DEAR READERS: The recent trend of pet food manufacturers to market “grain-free” cat and dog food has been a contributing factor in some animals developing heart disease (dilated cardiomyopathy). The various kinds of fiber in the complex carbohydrates of whole grains (and buckwheat) can help prevent obesity and other health problems in both dogs and people. Note: Such grains have no place in cat foods, but some fiber in cat foods can be beneficial.

High-calorie, -meat and -fat diets and treats play a major role in the companion animal obesity crisis. In 2018, an estimated 60% of cats and 56% of dogs in the United States were overweight or obese. (See petobesityprevention.org.)

Genetic factors, owners’ lifestyles, eating habits and activity levels of both the animals and their caregivers also play a role. Such diets are also a major factor in some dogs developing pancreatitis with secondary diabetes. High-carbohydrate diets are in large part responsible for obesity, diabetes and other health problems in cats, and for pancreatic enzyme insufficiency in some dogs, especially German shepherds.

Complex carbohydrates in grains and seeds -- ideally organic, minimally processed ones such as brown rice, barley, oats, quinoa or amaranth -- include fibers that are beneficial for gut bacteria and starches that break down into energy-providing glucose, or can be stored in muscle as an energy reserve of glycogen or be converted into fat. Complex carbohydrates facilitate and slow down digestion, making for regular bowel movements and firm stools. They also play a role in satiety, which is important in weight control, with lower fat intake. Pregnant and nursing dogs and their pups thrive better with complex carbohydrates in their diets than when fed grain-free foods.

Food preference studies find healthy dogs prefer a diet of 36% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 41% fat. Some individual dogs, and breeds such as the Irish setter and Wheaten terrier, can have dietary intolerances to wheat. Wheat and soy are the most common causes of adverse food reactions in dogs; some are also allergic to beef, dairy or chicken.

My advice to people whose dogs do not require special diets (information about which is available at www.Secure.balanceit.com) is to make sure, as per my home-prepared recipe posted at drfoxonehealth.com, that some complex carbohydrates are included in their daily meals.

DEAR DR. FOX: I continue to be confused on the issue of vaccinations. Over the years, I have had three dogs and two cats, all of whom lived healthy lives to at least 16 years of age.

Each year when I received a postcard from my veterinarian that my pets were due for their annual vaccinations, I dutifully scheduled an appointment (and seldom left the office without a payment of approximately $100 per animal).

I now own three kittens that each came from dire and desperate conditions. I took all three into the vet for examinations and vaccinations (including follow-up vaccinations at intervals, which I understand are common for young animals). All three kittens are healthy, exclusively indoor cats.

I am getting reminders that they are due for their annual examinations and vaccinations -- one of which is rabies, which I understand and support. It is the other annual vaccinations that I question: annual distemper and “boosters.” Are these necessary? I have read some articles that suggest they are not, and a couple people have suggested that these vaccinations are not only not necessary (if they were vaccinated as kittens) but unhealthy.

I am sure you have commented on this issue in the past, but could you provide some guidance on this issue? -- R.F., Frostburg, Maryland

DEAR R.F.: I appreciate your concern, since vaccinations are of value in preventing various diseases, and yet there are legitimate concerns about possible harmful consequences (so-called vaccinoses). There is little consensus with regard to optimal protocols, and also about what to do about revaccination when animals have adverse reactions. There is also the fact that the vaccination needs for cats who never go outdoors are quite different from indoor-outdoor cats.

Check the vaccination protocols posted on my website (drfoxonehealth.com: go to Articles at the top, then click on CATS). So long as young cats have had all their “core” vaccinations by 1 year of age and are never outdoors, revaccinations, with the exception of legally mandated anti-rabies vaccination every year, are not warranted, in my opinion. But this does not mean the cats should not have annual wellness examinations -- ideally, for most cats, by a veterinarian who does house calls.

Some practices may refuse to see cats who are not up to date on their vaccinations because of the risk of exposure to other cats coming to the hospital who may be diseased. For good measure, be sure your kittens have been tested for feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus.

PETS MIGHT STAVE OFF DEPRESSION AFTER DIVORCE, DEATH OF SPOUSE

Older people who lose a spouse to death or divorce are less likely to experience depression and loneliness if they own a dog or cat, a study published in The Gerontologist found:

“When we take care of animals, we have a purpose to get up for in the morning,” said study leader Dawn Carr. (HealthDay News, 9/18)

(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: My rescue cat has a small bump on its jaw that the vet thinks is a tumor. It is firm, and doesn’t seem to bother him. Is there anything I can use, such as oils or supplements, that would help him to fight this?

Thank you for all you do for our animal friends and for the planet. -- A.T., Rolla, Missouri

DEAR A.T.: I am glad that you have had your cat examined by a veterinarian.

You must keep an eye on the growth, which could be cancer or a dental-root abscess causing jawbone inflammation. Cats are prone to chronic dental problems, which can get worse with age. One such disorder causes resorption of the tooth sockets in the jaw, necessitating tooth extraction. For details, check out my article on dental problems on my website, drfoxonehealth.com.

I would give your cat a few drops of fish oil daily for its anti-inflammatory properties. Begin with one drop in his food, since cats are finicky, and work up to five drops per meal. Meals should ideally consist of canned cat food fed in small amounts, five or six times a day. Cats do best with small meals.

Hope this helps. If the lump gets larger or the cat shows any discomfort eating, make another vet appointment.

DEAR DR. FOX: I read with interest about a Pomeranian with alopecia (hair loss) in your recent column. Our little dog Yogi Bear suffered from the same condition, also known as “black skin disease.” Yogi was diagnosed with the condition in 2005. He was 10 years old at that time. As the condition worsened, so did Yogi’s health, but we were told the condition was cosmetic and that his other problems were age-related.

I found a company called DERMagic that had a wonderful group of products that helped our Yogi. Yogi went from having very little hair in June of 2010 to a full coat by October that same year. Even our vet was amazed.

Company veterinarian Dr. Adelia Ritchie told me that Yogi’s energy would improve as well as his appetite, which they both did. But to us, the amazing thing was that the little quirks of his personality also returned. Even though he is nearly 16 years old now, Yogi is sleeping less, is more interested in people and his surroundings than he used to be, and is just a happier little guy in general. We have also seen a change in his bladder. When we began using the Skin Rescue Lotion, Yogi needed to urinate three times to empty his bladder as his stream was slow, much like a man with an enlarged prostate. In the last month, we have noticed that he is no longer needing to “three-pee” -- he will go one time, then back-kick and strut like he did a good job. He always used to do this.

We don’t feel there is any other explanation, other than his improved health from using DERMagic. -- D.G., Talent, Oregon

DEAR D.G.: I checked out this lotion and the other products on the website, which states:

“Founded in 2006 by Dr. Adelia Ritchie, DERMagic has been striving to help dogs and cats live a more comfortable life. In our all-natural skin care formulas, we use only the finest ingredients, including certified organic whole-leaf aloe vera gel, vitamin E, lanolin, beeswax, and soothing natural oils. DERMagic products promote fuller and healthier hair, protect skin and hair from damaging elements, and restore good skin condition. If your pet is suffering from black skin disease (alopecia-x), yeast, hot spots or dry and itchy skin, we have an all-natural product for you.”

I find none of these ingredients questionable, and am a longtime advocate of using aloe vera and natural oils for various skin disorders in animals as well as humans. The evident clinical benefits of such practices are discounted by drug companies that would rather see no such natural products on the market.

But I do not encourage dog owners to make their own diagnoses when their animals have some skin issue. These issues could be due to mange mites in the skin; flea bites; or other allergens, including seasonal pollens and certain food ingredients. A veterinary examination and diagnosis should be the first step, and then, based on the diagnosis or probable cause, discuss using a product like DERMagic with the veterinarian.

I would certainly try this option before using steroids or immunosuppressant drugs like Apoquel in treating chronic skin diseases.

(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: This posting from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), authored with D. Lee Miller of Duke Law School’s Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, and Gregory Muren, is an important message for all:

“Corporate livestock facilities, known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), can threaten the health of communities and pollute our air and water.

“Manure from CAFOs contains more than 150 pathogens that have the potential to contaminate water supplies, while fumes and particulate matter elevate rates of asthma, lung disease and bronchitis among farm workers and people living nearby.

“Nitrates from animal manure poison drinking water sources and contribute to epic dead zones in sensitive aquatic habitats. To confine large numbers of animals in close proximity, many companies compensate for filthy conditions by using routine antibiotic regimens, and this, in turn, fuels the global crisis of antibiotic resistance.

“CAFOs are theoretically regulated by the EPA, under the Clean Water Act. However, a decade of NRDC research reveals that the EPA has left these health threats largely unmonitored. In fact, the EPA lacks basic information about most CAFOs, including their location, how many animals they confine, how much waste they produce and how they dispose of that waste. The NRDC is encouraging states to step into the federal gap, using an NRDC-designed permit to monitor and regulate CAFOs that endanger the health of their citizens and environment.”

This statement doesn’t mention the inherent animal cruelty and suffering of these animal-production systems. On that basis, as well as those enumerated above, we consumers must go beyond this proposed better regulation and monitoring by adopting more plant-based food sources for the good of all -- including our sickening planet. When it comes to cruel animal exploitation, an abolitionist position is appropriate, and preferable to a reformist one. Political expedience should not override fundamental bioethics, as per my book “Bringing Life to Ethics: Global Bioethics for a Humane Society.”

DEAR DR. FOX: I would like to know what the difference is between feral cats and pythons. They are both invasive species to North America and both decimating wildlife, yet are handled much differently.

We TNVR (trap/neuter/vaccinate/return) cats and put them right back out there to keep hunting and diminishing bird and small-mammal populations. Pythons, on the other hand, are caught and euthanized. I am in no way a cat hater, as I have five indoor rescues and 12 outdoor felines (that the people next door just left when their house was foreclosed upon). We feed them heavily, wet and dry, as to help keep them from hunting. They are all fixed and very docile.

The idea of just putting felines back where they were after fixing and tipping their ears -- what is the difference? -- M.H., Lake Worth, Florida

DEAR M.H.: Some people may ridicule you for comparing cats and pythons, but it is only human sentimentality and bad press that makes euthanizing one invasive species, and not the other, acceptable. I have spelled out my opinion concerning local animal shelters and so-called “humane” societies releasing cats considered unadoptable to fend for themselves, and accepting that they will kill wildlife, on my website (drfoxonehelath.com). This is also cruel to cats and is a public health issue. No cats should be allowed to roam free. We do not allow dogs to do so.

I am also opposed to people keeping any kind of nondomesticated “exotic” animal, especially reptiles and amphibians. The accidental escape or deliberate release of these animals has resulted in the spread of diseases that are decimating indigenous species across Europe and probably also in the U.S.

AUSTRALIA STEPPING UP ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS

Dog owners could be fined up to $2,700 (AU $4,000) if they don’t walk their pets at least once a day under new legislation recognizing animals as sentient beings in the Australian Capital Territory. The territory is the first jurisdiction in Australia to recognize animal sentience.

The Animal Welfare Legislation Amendment Bill imposes a range of strict penalties in a bid to improve animal welfare. Owners can face heavy on-the-spot fines if they fail to provide basics like shelter, food and water. People who confine dogs for 24 hours must also allow them to move freely for the next two hours, or face prosecution.

There are no such laws yet in the U.S., and I feel sorry for the many dogs who are confined all day, rarely getting out or having any social contact with their own species. What is notable about this legislation is that animals are recognized as sentient beings -- a recognition that various animal industries, especially livestock, hunting and trapping, see as a threat to the status quo of animal exploitation.

(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.)