has to lie flat for it to subside. I think it has to do with pressure caused by eating, bowel movements and moving. In fact, I think he had this a year ago and even earlier! I was carrying him back home one time and he started crying in pain. I set him down on the ground and he laid out flat, then recovered after a few seconds, just like he’s doing now. In fact, I told the vet about this last August (after bringing him in for scratching for fleas) and she said she didn’t know why he was in pain.

I think last year this should have been considered as a possible serious problem. Bloodwork and an ultrasound were in order, and might have revealed FLV/FIV way earlier, giving us more time to try treatments. -- D.L., Maryland Heights, Missouri

DEAR D.L.: I am sorry to hear about your cat testing positive for these diseases.

In my opinion, all cats and kittens rescued from the outdoors should be tested for these two contagious feline diseases: feline leukemia virus (FLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) on their first appointment with a veterinarian. It blows my mind that animal rescue organizations, such as the Animal Humane Society in Minnesota, are releasing cats into our communities, as are many other shelters and cat rescue organizations across the country, without checking them for these two contagious feline diseases.

Cats testing positive should be quarantined, and other cats living with them should also be tested to see if they are infected. Infected cats can be helped in many instances by avoiding stress, giving lysine and other supplements, and avoiding immune system-compromising additional vaccines. Prednisolone helps subdue an over-reactive immune system. Because of the added stress, both physical and psychological, to most cats, I am not an advocate of repeated invasive treatments such as chemotherapy.

The questions of quality of life, and of “doing everything possible” in diagnosing and treating disease, which may not be in the animal’s best interest, is a central issue in a recently convened European veterinary ethics working party. But this is no consolation to you at this time.

From the declining state of your poor cat, I would advise euthanasia, along with having the other cat tested for possible infection.

(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 have had a rescue cat named Louis for over two months. I have rescued cats for around 20 years, but have never seen one quite like Louis.

He was never a totally feral cat. However, after being in a cage for two months -- a huge cage, big enough for a litter box, food and water -- he still doesn’t seem ready to come out.

I have gotten into the cage daily with him and brushed him, talked to him and cut his claws. Then, when I let him out, he goes and hides. When I discover him, he hisses at me. I’m afraid to pick him up when he does this, so I net him and put him back in his cage.

He is neutered now and has had all his shots. He has a good appetite, and is nice as long as he is in the cage. I have six of my own cats, which Louis couldn’t care less about. I want to find him a good home, but he is not ready for adoption with his behavior of hiding. I’ve had other cats that hid, but they stopped after a while. Louis just reverts back to being “wild” and hiding.

I welcome your opinion on Louis. I’ve tried to block off his hiding area, but he manages to weasel his way back behind the furniture. -- D.A., St. Louis, Missouri

DEAR D.A.: When a semi-socialized cat has places to hide, the process of recovery will be protracted. Try following some of the steps of introducing a new cat into a cat-household, as posted on my website. Often, keeping the cat in a large cage as you have, in full view of the other cats, can help. Also have some cat condos and catwalks/shelves in your main living area, and keep the new cat in there. One or two boxes or “dens” where the scared cat can hide -- but still be in the same room and be able to see the other cats -- will give him security and facilitate habituation. Let the cat see you playing with the other cats and grooming them.

This can take weeks, but keep the faith.

DEAR DR. FOX: I always have tried to adopt my pets from the shelter. My latest dog, Skittles, is a beagle/Boston terrier mix. She is smart, full of life and love, and will never have the breathing problems of a purebred Boston terrier because she does not have the smushed snout.

Her coat is mostly black. At first glance, you can only see some white on her feet. Statistics have shown that black dogs are the least adopted dogs from shelters; this is too bad, because I could not have made a better choice than my Skittles.

Please tell your readers to give black dogs a chance when they go to the shelter. I had an unconscious prejudice, and I do not know why -- my only guess is that black is considered “evil” in our culture, and white is not. Black cats are considered unlucky, etc. -- L.P., Naples, Florida

DEAR L.P.: You raise an interesting fact about black dogs and cats being chosen less often for adoption, the grounds for such prejudice being beyond my comprehension.

This calls for a cultural anthropologist to investigate, since in some cultures black animals are good luck, and in others, bad luck. As Indian veterinarian Dr. M. Sugumaran describes in the book “India’s Animals: Helping the Sacred and the Suffering” (by my wife, Deanna Krantz), villagers have a different regard for the indigenous “pariah” dogs according to their color, which may also be linked to temperament. Black dogs are regarded as good luck, able to sense when ghosts or evil spirits are close, and are thought to bark louder than other dogs when cautioning people of danger.

(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.)