DEAR DR. FOX: I just wanted to see if there is a place to turn in bad vets, like you can for regular doctors.

My cat had crystals in his urine. I had taken him to this same vet before for this problem. I called, and they said to bring him in right away. I took him at 9 in the morning, and by noon I had not heard anything, so I called and was told that the doc hadn’t had time to see him yet. So I waited, and at 4:40, the vet called and said he was going to give him a pill and check on him in the morning.

By morning, he had died in his little carrier. He had been left to suffer.

This vet should have stayed and taken care of him, knowing what crystals will do to a cat. If he had really looked at my cat, he would have known how bad off he was. He called the next morning and said he was going to do surgery, but that my cat had died before he could. It has made me sick knowing he could have been saved, but this vet did not care. -- D.N., Eagle Point, Oregon

DEAR D.N.: From what details you have shared, I am deeply disturbed by the obvious suffering that your cat must have experienced.

Cats unable to urinate go into agony, then shock, and finally collapse when the bladder becomes fully distended with retained urine.

This is an emergency condition for all cats, and many do get this problem. Owners must be on the alert for it at all times, checking the litter box daily during cleaning and noting if their cats begin to strain, sometimes in front of them, as though to display that they are having problems urinating. Sometimes there is evident blood-spotting.

You should write a full account with times and dates and file a complaint to your state’s board of veterinary examiners, which licenses practicing veterinarians, as well as to the Better Business Bureau. This is very important action to take in order to help other animals who may come to this veterinarian, who could already have a record of other instances of malpractice.

There is surely no legitimate defense in this instance -- there could be no error in diagnosis of your cat’s condition, and no reason to delay passing a catheter and flushing out the crystals and mucous plugs to relieve the distended urinary bladder.

DEAR DR. FOX: My 9-year-old beagle mix is usually easygoing. But for the past week, when he sleeps next to my 13-year-old beagle mix, he growls -- despite the fact that the elder isn’t doing anything or touching him.

What could be causing this growling? -- L.H., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR L.H.: The easy answer is Grumpy Old Dogs.

Like most of us as we get older, our dogs can get irritable, not wanting to be touched in certain places or struggling when getting up or lying down, especially due to arthritis in the back and joints. Osteoarthritis is very prevalent in dogs and cats today, as discussed in a recent column. I would have this possibility checked out by his veterinarian at his next wellness appointment.

In the interim, try a few drops of fish oil in his food daily (ideally from wild salmon, and certainly not krill, for reasons spelled out on my website) for its anti-inflammatory qualities. Also add up to a teaspoon of chopped fresh turmeric and ginger, or half a teaspoon twice daily of each, if powdered. Start with a small quantity so he gets accustomed to it.

My massage book “The Healing Touch for Dogs” has helped a lot of older dogs, and those who like water benefit from regular swims in safe waters. Look out for toxic blue-green algae this summer!

I doubt that he has early onset dementia, but this is a possibility. If so, the above supplements, plus 1,000 international units (IUs) twice daily of vitamin D3 may help. Increase the dose by 500 IUs each week until you reach 2,500 IUs twice daily, then do the reverse, lowering the dose down weekly to 1,000 IUs.

MOST AMERICANS WANT TO SAVE THE WOLF

Regarding my article about wolves being protected (or not) under the Endangered Species Act -- which reflects the nation’s political and ethical divisions -- I am happy to report that of those who responded to the Trump administration’s proposal to allow renewed hunting and trapping of the gray wolf, the numbers opposing the move came to a staggering majority! More details can be found at earthjustice.org.

HOPE FOR WOLVES AND LIVESTOCK: NONLETHAL CONFLICT PREVENTION METHODS

In an effort to reduce the number of wolf conflicts with livestock, and the number of wolves killed in response, the organization Howling For Wolves has recently partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

For details, see the full press release at: howlingforwolves.org/news

(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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I recently received information about the harmful effects of Simparica oral tick and flea medication.

Hopefully you can share some evidence-based information as to its safety. -- W.F., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR W.F.: I have done an extensive, documented review on these various oral and topical anti-tick and flea medications, which most veterinarians are continuing to sell to their clients, along with pet food suppliers and large grocery and drug stores.

For details, visit my website (drfoxonehealth.com) and pull up “Companion Animal Risks of Flea and Tick Insecticides.”

I find this whole issue a reflection of a brainwashed society that has come to accept the risks of pesticides because of the well-advertised self-proclaimed benefits by the manufacturers. This brainwashing has been so successful that most farmers believe they cannot farm without pesticides. The net result is insect pesticide resistance and the need for more and stronger insecticides, while beneficial insects and species that help control crop pests are killed, and our food and water are contaminated by such chemicals.

Insanity, indeed. Organic farmers are helping recover agriculture and sanity. So are holistic veterinarians who offer alternatives to control fleas and ticks for clients who want to make the effort and not adopt the easy way out by giving their animals these chemicals on a regular basis. For my holistic, integrative approach, see “Preventing Fleas, Ticks and Mosquitoes” posted on my website.

Products like Simparica and Bravecto are widely advertised in veterinary journals, giving the impression that they are safe for companion animals. But go online and you will find many contrary reports and opinions, such as the following:

FOUR FLEA, TICK PRODUCTS LINKED TO SEIZURES, ATAXIA

Details: avma.org/news/javmanews/pages/181115h.aspx

NEW YORK STATE BANS DECLAWING CATS

“About bloody time,” as we say in my country of origin, where no British veterinarian would consider declawing cats as a routine service for their clients. For details about the harmful consequences of this radical surgical mutilation, visit my website, drfoxonehealth.com.

The New York bill outlaws a variety of declawing surgeries unless medically necessary for the cat, and imposes a fine of up to $1,000 on veterinarians who perform them, the New York Times reported.

Cat declawing involves severing through tendons and nerves and removal of part of the toe/finger bone. The practice is banned in many European countries and Canadian provinces, as well as the U.S. cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver. However, the New York State Veterinary Medical Society opposed the bill, arguing in a statement that there were circumstances in which declawing would be best for the well-being of cats and owners, and that the ultimate decision should be left up to veterinarians in consultation with their clients.

Other vets supported the bill. Rochester, New York-based veterinarian Michelle Brownstein said she stopped offering the procedure 15 years ago when she became convinced it caused cats to develop chronic pain or long-term behavioral problems.

“The end result is a barbaric procedure that results in the mutilation of the animal,” she told the Associated Press. “Frankly, if you’re worried about your furniture, then you shouldn’t be getting a cat.”

TOXIC ALGAE THREATENS DOGS IN AFFECTED WATERWAYS

A dog died after playing in the St. John River in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where toxic blue-green algae blooms are frequent. Veterinarian Colleen Bray says the dog’s symptoms are consistent with blue-green algae exposure, and dog owners are urged to avoid the area. (CTV, Canada, 7/14)

In most regions of North America currently experiencing climate change-related increases in heat and precipitation, ideal conditions are being created for the proliferation of toxic algae in fresh-water lakes and streams. This puts dogs who drink contaminated water at risk.

Dog owners and walkers, beware! Also, remember that hot pavement can blister dogs’ feet, and in hot and humid weather, they need extra water to stay cool and to avoid heat stroke.

(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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: With all due respect to the pro-lifers who are striving to limit the scope of Planned Parenthood and curtail women’s rights, we have a deeper issue to examine: Regardless of respecting the life of an unborn child, respect for life is still human-centered and, therefore, fundamentally flawed.

Where is the respect for the lives of all creatures, wild and domesticated? We continue, as a culture, to justify exploiting and even killing animals for recreation, holding them in captivity for our entertainment, and slaughtering them by the billions for our consumption.

What of the forests that are bulldozed to create more land to feed livestock and for real estate development and golf courses? The climate crisis, now intensified by forest fires even in the Arctic and Siberia, is bringing the Hopi prophecy -- “When the trees are gone, the sky will fall” -- to fruition. Reverential respect for all life is enlightened self-interest. Such respect should include those mothers who have the right not to bring more life into the world for ethical reasons even if, as with euthanasia, the moral principle of not taking a life is violated.

Most ethicists have not done much better than moral fundamentalists over the centuries; they have limited the scope of addressing our inhumanity by precluding other species from equal consideration and legal standing.

The greater our empathy for other living beings, human and nonhuman, plant and animal, the greater our understanding and appreciation. There is also the possibility of discovery and revelation, as exemplified by 1983 Nobel Prize-winning plant scientist Dr. Barbara McClintock, who famously shared: “Every time I walk on grass, I feel sorry because I know the grass is screaming at me.”

In sum, we need, as a culture, to feel more beyond ourselves and our personal beliefs and convictions for the good of all life on our fragile and overpopulated planet.

DEAR DR. FOX: My dog Sami, an 11-year-old rescue (sort of resembles an Australian cattle dog), was chewing on her front leg and there seemed to be a tumor of sorts.

Our vet biopsied the growth, and fortunately it was benign. However, the dog seemed to be miserable, and other sores developed on her legs. A food allergy was suggested as a cause. I read online about chicken being a culprit, and after reading the ingredients on many dog food products, I learned that most contain chicken or chicken parts. The vet said this is probably because chicken is a very inexpensive way for manufacturers to add protein to their products.

I switched to a kibble that is chicken-free, and I make Sami’s other food using your recipe. Now, after about a year, Sami’s “tumor” has disappeared and her legs are lesion-free. I realize this may not be the cause of many dogs’ itching and self-mutilation problems, but this seemed to me, for Sami, to be better than the myriad drugs that were prescribed. And it cost me nothing to change to chicken-free food.

Thank you for your help and concern for our animals. -- M.H., Poughkeepsie, New York

DEAR M.H.: I very much appreciate you sharing your dog’s saga with a skin condition that was eventually resolved by removing chicken from the diet. Dogs’ skin is one of the first indicators of dietary ingredient intolerance or food allergy, which should always be considered, rather than simply treating the symptoms with steroids and immunosuppressant drugs that at best give temporary relief but can have long-term harmful consequences.

VA HESITATES TO PAIR DOGS WITH VETERANS

Only 19 military veterans have been paired with shelter dogs through a Department of Veterans Affairs program intended to help veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Scientific evidence that dogs can improve human mental health is thin, according to the VA’s chief veterinarian, Dr. Michael Fallon, and department officials are concerned about unintended consequences. (New York Times, 7/17)

Knowing the documented benefits of dogs for people suffering from PTSD, I am surprised at this report. Studies continue to confirm the stress-reducing benefits of animal companionship and even short-term contact, as per the following story.

HANDS-ON CONTACT WITH DOGS, CATS REDUCES STRESS HORMONE LEVELS

Direct contact with a cat or dog for just 10 minutes significantly reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol in university students’ saliva samples, according to a study conducted at Washington State University and published in AERA Open (a publication from the American Educational Research Association).

Cortisol levels were lower in students who interacted with animals than in students who waited in line while watching others engage with animals, looked at still images of the same animals, or waited quietly without external stimuli. (KREM-TV, Spokane, Washington, 7/16)

If the Veterans Administration cannot do better for our soldiers in need of help, this is a call to animal shelters and dog adoption organizations to fill the gap. No need for some special breed of dog or special training. Many rescued dogs make excellent companions, and placement volunteers can determine the right dog for the right person and determine how much initial help is needed to ensure the dogs are well cared for.

(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 DrFoxOneHealth.com.)