DEAR DR. FOX: In rainy seasons, my dog goes crazy. It seems nighttime is worse. She pants, jumps in bed and tries to lick my face, then runs to the door and starts scratching it, trying to get out, while howling. (The neighbors are unhappy!)

I got Acepromazine from our vet (10 mg. -- she’s 17 pounds) and only give her a quarter of a pill. Even a half-pill was too much. That works fine, but I hate to give it to her too many nights in a row.

What is your opinion of giving the pills too often? -- P.K., Naples, Florida

DEAR P.K.: It is never wise to keep a dog on such medication for a long period of time.

Not being able to predict when the rain will come next, and therefore when to medicate, is a dilemma. Does she seem to respond to the sound of the rain, or start reacting before the rain comes -- the prelude to storms being wind and changes in air ionization?

If you have any forewarning, turn on some loud but soothing music and wrap a small T-shirt around your dog. Secure with Velcro like a tight wrap. These are called “thunder shirts” and are available in some pet stores and online, but you can make your own. Many dogs find them comforting.

If these steps fail, make a tape recording of heavy rain and play it at random intervals to desensitize your dog. Such immersion therapy does work when other means of eliminating a phobia or conditioned emotional reaction have failed.

Try a few drops of essential oil of lavender on a bandanna around her neck. This oil can be very calming for dogs, including those who get overexcited when in the car.

Let me know what helps your dog! Our recued dog Kota refuses to go out when it is raining, sharing many dogs’ aversion to getting wet! Good luck.

DEAR DR. FOX: Fall is coming and mice are getting in. Please advise. Exterminators want to use poison baits. Are there alternatives? -- G.V., Houston

DEAR G.V.: I would adopt two kittens from your local shelter (if you have no cats currently) and keep them indoors, of course. Their scent will deter mice, and they may be good chasers and catchers.

Essential oil of peppermint in handfuls of absorbent kitty litter can be a deterrent, distributed where mice may travel in your home. Or try putting the same in old socks, if the mice are in the attic or ceiling.

Avoid using poisons like Decon, especially outdoors. They get into the larger ecosystem and poison raptors, foxes, stray cats and other wild carnivores who may eat the bait or poisoned mice who may not die inside your home. One’s own cat or dog could be poisoned inside in the same way.

There are humane traps for use in-home, and the mice can be trapped and released to fend for themselves in a local parkland or field. Glue traps are wholly inhumane, and wire-snap traps do not always quickly kill.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read your column recently and you recommended your home-prepared diet. It would be helpful to readers if you would list the recipe for dogs and cats in the column. -- P.H., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR P.H.: Many readers have requested this, but each recipe includes feeding instructions and important steps when transitioning dogs and cats onto a new diet, or even making these home-prepared meals a portion of the regular diet. This would fill more than one column, and simply giving out the basic recipe is not adequate when addressing this basic animal care need and responsibility.

Anyway, I am sending you both recipes for you to pass on to whomever you may wish.

(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: “Not One More Vet is an online veterinary support group. The group was founded in 2014 by Dr. Nicole McArthur. It has grown into an international group of veterinarians who come together on Facebook to laugh, cry and lend a supportive ear with their colleagues.” -- from the group’s website, nomv.org

This is so very important, because the incidence of suicide in this profession is about twice that of the general population. Non-veterinarians working in animal protection, cruelty investigations and rescue work also need support; they, too, experience the burdens of empathy, frustration and despair that can come from dealing with a culture that has so little regard for nonhuman life. Compassion stress and compassion fatigue are among the personal indices of well-being.

As the late Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin famously wrote, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” By extension, dogs, cats and other sentient life forms are spiritual beings having a dog, cat or other experience, respectively. Accepting this view inspires a sense of reverential respect for all life, and a responsibility to care for all creatures great and small. This means we suffer with, and for, them when they are in need of care. Veterinarians and others in caring professions can indeed experience burnout and depression. Many even consider ending, and actually do end, their own lives -- an incalculable loss that support groups such as Not One More Vet can help prevent.

FEWER ANIMALS BEING TAKEN INTO SHELTERS, EUTHANIZED

Good news! Factors such as cultural change, an increase in spaying and neutering, pets being returned to owners and a trend toward rescue adoption have reduced the number of animals in big-city shelters that are euthanized by more than 75% since 2009. Though some no-kill shelters report being pushed beyond their capacity, shelters have become more sophisticated and collaborative. (The New York Times, 9/3)

DEAR DR. FOX: I have a small white Maltese. He is 8 years old, and in the past year, has started getting brownish red fur wherever he licks -- face, feet etc. I feel it is allergies, but don’t know to what. Otherwise he is healthy. I do give him filtered water.

Have you any suggestions for what I can try? -- B.M., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR B.M.: This is a very prevalent problem in dogs, and is especially evident in those with white coats. Red fur staining is caused by a compound called porphyrin. Porphyrins are iron-containing molecules produced when the body breaks down red blood cells. They are removed from the body primarily through feces, but are also in urine, tears and saliva.

Brown fur staining is primarily caused by an infection with the yeast Malassezia. This is the yeast that is responsible for skin and ear infections in dogs.

It is possible that your dog has both conditions. Excessive eye discharge can mean chronic eye infection or blocked tear ducts, while dental problems -- common in small breeds -- can lead to excessive salivation. Both secretions carry porphyrins that stain the fur.

Dogs with seasonal allergies may lick their paws and legs, the saliva staining the fur red. Then when brownish discoloration develops in the moist fur, the yeast infection sets in. The yeast thrives where the fur is moist, especially in the external ear canals, under the eyes and around the lower jaws, where the fur is moist from saliva and drinking.

I would advise a good grooming/clipping, and cleaning the affected areas with one part hydrogen peroxide in two parts water. Dry him well, then apply apple cider vinegar, rub it well into his fur, then wipe him semi-dry after 10 to 15 minutes. You may need someone to hold your dog and avoid getting any of these applications near the eyes.

If your dog has not had a recent wellness examination, you should take him in -- my fear is that he dog has chronic dental issues, and the remedy I offer will not fix the problem.

(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: At the proper time, our four cats were declawed, as we were in favor of intact furniture and zero cat scratches.

These cats spent their lives happily doing what cats do, even scratching their front paws on whatever met their fancy -- instinct. They lived to the age of 18, never being allowed outdoors, and passed within two weeks of each other (11 years ago).

That leads me to the question: It’s not OK to declaw cats, but perfectly OK to cut off dogs’ tails and operate on their ears for purely cosmetic reasons? I also disagree with the breeding of both cats and dogs that leaves them with pushed-in faces, making it difficult for them to eat properly; it can bother their breathing, too. -- H.O., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR H.O.: I have addressed these issues -- cropping dogs’ ears, docking their tails and deliberately breeding dogs with extreme facial and other physical abnormalities -- many times in my column, as well as in the articles on my website entitled, “Don’t Let Them Mutilate Your Dog” and “Recovering Canine Health.” Breeding Persian and other cats with deformed faces and others with abnormal limbs is also very inhumane.

I appreciate you sharing your experiences with declawed cats, but this is a wholly radical procedure that can have lifelong adverse physical and behavioral consequences. More details are available in my review of this issue on my website (drfoxonehealth.com). In many countries, declawing is considered an unethical practice for veterinarians to engage in.

DEAR DR. FOX: Come Thanksgiving, I will host my extended family at my home: siblings, spouses, in-laws, nieces, nephews, etc. We have lots of room and they will bring their dogs.

I do not have any pets, but I like animals, especially dogs. Most dogs cozy up to me almost immediately, often far more quickly than they do to other people. Most of the dogs who will be here are great and well-behaved.

However, my sister’s family has two German shepherds: a female about 8 years old and a male about 4 years old. The last two times they came to visit, the male dog took to barking at me, almost incessantly. He did not bark at other people, just me. I ignored it as much as possible. My sister tried to give me guidance on how to behave so that the dog would not bark at me. However, this was a 100-pound dog acting aggressively towards me in my own home; I would have no part of “acting” a certain way to minimize the dog’s behavior.

My sister and her husband have only ever had these two dogs, and while they have gone to some sort of obedience school, it does not really seem to have made a difference. They have had to crate the dog on more than one occasion while visiting, since he acted so erratically. The female German shepherd has no such issues.

The other dogs who’ll be visiting are a Rottweiler, a Shih Tzu and a shepherd mix (a rescue that used to be very anxious, but has really calmed down in the last couple of years). All the dogs get along with each other, whether in the house or outside on the lawn. Do you have any advice for this Thanksgiving? -- E.Z., Walkerton, Indiana

DEAR E.Z.: You are a good host, inviting so many dogs and their human families!

This German shepherd is probably not being aggressive so much as fearful and defensive when you are close and make eye contact, trying to reassure the dog. Yelling to make the dog be quiet is too late in the behavior-shaping process, and remote-controlled electric anti-bark collars are unacceptable -- very inhumane in the wrong hands.

I would ignore the dog and avoid eye contact. If the dog just will not settle down, he should be put in the owner’s vehicle (only if the weather is good), or outside with the other big dogs. I would advise against giving the dog any sedative drug prior to the visit.

This does sound like an unstable animal, but extend him some special understanding: German shepherds are very bright, and bark for attention, especially when people are ignoring them and are engaged in conversation.

When we had a “pack” of three rescued dogs, their response to us having visitors was to play together on the floor in front of us, after greeting and sniffing everyone. Also, one of our dogs would often bring a gift -- anything she could find, even a leaf from the porch -- with no other intention than to give it to our visitors. (She wasn’t looking for a game of fetch, because she would never respond to or retrieve a thrown toy.)

About Thanksgiving, visitors and in-home animals: This time of celebration can be marred by a cat or dog slipping outdoors as visitors come and go and then getting lost. Be sure collars and tags are on, and maybe consider keeping your animals in a separate room while guests are coming in or leaving. Keep them there if they are very shy or fearful, or if there are children coming. Also, do not give many treats: Many cats and dogs given meaty, fatty holiday leftovers go into emergency care with acute pancreatitis.

Best for all is to make it a compassionate and environmentally sensitive time of celebration by making the meal meat-free, vegan or vegetarian. I think we need a special day of Thanksgiving for all creatures great and small. Some people choose the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, Oct. 4, for this purpose.

(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.)