DEAR DR. FOX: I read your article about DERMagic and wonder if you have any suggestions to help my cat, Moxie.

He is a 4-year-old neutered, flea-free indoor cat, and at age 6 months, he began to chew and scratch and lose hair. After the usual diet change, which made no difference, a blood sample was tested and found him allergic to wool, cotton, grass and people!

For over a year, I gave him shots for the allergies, and he also received steroid shots as necessary during that time. The allergy shots made no difference, and were difficult to give -- Moxie is a rescue kitty with strong self-protection skills and, at times, a vengeful attitude!

We then tried Apoquel, which gave him no relief. For the past year, he has needed a steroid shot every four to five weeks.

Can you suggest a product and/or course of action that might help Moxie and wean him off the need for steroids? -- M.S., Jacksonville, Florida

DEAR M.S.: You have a challenging situation with your poor cat.

The allergy testing (even finding an allergy to humans!) is but one indicator of some disruption of how your cat’s body responds to foreign proteins/allergens. Suppressing that response with steroids or drugs like Apoquel can help in some instances, potentially harmful side effects from long-term treatment notwithstanding.

Emotions and stress can influence how the immune system functions, as can underlying infections such as feline immunodeficiency, leukemia or herpes virus, and in older cats, thyroid disease. General discomfort, fear and anxiety can lead to excessive grooming and fur-pulling in cats. That was the case with our new cat, Fanny, who stopped self-mutilating once she adapted to enjoying life indoors after over a year fending for herself outside.

I understand that Moxie can be difficult to medicate orally, and could be allergic to other proteins in whatever you feed him. I would try to transition him to my home-prepared cat food with known ingredients. A few drops of fish oil and local bee pollen given with the food, beginning with a minute amount since cats are so finicky, may help. Also, many cats like catnip, which can have a calming effect; I would start the day with some good-quality dried herb or a little tincture in the food. It is the equivalent of Valium for cats (though not all cats accept it). In addition, 3 mg of melatonin, crushed into the last meal at night, may help. Ideally, cats should have six to eight small meals a day, each about 1 teaspoon of moist food -- think mouse-sized.

DEAR DR. FOX: Recently, my 2-year-old border collie has been having repeated fevers starting about six months ago.

Sometimes it happens every two to three weeks, and sometimes she can stay healthy for over a month. Usually the fever starts after going to a place that is not very clean, e.g., dog pools, or after accidentally ingesting water left out in the park.

After a lot of recent blood work and testing by various vets, it was discovered that she has a high level of ANA (antinuclear antibodies) in her blood. One of the vets suspects that she has systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue).

I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of this in hopes that she does not have this fatal disease. We have not heard about any other dogs from the same breeder or litter having this issue.

At a very young age, she started taking Nexgard Spectra (afoxolaner) for flea/tick and heartworm control. I came across your article, from a few years back, about the potential hazards of these drugs, and was wondering whether Nexgard may be the root cause of these fevers.

Have you ever heard of afoxolaner or other similar drugs being linked to autoimmune diseases? -- M.L., Taipei, Taiwan

DEAR M.L.: I am sorry to hear about your dog’s distressing condition.

It could be SLE, but please note that high-ANA titers alone are not diagnostics for SLE. High titers, if accompanied by appropriate clinical and laboratory findings, are more likely indicative of SLE. High titers can also be seen in some animals with infectious or inflammatory disorders (e.g., Ehrlichiosis, Bartonellosis) so these possibilities should be checked out.

Giving probiotics and 500 mg turmeric with each meal may help your dog significantly.

I doubt that the afoxolaner was the primary cause of your dog’s apparent autoimmune disease, but I am in principle opposed to the long-term use of insecticides in companion animals.

VETERINARY APPLICATIONS OF ELECTROTHERAPY

Pioneering veterinarian Dr. Ava Frick has found many beneficial applications of Alpha-Stim, an FDA-cleared “microcurrent” therapy device, to treat and help alleviate various health issues in animals. It has also given significant benefits to humans.

According to its website, Alpha-Stim “has been widely researched on both animals and humans, and is used to treat anxiety, insomnia, depression and systemic pain. Research and clinical trials have proven the efficacy of the patented Alpha-Stim waveform in healing and treating spinal and nerve conditions, wounds, infections, and scar and soft-tissue injuries.” For more information, visit alphastimforanimals.com

(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: Off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, are floating pens: home to millions of farmed salmon. In early September, several million of those pen-raised fish unexpectedly died. The number of dead fish was reported as anywhere from 2 million to 8 million, and the reported causes for the die-off ranged from algae blooms to too-warm water.

The fishing company in question, Northern Harvest Sea Farms, said that 2.6 million salmon carcasses will be sent to another company to be processed into cat food and other animal feed. (thechronicleherald.ca, Oct. 11)

Pet food safety advocate Susan Thixton posted this comment on her website, truthaboutpetfood.com:

“The FDA openly allows diseased animal material to be disposed of into pet food. As recent as April 30, 2019, the FDA stated: ‘We do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern and we intend to continue to exercise enforcement discretion where appropriate.’

“‘Enforcement discretion’ is the FDA’s way of saying ‘illegal waste disposal into pet food without disclosure to pet owners.’ Should you wish to tell the FDA how you feel about the illegal waste the agency allows in pet food, please email them at AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov.”

Thanks to CatFoodIngredients.com for forwarding me this story.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have been using Seresto collars for my 51-pound springer spaniel for the past two years, and he has developed cancer all of a sudden.

Chipper will be 12 in November, and he was fine until I started with these collars. He developed bone cancer starting in the jawbone close to the collar.

This is the first time I’m hearing of this connection, as I read your article. Thank you for the info. -- M.S., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR M.S.: You are now witness to the sad reality of the high incidence of various cancers in dogs.

Cancer is a multifactor disease in most instances, involving a combination of genetics and, often, environmental factors. My approach is to avoid potential carcinogenic sources from the environment, which include the long-term use of insecticides on both food crops and our animal companions.

The ingredients in the Seresto collar could have played a role, but this is difficult to prove beyond circumstantial probability. High levels of fluoride and pesticides in some pet foods and drinking water could also be contributing factors.

The best you can do is to make life as comfortable as possible for your dog. Feed him a high-protein, high-fat, low-starch diet with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplements, including one daily teaspoon of fish oil, powdered turmeric and ginger mixed into his food. Also give him a tablespoon of blueberries, grated carrots or broccoli, 500 mg of vitamin C, and 200 mcg of selenium. At bedtime, give him 6 mg of melatonin, a potent antioxidant.

There are many holistic and nutraceutical ways of addressing animal patients with various cancers, along with surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy.

To find a holistic veterinary practitioner in your area, visit ahvma.org.

DON’T BUY PIG EAR TREATS, GOVERNEMNT WARNS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advising people not to purchase pig ear treats for their dogs: Since 2015, at least 127 people in 33 states have been infected with salmonella from these pig parts.

These parts come from Argentina and Brazil. Pig parts from China are blocked because of the current crisis of Asiatic swine fever, which has decimated the domestic pig population in several Asian countries.

(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: The decline in wild bird populations is astonishing.

No doubt, loss of habitat is the major contributing factor, but the decline nearly parallels the increase in bird feeders and the explosion of the related industry.

I have noticed the effect of sprouting-prevention chemicals used on many commercially produced birdseed products as grass and other plants beneath the feeders die off. If there is also an effect on the health -- specifically, the reproductive health -- of the birds eating this seed, then these chemicals might be part of the cause of decline.

Have any studies been done on this issue? It would be terrible if those of us who adore having beautiful songbirds near us were inadvertently adding to the cause of their demise. -- D.R., South Bend, Indiana

DEAR D.R.: Many readers share your concerns, and indeed, the demise of wild birds across the U.S. and other countries is staggering.

This loss is not simply some aesthetic concern for bird-lovers, but one of profound ecological significance. The ecological services birds provide are of inestimable value for our own food and environmental security, and are one significant aspect of the climate crisis. Birds help in the pollination of some plants, as well the spread of seeds for reforestation and in the control of insects such as the emerald ash borer, now decimating ash trees across the country.

Many beneficial insects and birds are dying from starvation due to habitat loss and widespread use of herbicides like Roundup, a probable human carcinogen also linked with other systemic health issues. Birds lose their appetites when exposed to small amounts of insecticides via treated seeds and garden-store plants, and subsequently die. Insecticides are also applied to crops, livestock and companion animals, with consequent environmental contamination. This is compounded by GMO crops genetically engineered to produce their own insecticides.

Free-roaming domestic cats, both feral and owned, are responsible for killing an estimated 1.3 billion to 4 billion birds annually, as well as billions of small mammals. This magnitude of mortality is far greater than previous estimates of cat predation on wildlife, and may exceed all other sources of anthropogenic mortality of U.S. birds and mammals, according to an article in Nature Communications (volume 4, 2013).

This is all very depressing, and all responsible for this critical loss of global biodiversity should be prosecuted by a yet-to-be-established United Environmental Nations authority. In the interim, we must be vigilant, avoiding all such harmful products in and around our homes. We must also challenge what city and state forestry departments spray to control “weeds” and various insects, and instead support integrated pest control, habitat restoration and organic farming practices.

As for your specific concern, I am not aware that birdseed is treated against germination, although some seeds may inhibit others from germinating. Additionally, bird feeders must be regularly cleaned to minimize spread of avian diseases at feeding sites.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have seen mention in your column about some animal welfare work you are helping fund in India. Having visited there with my wife this past spring, we see there is a big need for the suffering animals there.

Do post some details about what you are doing there. -- T.U., Minneapolis, Minnesota

DEAR T.U.: My wife, Deanna Krantz, founded and directed the India Project for Animals & Nature to help the indigenous and tribal peoples of South India by improving the health and well-being of their farmed animals and of the dogs and cats in these communities. Against opposition, disinformation and death-threats, she investigated and documented the long-distance “death march” of cattle to slaughter, along with wildlife poaching, land encroachment and the tragic plight of elephants wild and captive.

Putting compassion into action and seeking justice for all, she became the voice for animals’ rights and for the indigenous peoples who cared, but were silenced by the authorities. Our book on the topic (details below) shatters the myth that animals regarded as “sacred,” especially cows and elephants, are always treated humanely, and paves the way for greater transparency and progress in addressing the tragic plight of the animals and all who depend upon them.

This richly illustrated book details the trials and tribulations of setting up an animal shelter and free veterinary clinic in the heart of a unique wildlife region in South India: the UNESCO-designated Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve. This is one of the subcontinent’s last few wildlife preserves for the Asian elephant and tiger.

We continue to support our veterinary team there, headed by Dr. M. Sugumaran, and by purchasing the book, you will help us sustain this support. His independent organization, Prakriti Save Nature Trust (prakritigudalur.in), is government-certified to receive foreign donations.

The book: “India’s Animals: Helping the Sacred & the Suffering,” by Deanna L. Krantz and Dr. Michael W. Fox, One Health Vision Press, 2016.

CATS CAN CARRY 36 DISEASES TRANSMISSIBLE TO HUMANS

Revised guidelines from the American Association of Feline Practitioners list 36 diseases that can pass from cats to humans, although overall incidence of feline-to-human zoonosis is low, says co-author and veterinarian Michael Lappin.

Regular deworming, vaccination against rabies, treatment to prevent flea and tick infestations, as well as basic sanitation mitigate risk of disease and can protect humans against many of the zoonotic diseases cats can carry. (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery; AAFP Feline Zoonoses Guidelines, Discover magazine, Oct. 16)

Most important of all is to make cats indoor-only animal companions, and be sure they have wellness examinations at least annually.

(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.)